If you had a custom-made sauna, you have probably solved the sauna heating. When buying a typical sauna, however, the stove is usually not part of it. So how to choose them? Are traditional wood or electric sauna stoves better? And which brand to go for?
Electric sauna stoves versus wood stoves
Wood-burning sauna stoves are associated with tradition. Wood has been heated in saunas since ancient times, practically since their inception. A big advantage is that you don’t have to deal with the supply of electricity, and given the rising energy prices, wood as a fuel is a cheaper option for operation.
However, wood stoves are more or less suitable for outdoors, indoors they are connected to already built chimneys and are used there rather sporadically. They are practical for outdoor saunas precisely because you do not have to deal with the electricity supply, in addition, they heat the sauna outside much better. To give you an idea – with an electric stove, you can heat an outdoor sauna at temperatures below 0 °C for up to 2 hours, while a wood stove can do it in half an hour. The disadvantage is, of course, that it is more demanding to operate, you have to add it even during the sauna, and you have to clean the stove after you finish. But the reward for this work will be the smell of wood and the enjoyment of a real Finnish sauna.
Electric sauna stoves can be used both outdoors and indoors. It can automatically regulate the temperature, they work without your intervention. After finishing the sauna, just turn them off, no cleaning required. Their disadvantages and advantages follow from what we have already revealed about wood stoves. Electric stoves are more expensive to operate, on the other hand, far more comfortable.
Don’t forget the sauna stones
A sauna without sauna stones would not be complete, and above all, you would damage the heater – there is a risk of overheating the heating coils. If you risk using the stove without stones, you lose the warranty because you are using it contrary to the instructions. The sauna stones between the spirals protect the spirals from touching each other and water. It should not be evaporated directly on the spirals, it reduces their service life.
