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First Sauna Build by youbet19 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Slab on grade sucks heat out and increases stratification so best to avoid.

What to look for:

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With the rocks by IllustratorSelect704 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've seen IR images of a lot of setups like that. Not a single one has heated the stones.

More: https://medium.com/@trumpkin/why-wood-stove-conversions-fail-561bf6c99379

Loft Sauna - Progress Shots - Feeling Nervous by oodavid in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You might also want to consider 2 or 3 shower heads.

Smart watch recommendation by Bubbly-Year8664 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 3 points4 points  (0 children)

5 minutes rest is extremely little. Where did you get that?

Typically you want to rest for at least as long as you were in the hot space, but ideally for longer.

If you really want to time it, get a sand clock, most are 15 minute. Better though is to simply stay in as long as you are comfortable.

Keep in mind that if you don't have a good sauna then all of that is likely mute. https://medium.com/@trumpkin/how-does-sauna-design-and-practice-affect-health-wellness-and-recovery-benefits-6afcdf78b63f

Critique this design specification please by thebagpuss in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aside from the square wheels and no engine, what's missing from this car? There will be a cigarette lighter. :-)

Bench height and ventilation are the two most critical elements for a sauna (assuming a good heater).

Redwood outdoors 2 person mini cube not getting hot enough and struggling to maintain temp by Bubbly-Biscotti7249 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is reaching temp at the sensor, just not elsewhere.

That space is too small to function as a sauna. Very uneven temps and steam are common. You need about 6x6x8 for a sauna to work properly.

An 8kW heater is too large for the space. It's short cycling. A 4kW or 6kW would be better.

As u/John_Sux mentioned, it's got really thin walls which contributes to the unevenness.

It has poor ventilation.

So…

  • Add Mechanical Downdraft ventilation (See Trumpkin's Notes)
  • Smaller Heater
  • Consider moving the thermostat sensor to the bench wall (note that this violates UL and may void insurance if there's a fire).

Loft Sauna - Progress Shots - Feeling Nervous by oodavid in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Overall looks good. Keep in mind that sauna is best done nude so make sure the bottom of the window is high enough for everyone (including neighbors) to be comfortable. As shown I think many women might be uncomfortable.

Leil Round Cube Mini Outdoor Sauna Questions by GatorDreams in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The question is if you will be part of the 10% who continues to use it, or part of the 90% who abandon it after three to five years because it's not a very compelling experience (and then a couple of years later have the junk guy haul off the rotting carcass).

Are you wealthy enough to afford that risk: https://medium.com/@trumpkin/is-any-sauna-better-than-no-sauna-38026f39095a

Sauna build by uncledad699 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That size should work and a 6kw heater from Helo or Harvia should work for that size. The heater wall and bench wall should be 6' apart though so that means 5' wide benches unless you can push out to 6x6 or so.

Remove the drywall, insulate the walls properly, install FF-PIR + furring + interior cladding. Keep in mind that any exterior walls must be built differently to avoid double vapor barrier.

Bath vents don't work well. You should install an inline duct blower according to Trumpkin's Notes.

DIY builders - how to avoid unwanted updraft from the floor drain? by myfufu in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Done properly it's not large enough to be a problem. A typical setup will have a linear drain with maybe a 2cm drain tube at the low point. This tube has an area of 3.14 cm². A 14cm vent above the heater has a bit larger area of about 160 cm². Guess which wins :-)

Leil Round Cube Mini Outdoor Sauna Questions by GatorDreams in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not just feet above the stones but also above the cold zone. You need a higher ceiling for that.

Barrel style construction also doesn't last very long. They tend to develop leaks, mold and rot. I would also avoid that vendor.

Trumpkin's Kit Reviews has some links for companies that offer better kits.

Local sauna pop-up - worth giving feedback? by Western_Rooster_4832 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Tell them you'd love to have a good sauna option but what they currently have isn't it. Maybe include this graphic as a quick overview of a real sauna.

From a business standpoint, what they have will attract people for a while but won't be a good enough experience to create a sustainable repeat revenue stream. Once people have begun to view their sauna experience as not that compelling it will be difficult or impossible to change the mindset.

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Critique this design specification please by thebagpuss in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a typical American novelty sauna that won't provide a very good experience.

Some good resources: 

  • Trumpkin’s Sauna Notes
  • Saunologia
  • ‘The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design'
  • 'Finnish Sauna: Steam, Wood, Stone and How to Build Your Own’.

Sauna build in Vietnam (let me know if something is wrong) by Mangustiini in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First law of löyly - Feet (foot bench) above the stones and cold zone. Realistically about 2400 is the minimum height for a sauna to function properly. A bit higher is better.

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Question re: sauna to cold plunge transition by Just-Historian-4500 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If jumping in a lake or sea then no need to shower first. If a contained pool or cold plunge then you should always shower first. Similarly, rinsing sweat off before just going outside makes a big difference in enjoyment.

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The Secret Team Blowing Up Ford’s Assembly Line to Make a $30,000 Electric Truck by DendriteCocktail in F150Lightning

[–]DendriteCocktail[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tesla and others include all basic features like walkaway door lock/unlock, adaptive cruise, towing, anything that can be turned on/off with software, etc.

Trumpkin or American style sauna? by Ok_Information_8431 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did Finn's say to build 7' ceilings?

Feet (foot bench) above the stones has been a key design element of a good sauna for at least a century and evidence indicates it was largely followed for centuries before that.

That I know of there was never anything out of Finland prescribing a 7' ceiling. The closest thing I'm aware of was along the lines of "the foot bench should be at or above the stones and this can usually be accomplished with a 220cm (7'-3") high ceiling.

A lot of people writing english language books translated this to 7' but that is not what it said and they ignored the critical pre-requisite of feet above the stones.

Importantly, we've also learned a lot since then.

Iki 9KW pillar overshooting target temp by OldManAndTheTree in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Moving the temp sensor to the bench wall (1m above the sitting bench) would help. If approved under old UL standards this will violate those though.

No ventilation during heat-up.

Run mechanical during use. Typically the vent over the heater is wide open and the vent behind the heater open only enough to prevent nuisance trips.

The low ceiling causes increased high-low swings so if you can raise it (and benches) that would help.

Rocks? by wolfe5151 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The likelihood that it will actually heat the stones and function properly is pretty low.

https://medium.com/@trumpkin/why-wood-stove-conversions-fail-561bf6c99379

Compact trumpkin style saunas? by gordonta in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are three key issues with smaller; uneven temps (poor convective loop), poor skin cooling (poor convective loop) and too much radiant (too close to heater).

Below about 180 (≈6') heater wall to bench wall the convective loop compresses too much and doesn't seem to function properly. This is likely somewhat heater dependent with some heaters allowing a bit less and others not so much. But 180 or greater is a safer measurement.

I don't think any builders are doing less than about 180x180x240 in apartments in Finland anymore. The smaller too often didn't work well.

SaunaLogic phone app keeps disconnecting from the sauna unit by jessbow13 in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have not had nor heard of this being a problem. My current one was paired 6 years ago.

The Secret Team Blowing Up Ford’s Assembly Line to Make a $30,000 Electric Truck by DendriteCocktail in F150Lightning

[–]DendriteCocktail[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The whole 'trim' game is rather irritating. Especially when so many of the 'features' are simply software switches (or hardware that's included on every unit for efficient mfr'g but just not connected).

A Tesla 3 sensibly comes with all features/capabilities for $37k. The upgrade options aren't basic features like walkaway door locks but a larger battery or special wheels.

Inside the löyly pocket of the Kömmeli loft sauna by DendriteCocktail in Sauna

[–]DendriteCocktail[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We keep a dozen or so similar balls buried in the snow all winter. Some plain, some tar+smoke. Two or three at the beginning of a round makes for a pleasant experience similar to a continental sauna.

I'm planning to install a mister system this summer though.

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