Checklist for using the sauna:
- Take a shower before going in;
- It is recommended to use the sauna 2 to 3 hours after a meal but not when feeling hungry;
- Carry a special hat or cover your head with a towel;
- It is best to use the sauna naked or wearing a special apron;
- Try to lie down instead of sitting and, if possible, keep your legs up;
- Use a bath broom and massage your body by lapping it with the bath broom; it is the best way to generate body heat. Make sure to massage the legs well;
- Do not drink cold beverages. The best drinks for sauna therapy are herbal tea and natural, freshly squeezed fruit juice, which can be diluted with sparkling or other drinking water;
- It is not recommended to consume beer or other alcoholic beverages as alcohol can have adverse effects on your well-being by compromising kidney, heart and brain function and intoxicating the body;
- It is not recommended to use soap or other synthetic cleansers in the sauna;
- It is recommended to air-dry instead of patting dry with a towel.
Instructions on how to use our Saunas:
*Please read carefully all the instructions*
Warnings:
- Direct exposure of a human body to heated stones or other parts of the heater is harmful to health.
- Do not throw water onto the stones (generate steam), when someone is in the immediate vicinity of the heater as hot steam can cause him/her burns.
- Do not use sea water for throwing onto the stones.
Preparation for use:
- Hopefully, it is possible for you to perform the initial heating outdoors as said in the section above. If it is not possible to heat the heater outdoors, you must perform the first heating of the already installed heater in a well ventilated sauna room. In such a case, the final curing of the cover paint will generate a lot of fumes in the sauna room. Heat the heater, using only half the load of firewood, until the paint on the outer wall of the fire chamber becomes entirely mat and does not emit smoke any more.
Fuel:
- The heater can be heated with dry wood logs with a moisture content below 16%. Moisture content of wood affects the cleanliness of combustion and heater’s overall efficiency. Different types of wood have different calorific value. You can start the fire with birch bark, a dry newspaper or specific ignition material (e.g. hexamine fuel tablet).
Do not use the following materials for heating the heater: - Materials with high combustion temperature (such as chipboard, plastic, coal, briquettes, pellets, etc.);
- painted or impregnated wood;
- waste (such as plastic film, textiles, leather, rubber, disposable diapers);
- garden waste (such as grass, leaves);
- liquid fuels and materials suffused with them.
Heater Stones:
- The most suitable are the stones with a diameter of 10–15 cm. For heater stones, use only stones that are specifically provided for this purpose. Before stacking the stones onto the heater they must be cleaned of dust.
Stacking the heater stones:
- Use the stones, which suite between the steel mesh and heater housing.
- Place the stones in a uniform layer between the heater housing and the steel mesh so that the entire housing is covered. Thermal radiation of uncovered heater housing can cause the surrounding objects to heat up to dangerous temperatures, even beyond the safety distances.
- Fill the upper part of the mesh and the top of the housing with stones. Do not make a high pile of stones on top of the heater. After you have placed all the stones, make sure that none of them can roll off the heater.
Heating the sauna heater:
- Before heating the heater, make sure that in the sauna or in the safety zone of the heater there are no objects that do not belong there.
- Empty the ash drawer.
- Make sure that the combustion and ventilation air supply is not obstructed.
- Place the larger logs on the bottom of the fire chamber and smaller ones on top leaving enough space between them for the combustion air to flow. Use firewood with a diameter of 8-12 cm (at the ignition consider the amount of logs).
LS-heaters
Place the firewood on the rack in the back of the fire chamber. Avoid burning the firewood in the extension part of the chamber. Do not use too long firewood, even if they fit into the fire chamber.
- It is recommended to pick the first heater-load of firewood (the ignition load) from smaller and easily-igniting pieces of wood, thus having more air and less weight than the standard load. This is especially important in case of low draft due to poor weather conditions, in which case the recommended initial load is 1/3 of the norm, using 3-5 cm diameter logs.
Place the ignition material on top of the firewood. Starting the fire on the top part of the wood load produces lower emissions and combustion is of higher quality. - Light the ignition material and close the door. N.B. The heater is not intended for use with the open door. The door can be opened during ignition, when adding firewood and during combustion products removal. During any other times the door must be closed. The flow of combustion air is regulated by changing the position of the ash drawer.
N.B. The handles heat up when the heater is heated. For opening the door and ash drawer use the heat protection cloth included in the supply. For igniting the heater, it is recommended to keep the ash drawer open by up to 40 mm. When the wood has started to burn, the ash drawer must be placed so that the distance between the ash drawer’s front and the fire chamber’s wall is 3–10 mm, depending on the actual draft. - If necessary, when the fire starts to go out, add more firewood with a diameter of 12-15 cm (consider the amount when adding logs, see Table 1).
N.B. Intensive heating over a long period of time increases the risk of fire.
Excessive heating or overheating (such as several consecutive full loads) can cause the heater and chimney to overheat. Overheating will shorten the heater’s service life and can cause a fire.
Please note that temperatures over 100 °C in the sauna room may damage the sauna and pose hazard to the sauna user’s health. If necessary, let your heater, chimney and sauna room cool down.
- Using too strong draft for heating will cause a risk that the unburned parts can get into the ambient air and cause fire hazard and environmental pollution, as well as that too intense burning will cause overheating of the heater.
- When the sauna room has been heated up enough and it is time to go to the sauna, you can close the ash drawer to reduce the intensity of the flame and save firewood.
Water for generating steam:
Please use only clean fresh water for throwing onto the heater. The water must be of sufficient quality because water containing salt, lime, iron, humus, acidic compounds can cause the heater to rust prematurely. Seawater, in particular, can lead to corrosion especially quickly.
N.B. Do not throw seawater onto the heater!
Water suitable for throwing onto the heater has:
• humus content of <12 mg/liter;
• the iron content of <0.2 mg/liter;
• calcium content of <100 mg/liter;
• manganese content of <0.05 mg/liter;.
Throw steam water directly onto heater stones and if possible avoid water getting onto the metal parts of fire chamber and chimney.
Maintenance:
N.B. The heater must not be modified without the manufacturer’s consent.
Heater
- The ash drawer of the heater must be cleaned before each heating, because the draft is regulated by way of adjusting the ash drawer’s position and the air needed for burning can cool the combustion grate sufficiently, which extends the service life of the grate.
- Soot and ash accumulate into the smoke ducts and these have been periodically removed through the cleaning hatch and fire chamber.
- Temperature fluctuations cause heater stones to crumble. It is therefore recommended to rearrange them at least once a year or even more frequently if the sauna is used very often. You should also remove all stone pieces and replace cracked stones with new ones.
- You should clean the heating surfaces of the fire chamber periodically – at least after every 20 heatings.
Chimney - Chimney and connecting pipes should be cleaned regularly, at least once a year, and certainly whenever the heater is not been in use for a long period of time (three months and longer).
- The soot caused by incomplete combustion and accumulating due to non-regular cleaning can catch fire in the chimney. In case of chimney soot fire proceed as follows:
- Close the ash drawer, heater door and damper (if the damper is installed).
- Call the local rescue service.
- Do not use water to extinguish the fire.
- After the soot fire a chimney sweeper has to inspect the heater, the connection pipes of the heater and chimney flue as well as the chimney.
Troubleshooting:
– There is no draft in the smoke flue. Smoke enters the sauna room.
• There are leaks in the smoke flue connections. Find leaking connections and seal them.
• Brick flue pipe is cold and the natural draft is insufficient. Start the ignition with a smaller and faster ignition, if possible make the chimney longer.
• There is negative pressure in the room due to an extraction ventilator or other devices. Ensure adequate air volume for compensation.
• Several fire chambers are used simultaneously. Bring the construction in compliance with the requirements.
• The ash drawer is full. Empty the ash drawer.
• The smoke ducts of the heater are blocked. Clean the smoke ducts of the heater.
• The flue pipe is installed too deep into the chimney flue. Install the flue pipe correctly.
Sauna does not heat up.
• The sauna room is too big for the heater’s heating output.
• The sauna has uninsulated wall surface. Have the quality of construction inspected and bring the construction in compliance with the requirements.
• Firewood is damp or its quality is otherwise low.
• Lack of sufficient draft in the smoke pipe. Have the entire smoke pipe inspected if it complies with the requirements.
• The smoke ducts of the heater are blocked.
Heater stones do not heat up
• Heater’s heating output is too big for the sauna room.
• Lack of sufficient draft in the smoke pipe. Have the entire smoke pipe inspected whether it complies with the requirements.
• Firewood is damp or its quality is otherwise low.
• The smoke ducts of the heater are blocked.
• Check the placement of stones Remove small stone pieces and stones with a diameter of less than 10 cm from the stone rack. Replace weathered stones with new undamaged stones.
The heater emits odors.
• Onto heater stones substances have been spilled that emit odors when heated. Clean or replace contaminated stones.
• The hot heater can amplify the odors mixed with air, which, however, are not caused by the sauna room or heater. Examples: paint, varnish, oil, spices. Locate and remove the source of the smell.