Since ancient times, the heart of the bathhouse has been a stove. Today the heat in the steam room goes on other ways. If the steam room and washing are used cyclically, then it makes no sense to organize too complex a heating system. It will be enough to install the stove and stock up on firewood. But if you use the bathhouse often and not only for its intended purpose, then you won’t be able to use it with a single furnace all day, because it will cost too much. This applies to the case when you wash in the bath and the house does not have a bath.
The solution here can be radiators, underfloor heating and heating. An alternative quite often is a boiler on automation. The most optimal and budget option, however, remains a hinged boiler and a gas pipe. But not for every steam room, such a system is relevant, because much depends on the material that underlies the walls, as well as the area of the building.
Heating options. Using underfloor heating
Recently, warm floors have become a fairly popular solution. They are usually used as an additional source of heat. This pleasure is not cheap, but if you use a steam room all year round, this option can be a good solution. For periodic use, such heating in the bath is not suitable, although the pipes tolerate freezing normally, and concrete mortar does not cope with this.
The described system may be infrared or water. In the bath most often, such a floor is stacked in the steam room, wash room and rest room. If you heat the wood with wood, then this will take about 45 kW of energy to two circulation pumps.
Why you should choose a warm floor
Such a floor is simple in the device, it will only be necessary to choose the diameter of the pipes and calculate the pump power, as well as the resistance of the circuits. If the heating in the bathhouse is provided with fashionable infrared floors, then they will also heat the surrounding objects, which is the advantage of such a scheme.
Technology Feature. Water floors
When installing warm water floors, two separate circuits should be made. One will go to the washing room and the steam room, the other to the rest room. Both circuits must have taps in order to regulate the temperature. Such floors are usually heated by a gas boiler, and it will be involved only half. You can use wood equipment if the pump is installed in three speed positions.
Before you make heating in the bath, you must provide for the length of the pipe, which in the loops should be the same. Otherwise, regulators will have to be set on each loop after. If the floors are not heated enough, you can supplement the system with a powerful circulation pump. An alternative solution would be a heat exchanger. You will also need a security system. This applies to the additional circuit (for the porch to melt snow in winter) and the second circuit. In the summer, this approach will allow you to remove excess heat.
Equipping the heating in the bath, you will need to connect a hot water tank to the boiler. It is better to use copper 22 mm pipes for this. Their walls are smooth and can increase the speed of water circulation. Instead of the usual coolant, you can use antifreeze, which is less afraid of frost. The warm floor is good because it is easy to use, cheap and non-toxic. It can be used in conjunction with air, electric and radiator heating. Between the decorative coating and the base of the floor, it is necessary to lay the wiring of pipes through which hot water will circulate. It can be the same antifreeze, antifreeze or ethylene glycol.
Specialist recommendations
In order to prevent heat from going down, pipe wiring must be laid on a heat-insulating layer of expanded polystyrene with aluminum coating or mineral wool. In this case, the heat flow will go up and warm the rooms well. It is impossible to provide full heating in the bathhouse with just one floor. Pipes only warm up to 35 ° C, which will, however, be a good addition to the main system.
Using convectors
Such equipment may be electric or gas. Its installation is much simpler than underfloor heating, but also more expensive. During the bathing procedures, you can use the oven or the sauna heater, and the rest of the time the convectors are installed in the anti-defrost mode, which maintains the temperature at + 10 ° C. In this case, you will pay quite a bit for electricity. Such a system must support safety precautions. On convectors, make separate wiring from the shield. The cable should be insulated and laid in a non-combustible channel.
The use of heating
Installation of the boiler is always accompanied by certain troubles. It will take a project, the approval of which may be accompanied by difficulties. But even without this, the installation will be costly, in addition, you will need to follow safety measures. That is why some bath attendants advise using a heating main drawn from home. But it is important to consider that groundwater will accumulate in place of pipes at certain times of the year.
The heating main will have to be insulated, which will also be accompanied by costs. If the bath should be heated in the trench in winter, the pipes should be laid in a large-diameter whole pipe. So you can protect communications from groundwater. There is one plus here - you can control the heat using a remote control from home, which is very comfortable.
Heat exchanger use
Heating in the bathhouse through a heat exchanger may include the operation of the main unit in one of two modes. They differ in the transfer of thermal energy from smoke to the inner tube of the register. In the first case, the heat exchanger is represented by an external tank with water. When the liquid boils, condensation will form on the heat exchanger tube, which will provoke heating of the structure. The water tank will warm up for quite some time.
Autonomous heating in the bathhouse according to this principle may involve the use of another scheme. The steam that will condense will not affect the heat exchanger. Heat will move through the pipes, and the water will warm up faster. For the manufacture of the heat exchanger, you can use tin, which in this case is reliable and practical. The chimney with a heat exchanger will look like a pipe that is wrapped in a copper or metal pipe. When heated from a tube, the passing air is heated.
Oven use
An oven for a bath with a furnace from the dressing room will be an excellent heating option. It is suitable for small buildings. You will need to purchase an aggregate of the required capacity. The calculation of this parameter is carried out according to the following formula: 1 kW of power will be per square meter of the room. For a comfortable stay, visitors should consider an additional power reserve of 35 to 55%.
A 6 by 6 meter bath can be perfectly heated by the stove. It is easy to install, easy to maintain, easy to operate and runs on affordable fuel. But there are also disadvantages. They consist in the impressive weight and dimensions of the furnace, as well as the inability to automate the heating process. The furnace is fire hazardous, and in the process of its operation combustion products are formed.
Modern heaters can work not only due to firewood, but also gas, liquid fuel and electricity. Choosing the right equipment option will depend on technical and financial capabilities. In order for the heating in the bathhouse from the stove to be effective, it is better to place the firebox in the dressing room, the water tank in the washing room, and the heater in the steam room.
Heating from the boiler in the house
This type of heating is good in that the acquisition of basic equipment is not needed. In the bath it will be possible to maintain a certain temperature without visiting it. It is not necessary to store firewood and carry out manual maintenance of the stove. By installing heating radiators in the bathhouse, which will operate at the expense of the boiler in the house, you should only consider fuel costs, which is the main disadvantage. But this value can be reduced by maintaining the standby temperature within 15 ° C. Under such conditions, the water will not freeze, and heating for the procedures will occur as soon as possible.
A separate line should be connected to the existing heating system to supply the bath with coolant. The line is connected to the distribution manifold near the boiler. The equipment may have an integrated or separate pump. But it is better to install a separate low-power circulation pump on the bath heating line. This ensures that the circuit is independent.
A 6 by 6 meter bathhouse can be heated precisely by this principle. Indoor radiators must be installed. They can be supplemented with underfloor heating and convectors. Depending on the power of the devices, the diameter of the main return and supply pipelines should be calculated. If you do not want to equip the heating system from the stove, the underfloor heating in the bathhouse can work due to the boiler in the house. In this case, you must install the circuit control unit with a thermostatic mixer. The heated area will be small, so when installing the system, you can choose a single-pipe strapping scheme.
When installing the system, isolating shut-off valves must be installed on the devices. Pipelines and equipment must be installed with a slope to drain the coolant when the heating is turned off or the electricity or gas supply is cut off.
The laying of highways to the bath can be done underground or outdoor. The last type of gasket is used when there is a small distance to the bath. It will not be necessary to build numerous supports, they will only be superfluous elements on the site. The pipeline must be insulated during outdoor installation, it is important to observe the slope to release the system from water. For underground installation, the depth of the trench should be equal to the freezing point of the soil for your region.
Alternatives
When none of the above options suit you, you can use alternative solutions. For example, a diesel fuel boiler. But for this option, you need a separate room, because diesel fuel has a characteristic smell, and you should take care of storing fuel. On sale you can find pyrolysis boilers. Their undoubted advantage is the long and almost complete combustion of fuel. The disadvantage is expressed in the high cost of equipment and the complexity of operation, because raw wood does not burn.
If you use the bath all year round, a long-burning boiler may be suitable for you, which can burn fuel for up to 5 days, maintaining the required temperature. On sale there are options for high-quality high-quality coal.
Finally
The popularity of bath procedures is constantly growing. Many owners of private houses equip their steam rooms so that there you can not only take the appropriate procedures, but also relax. For a comfortable stay in the premises should provide appropriate conditions. For this, the building is often equipped with a heating system.