Ukko Saunas Blog

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If you have space and are looking for the best sauna experience then wood fired sauna is for you. So what is involved in wood fired sauna stove installation?

Well, since wood fired heater does not have thermostat, you can imagine that the stove gets very hot during sauna session and that’s why it requires more space around it not to set an entire structure on fire. To have a general idea on the space required in a sauna room with wooden walls, please look at the diagram below:

As you can see minimum distance is 500mm around the stove. And what if you would like to have wood burning sauna but do not want to built huge sauna for it? We at Ukko Saunas have a solution to that problem – we can supply specially designed protective shield for your sauna stove:

This little enclosure reduces the space required for wood heater installation by 450mm around it! And if you are planning to install your heater on to a tiled or timber floor, we can supply stainless steel floor bedding to complete your sauna setup:

Few final touches required to finalize your sauna heater installation – chimney pipes and chimney cap. We now supply stainless steel chimneys, extra pipes and all accessories to fit in to our Cedar sauna range:

As you can see wood fired sauna stove installation involves much more and on top of that you have to allow extra budget for certified plumber to mount all the pipes for you. But considering that power cost is rising almost every quarter, your return on initial money investment will be well paid up within a year or two (depending how often you use your sauna).

You can learn more about our heater models and other accessories by following links below:

• Ukko wood fired sauna stoves
• Wood fired heater protective shield and floor bedding
• Chimneys and accessories

And you are always welcome to contact us for pricing and more information.

The sauna was installed on deck veranda with pre-tiled floor. This article explains how to install UK1515E sauna.

INTRODUCTION:

Before assembling your sauna, please read instructions provided carefully. Your sauna is made of pre-built elements and sections and has been designed for easy assembly.

All Ukko Panel Saunas have air circulation inside the sauna room with air intake cut in the base frame and with the exhaust valve in one of the ceiling elements.

Unpack your sauna and take out all the parts. Check all sauna parts against the supplied packing slip. Some trim peaces may be longer than required therefore they must be cut in the right length during the assembly. Panels, trim, screws and nails are supplied.

IMPORTANT!
Make sure the installation base for the sauna cabin is properly leveled. 

TOOLS REQUIRED:

• Hammer or pin nailer
• Screwdriver
• Tape measure
• Builders square
• Level
• Hand saw
• Step ladder

Step 1 – Base Frame Installation:

There are 4 base frame sections that come with UK1515E model.

Place the sections on the floor to match them together as shown on the picture below.

The numbers on each end of the frame base sections should match. Use 30mm screws to connect all frame sections together. Make sure that all corners are straight angled (90 degrees). Correct the corners if necessary. Check that the base frame is properly leveled using a spirit level. When complete measure diagonals to ensure they are equal.

Diagram 1 – Base frame connection:

STEP 2 – WALL ELEMENTS INSTALLATION:

Wall elements are marked with letters and numbers showing direction. Have someone hold the first panel in place and then put the other panel on the base frame so these two panels make up each corner. Screw wall elements with screws provided (70mm)

IMPORTANT!
Make sure that wall elements are placed as shown on the markings facing “UP”

In this particular installation we started from the back wall section marked “B1″. This is due to the fact that it is attached to the house wall. We moved the base frame forward to give access behind the sauna for connecting all the walls together.

After place “B1″ wall element on to the base frame, we attached “A1″ and “C1″ side walls to make corners with “B1″.

Once all three wall elements were in place, we screwed them together with 70mm screws supplied.

After connecting “A1″, “C1″ elements to “B1″, we continued with the second layer of walls marked “B2″, “A2″ and “C2″ securing them together with 70mm screws provided. 

Well now it is the time to move installed base frame with attached walls back to position. Before doing so, we’ve nailed sauna outside corner moldings so we do not need to move the sauna later on again.

Then, we’ve installed “D1″, “Door” and “E1″ elements.

Now to have a bit of relaxing after hard work, we’ve placed door handle.

And door covers and last two corners to give the sauna nicer look and finish.

STEP 3 – CEILING INSTALLATION:

There are two ceiling sections supplied with UK1515E. Lift the ceiling section on to its place. One person should be inside the sauna and one outside. Feed the ceiling section over the top of the walls being very careful not to scratch the panels. Make sure that the ceiling sections fit on the top of the wall elements. Check that the T&G joints between the ceiling sections are fastened properly to each other. Once in place, fix the ceiling sections to the wall elements with 70mm screws. The section with the cut out for the air exhaust must be placed on the other side from the air intake cut on the base frame.

STEP 4 – SAUNA BENCH INSTALLATION:

The benches are positioned with the upper bench against the back wall of the sauna and the lower bench parallel to it. There are bench support boards:

• [L] 280mm – lower bench supports
• [L] 730mm – upper bench supports

STEP 5 – UPPER FRAME INSTALLATION:

Upper frame elements measure 28x88mm. Mount the upper frame on the floor and then lift it to the top of the sauna. Fasten upper frame with eccentrics and eccentrics bolt/studs (two for each joint as shown below):

Now that the cabin is installed all is left is to connect your heater and light fitting, place heater guard rail around the heater and place supplied wooden duck board on the floor.

IMPORTANT!
Always use certified electrician to do all the wiring and connections.

That’s it. Enjoy your sauna.

While having a sauna is a relatively simple idea there are various items that you will need to look for to make your sauna room work properly. And the most important item is the “heart” of the sauna – sauna heaters.

These heaters are needed to make sure the heat in the sauna is consistent right throughout the entire sauna session. You should look at the various sauna heaters that will work with your sauna. The sauna heaters must have adjustable temperature settings that will allow you to set the sauna for a certain temperature to your personal liking so that you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the sauna.

All sauna heaters that supplied by Ukko Saunas have this capability. Besides you can also set your heater so that it will turn itself on automatically after certain period of time. By the time you’re back your sauna is heated and ready to enjoy.

The amount of heat indicated by the sauna thermometer will make these sauna heaters produce enough heat to turn the water poured on the sauna rocks into a so called “light” mist.

There are various types of sauna heaters. Some of them are used for domestic and some for commercial applications. For this particular reason various sauna heaters come in many sizes and types. You will need to look at these heaters to see if you can find one that is compatible with the sauna that you are building.

The residential sauna heaters are smaller and ideal for domestic saunas. They normally range from 2.3kW and up to 9.0kW depending on your sauna dimension. Some of them are stainless steel and some are coated. Coated sauna heaters are usually less expensive but exposed to corrosion faster. All Ukko Saunas heaters are made of stainless steel to ensure their long lasting life span.

The sauna heaters used in commercial applications such as hotels, exercise gyms, spas, clubs and other places have larger sized sauna heaters. These sauna heaters are usually more powerful and may range from 9.0kW and up to 24kW or more.

To find the right heater that suits your sauna, you will have to work out the dimensions of your sauna in cubic meters and the power wattage that your establishment can handle. Ask your supplier what size of sauna heater would be sufficient to heat so many cubic meters. Below are some indications:

• 3.0kW sauna heater is good for up to 4 cubic meters sauna room
• 4.5kW sauna heater is good for rooms up to 6 cubic meters
• 6.0kW sauna heater is good for rooms up to 8 cubic meters
• 8.0kW sauna heater is good for rooms up to 13 cubic meters

Furthermore, take in to consideration that for any uninsulated surfaces such as tiles or glass walls, you must add approx 20% to the dimension of your sauna.

Also take extra care and give special attention to the sauna room ventilation. All traditional hot rock sauna rooms require good ventilation to operate properly. Always ask if unsure.