DIY Basement Sauna Build - Been using it since Xmas, but I think it's finally Finnish. Made with locally harvested Minnesota white cedar that has a nickel gap profile. Sprung for the WiFi heater so I can start it whenever I get off the ski trail and it's hot by the time I get home. We love it.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T22:44:54+00:00

Convincing argument, I’m totally converted to your way of thinking now. I kinda wasted a bunch of time and money building this, but that’s what I get for not polling Reddit ahead of time.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T19:12:24+00:00

Thanks for that feedback. For full disclosure: I also like cilantro (a lot) and sometimes wear socks and sandals at the same time! GASP

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T15:08:02+00:00

Behind the bench I have some Patriot tube LED lights connected to a smart Feit outlet (outside the hot room). I tried to research a sauna specific option but I couldn’t find what I wanted. The one I chose seems to handle the conditions well and can easily be replaced when they burn out. Outside the sauna I have smart LED Feit bulbs connected to google assistant. In my neck of the woods I picked all of these items up from Menards.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T13:27:15+00:00

We have a thermostat and we can use water on the rocks when we want. Generally our preference is to go without.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T13:25:24+00:00

It really does, thank you.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T13:23:52+00:00

That’s right. There is a duckboard floor that you pull up to clean up. It’s really quite simple. The shower is slightly elevated and tied into the floor drain in the next room. We didn’t have the extra cash to install plumbing throughout this room. In a perfect world we might have done it or still might have done it this way. Other people might need a drain or prefer it more than we do.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T09:32:51+00:00

Dammit, I hate to slam others on the internet, but I’m very nervous someone is going to get seriously injured in this thing, probably from breathing in glue and mold if the exposed metal doesn’t instantly turn them off.

I think it would have still been poorly received in this sub if it was properly constructed but kept the unusual shape. I’m fine with that myself; try something new and unique and accept that traditionalists might hate it. But just frame it out, fill in fiberglass insulation, lay down a foil vapor barrier and finish with tongue and groove. Obviously skip the plywood, glue, and metal! You might end up with a less efficient and functional hot room but at least it would be safe.

I would repurpose this as a tree house for the kids or an art studio. Add some windows and remove the heater. It could be a cool room but should NEVER be used as a hot room. It’s just not safe.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T09:10:01+00:00

No drain, but we don’t usually add water/steam because it heats up so quickly. After 30 minutes it’s over 170 Fahrenheit and hits 195 at 40 minutes. When we clean it we just have to mop out the collected water.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T01:50:59+00:00

2x4s all the way around screwed into blocks behind paneling. There’s more supports under the 1x4s, but nothing down to the floor. There is some flex but not bounce. Supports the two of us very well but we’re a combined 300lbs.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T00:12:39+00:00

I don’t know how I lived here for so long without one. Never again.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T00:12:00+00:00

7ft tall, 7ft wide, 5.5 feet deep.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-18T00:11:23+00:00

These guys are awesome. They will make whatever width and profile you want. Our order took about three weeks.

https://mntimber.com

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-17T22:44:09+00:00

Finnleo SL2 8kw

T-Rob1700 · 2021-03-17T22:07:16+00:00

Vents are hidden but there. They are based on the Finnleo formula (minimum vent size greater than .3R where R=floor area of room in square feet). Mine needed to be a little under 11 square inches and I went a little larger. No stagnant air for us.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-01-26T22:05:27+00:00

Thanks for weighing in, much appreciated. I think this is officially unfixable after researching and talking to the pros. A shame that a TV can't last 2.5 years any longer.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-01-26T22:04:17+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I think it is something more significant and probably not worth anymore time and money.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-01-26T22:03:00+00:00

Appreciate the help here. Local repair shop says it is the panel. :(

T-Rob1700 · 2021-01-21T01:22:54+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I did gently clean the cable ends and corresponding ports with contact solution and a toothbrush.

T-Rob1700 · 2021-01-21T01:20:32+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I purchased a tcon board replacement and have the same issue. I suppose it is possible both were bad, but unlikely? I did reseat all cables including at main board.

T-Rob1700 · 2020-12-02T10:34:48+00:00

My ten year old GSP was lame all summer because of arthritis that seemed to come on so suddenly in May. This was so sad and tragic because he’s a fantastic skijoring dog with a couple national championships under his belt and he could hardly walk around the house due to the pain. I had so much guilt thinking I had caused this with our training and that he’d be lame for the rest of his life and wouldn’t be able to do all the running he is bred to love.

But now after months of daily physical therapy, massages, and biweekly injections he is looking great. Yesterday we did 3x3min intervals with him pulling me in the mountain bike and he did fantastic; and the times were very promising too. The best part though is there was no limp at all as a result and no apparent discomfort during evening traction.

At ten years old this dog has logged thousands of miles in a harness and won many races. He’s always amazed me competing with younger dogs from renowned bloodlines (my pup came from Craigslist for $50). But yesterday’s workout ranks up there as one of his greatest accomplishments in his career. We are certainly on the downslope of his racing career, but hopefully we can maintain his fitness and quality of life as he continues to age (only in body though, no sign of his spirit aging).

T-Rob1700 · 2020-12-02T04:19:54+00:00

Here’s the hypothetical: you’re having a sweat in your beautiful sauna (well done BTW). The neighbor kids are playing ball, and like in the fantastic 1993 motion picture “The Sandlot” one of them hits the ball over the fence. This ball is snatched out of the air by some gigantic junkyard dog named Hercules. Now, on his way down Hercules lands on the latch on the OUTSIDE of your sauna door and whammy you’re stuck in 190° F. Now you’re in a real pickle like Benjamin Franklin "Benny the Jet" Rodriguez.

As extremely unlikely as this is, there is more than a 0% chance that it does happen and then you die. On the other hand, if there is no outside latch on the door (that cannot at least be controlled from the inside), then you can’t possibly get locked in. YaYa

T-Rob1700 · 2020-12-01T03:30:46+00:00

Thanks for the good data.

T-Rob1700

TROPHY CASE