Hints and general instructions

Selecting a heater

When selecting a heater, you should always consult a sales person or technical support at IKI-Kiuas.
A heater should be selected according to the size of the sauna room. The unique way an IKI-Kiuas functions, is based on the large stone mass, which stores heat. Due to this, large stone or glass surfaces do not have great affect on the performance of the heater.
It is still worth choosing a larger more effective heater, if the sauna has large glass and stone surfaces and if the recommended heater size is close to the maximum size of the room.
Log walls warm up very slowly, so it is better to choose a more effective heater for a log sauna.
Remember that the walls and the ceiling of the sauna room need to be properly insulated. The ceiling in a sauna room should be quite low. High-ceilinged saunas often require a more effective heater, due to the added cubic size.
Because warm air flows upwards, the recommended distance between the seating and the ceiling is 1200 mm.
If the heater size is calculated wrong (too small), the temperature in the sauna may remain too low. Often the sauna-goer then tries to add heat by throwing more water on to the stones, which in fact cools down the stones rapidly. The heater will then not be able to heat up the room.

Piling of the stones

Piling the stones should be done with care. The stones should be placed so that the gap between the heating elements and the mesh frame is completely filled with stones for the whole height of the heater. The stones should not be placed too tightly together; instead there should be enough space between the stones to allow air to flow freely.
In private use, we recommend olivine, olivine-dolerite and peridotite stones. The stones should be smaller than 10 cm in diameter, so that they are easy to pile in between the heating elements and the mesh frame. In ordinary use the stones should be changed every 2 to 5 years, depending on how frequently the sauna is used.
If the heater is in communal or public use, we recommend ceramic Kerkes stones to be used around the heating elements. (www.kerkes.fi). Kerkes-stones support and help preserve the heating elements and they do not disintegrate prematurely due to high temperature changes. Note that the use of soapstone and natural stones is allowed only on the top of the heater.

Mechanical ventilation in a sauna with an electric heater

Attention should be paid to the ventilation in the sauna room. Due to proper ventilation, the sauna-goers can enjoy clean and fresh, oxygen-rich air. The air in the sauna should change six times in one hour.
The fresh air pipe should be located on top of the heater either in the wall or the ceiling, at approximately 500 mm from the heater and the diameter of the pipe should be 50–100 mm. The exhaust air pipe should be as far away from the heater as possible, yet close to the floor. The exhaust air pipe should be twice the size of the supply air pipe.