A bathhouse is a building whose historical roots go back to ancient times. So, for the Greeks and Romans, this room was needed not so much for bathing as for conducting conversations, reading poetry and holding feasts. In Russia, these buildings were allowed to be built for those who had enough land for this. The home sauna was black only once a week, on Saturdays. And bathing, according to our ancestors, gave clarity to the mind, freshness and vivacity, beauty and youth.
What now?
Today, the construction of bathhouses is as much in demand as the construction of suburban housing. Many owners of cottages outside the city strive to complement them with these buildings. And construction companies offer services for the construction of a whole bath complex along with the creation of a residential facility, while they are performed in one style and architectural solution, and therefore the surrounding landscape looks harmonious.
The bathhouse in its traditional form is found less and less. As a rule, this is a small log house in which a stove is installed, and there is no pipe. It is no accident that in ancient times such rooms were called smoky or soap in black. However, true gourmets and connoisseurs of tradition and their origins prefer just such options.
How is the Russian soap dish arranged?
The sauna in black is a modest log cabin in which there is a stove, but no pipe. That is, the smoke does not go outside, but enters the steam room. As a result, the walls in such a building are smoked, and the name “smoky” comes from here. The main features of the room in the absence of equipment and maximum simplicity. It is noteworthy that such a bath can not be called not appropriate sanitary requirements. In fact, soot is even useful for the following reasons.
- It makes better temperature readings.
- The soot that remains on the walls perfectly absorbs odors.
- Smoke has a disinfecting effect: thanks to its formaldehyde, phenol and acetic acid, microbes and bacteria are killed.
- Even in the bathhouse in black, you can create the perfect atmosphere, for example, by painting the walls of the steam room in some color.
Design Features
The traditional Russian bathhouse has a unique structure in black. The use of logs in it is not accidental: they pass air well, therefore, in the absence of a pipe, it exits just through the walls. In such a building does not need additional ventilation. Firewood from birch or aspen was used for the firebox, and their laying played an important role. The main thing in a black bathhouse is not to forget to cover the walls with water, which allows you to refresh the air in it. Today, such buildings are gradually returning again, as this is a tribute to traditions and an opportunity to realize antiquity in the modern world. In addition, the furnace in black is beneficial: you can save on fuel consumption, while avoiding heat loss.
Features of the bath in black
They are as follows:
- logs should pass air well;
- You can only heat it with wood;
- when the furnace needs to open doors, windows - this will allow smoke to go outside;
- the steam room should heat up well.
Few people know, but in Russia it was in such a bathhouse that deliveries were made, because here, contrary to many prejudices, it is clean and environmentally safe. In summer, the building is heated for about 2 hours, in the cold, a little longer. All the soot that accumulates settles on the walls, so you can not be afraid to get dirty.
How to make a bath in black?
As already mentioned, for its construction it is best to use logs, because their structure is such that the walls will pass smoke well. The rest of the construction process will be conducted according to traditional principles. First, we select the foundation. It depends on the characteristics of the site, namely on the soil and the weight of the log house. For example, for a bathhouse of more than 20 tons, a foundation will need a powerful, for example, reinforced concrete strip type. And for light construction, a natural foundation created from simple cobblestones is quite suitable. On this basis, the structure can stand for more than 100 years!
The second important point concerns the water supply system. Today it is not difficult to bring water to the construction, because you can buy pumps that go down the well, or install them in the well. Ideally, even a bathhouse in black should have a whole water supply system so that the provision is stable and constant. Traditionally, in a Russian bath, water was heated from the stove into which the boiler was built. True, in this case the room was getting too damp. Often the water was heated in a wooden barrel: hot stones from the stove were thrown into cold water, thus heating it.
Walls and shelves
A do-it-yourself bathhouse is created from wood, best of all from a log. Earlier in Russia, a tree with a diameter of at least 18 cm was used, which made it possible to quickly heat the room, and at the same time save on the consumption of firewood. The inner part of the walls is not sheathed, but insulation is necessary. You can use jute tape for this. For the construction of a steam room, it is best to take coniferous wood, for example, pine, cedar. If you need a more economical option, you should use a pine. To create a regiment they take alder, linden or aspen. They are well cleaned, and at the same time they have a long service life.
Any bath should be small, in Russia it was generally a modest hut. However, today you can choose any design of the bathhouse in black, in which design ideas will be implemented. Suppose, it’s not uncommon for buildings, in which, in addition to the steam room and locker rooms, there is a swimming pool, sauna, relaxation room.
Dance from the stove
It is she who is considered the heart of the bath. To make the room convenient and functional, sauna stoves in black must have certain sizes. Suppose, for a building with an area of about 12 m 2, the stove should be at least one and a half meters in length and a meter in width. Still, you should not set it yourself - it is best to entrust this process to professional companies. The hearth can be made any - square, round, hexagonal, rectangular. For masonry, you will need to purchase a brick, cobblestone, jadeite and talchochlorite. The oven should be positioned so that the room warms up evenly.
A brick hole is created above the structure, which will evenly distribute heat from steam and heat throughout the room. At the same time, several holes with a diameter of 10 cm should be made in the wall: they will be used to regulate the flow of fresh air when the front door is locked. To get good steam, the heater must be equipped with suitable stones, best of all basalt or volcanic rocks. Soapstone, which is resistant to high temperature and heat capacity, is very popular for these purposes. Thanks to him, the most reliable and warm baths are created.
Bath construction: projects, technologies, ideas
To build a soap box, we need a log house. The foundation for it can be built pile, because under the log structure it is quite enough. On the ground, fill the plate on which the furnace will be located, with a thickness of at least 20 cm. Then you need to draw a trench through which water and the sewage system will be supplied. The floor in the black bath will become warm on the basis of concrete screed and reinforcement. Our design will consist of two compartments - the first will have a furnace, and the second will have a steam room. The dimensions of the room are considered to be optimal 2.5 x 3 meters, while the stove will stand on a stove with dimensions of 2 x 2. If the bath is done in black with your own hands, it is important to remember about insulation. Ecowool, which is shredded waste paper impregnated with boric and brown acids, can be used for this. It fills all the gaps between the logs to protect them from the effects of fungus, rot and rodents.
How to drown?
This process seems simple, but in fact it turns out that drowning a bath is also an art. It depends on your skills what the quality of the steam will be, and how quickly the room will warm up. You need to heat the bath properly, that is, in the summer for 2-3 hours, in the winter for 3-5 hours. The first pledged firewood can smoke, and this is considered the norm. You need to wait until the stones heat up: immediately the smoke will become much less. At the second laying of firewood, the room will start to warm up well, and the third laying is needed only in cold winters. After the bath is heated, the coals should be infused for about 40 minutes. During this time, they can only be stirred. At the last stage of the furnace, you need to water the walls, floor and ceiling abundantly, then sweep away the ash from the stones. The washing room needs to be ventilated, the door must be closed tightly. If the bath is properly heated, then the heat will be stored in it for about 10 hours. If you need more steam during washing, splash a bucket or two of water directly onto the stones. They will warm up again, and the room will become warm.
What to consider?
Construction of baths (projects, by the way, are needed for both black and white baths) - this is an account of a number of small things. For example, much attention should be paid to thermal insulation of walls, ceilings and floors. To do this, the doors are made lower, and the windows are additionally mounted with double or triple glass. Very often before baths were made without a stove at all - instead of it, the fuel was laid out under the grate, and stones were laid on it. As the flue gases passed through the grate, they spread throughout the room, and the washing and steam rooms, as a rule, were a single room. Thanks to the smoke, both the stones and the walls of the bath were heated.
conclusions
Thus, the sauna in black is not only a tribute to traditions, but also the opportunity to equip this room with maximum competence and profitability for its owners. Experienced bath attendants know how to maintain steam levels even after the combustion process is over. Of course, many are scared away by soot, which remains on the surface of the walls. However, as we have said, it is absolutely safe for our health. And if you don’t feel like washing in such a room, then build an ordinary bathhouse - with an oven, a pipe, with a large number of rooms. True, remember that you will have to spend money on its arrangement. The main thing is to know that without a bath, a country house seems inferior.
A large selection of projects that many construction companies can offer is a guarantee that each customer will find a development that meets his requirements and capabilities. And whether the bathhouse will be white or black is up to you. In any case, it will be pleasant and useful to spend time in this building!