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Not All Saunas Are Created Equal

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By Peter Zulim
PART 1: General Considerations, Types of Heaters
In previous Healthy Beginnings Magazine issues, we have discussed the benefits of using a Far Infrared Sauna (FIR). So what about purchasing one for your home? One might think that all you do is go to your local sauna store and buy one. Sounds easy until you consider the details like, where am I going to place it, what kind of electrical outlet do I need, what features do I look for, and so forth. Buying a sauna can be a complex purchase given the cost and the physical logistics involved. Here is important information that will help you purchase your own FIR sauna.
Saunas come in all different sizes and shapes, including different woods, types of heaters, electronics, and construction. The #1 consideration in purchasing a sauna should be to buy a sauna that advances your health. This means a sauna that does what it is supposed to do, i.e., it produces the correct micron of FIR energy and does not emit toxins from the materials used to construct it. You will also need to consider the size of the sauna and where you want to place it in your home or office. Other considerations are the controls, size and placement of heaters and benches and amenities, e.g., a stereo sound system or DVD player. The warranty and reputation of the manufacturer should also be considered.
The heart and soul of your sauna are its heaters. There are essentially 4 types: carbon panel heaters, ceramic encased coils, metal rods, and ceramic rods coated with incoloy, a very stable base-metal protectant.
Carbon panel heaters have an advantage over the other 3 types of heater because of their large size. This allows them to distribute the infrared heat more evenly, producing a softer heat that most closely resembles a warm sunny day. Some carbon panel heaters are merely carbon paper glued to a metal board and will peal away with extended use. Other saunas use carbon placed in front of steel rod heaters. The most efficient design is a layer of carbon paste baked between two sections of a circuit board, with a thin copper wire up the length of each side of the heater.
When completely baked, it is a solid panel rather than a multi-layered. Carbon is what conducts the electricity across the surface area of the panel, creating the FIR energy. A good carbon panel heater should not be hot enough to cause burns when touched by the body. These are the most complex heaters and cost more to manufacture.
Ceramic encased coil heaters are much smaller than carbon panel heaters, producing much more heat per square inch of heating surface, making them much hotter than carbon panels. Ceramic heaters may cause burns if touched. They are often shielded by aluminum grates which also get hot enough to cause burns if touched. In addition, due to their size, the heat is much harsher; thus the time it takes for the sauna to heat up can be relatively longer than other heaters. These heaters are less expensive to make, keeping the price of the sauna a bit lower.
Metal rod heaters are similar in design and construction to those in an electric oven. Whether they produce the correct micron of FIR energy is questionable since there has been no known testing of them. Some manufacturers spray-coat metal rods with a carbon-based substance supposed to increase the likelihood that the correct micron of FIR energy is produced. Metal rods do get hot enough to burn when touched and heat the sauna very quickly. This type of heater it is rather inexpensive to manufacture, which keeps the cost of the sauna down.
Ceramic rods coated with incoloy appear similar to metal rod heaters but are much different. Incoloy is a metal alloy (a mixture of metals, e.g., copper, iron and other). The coating helps distribute the heat more evenly in conjunction with the heater housing (the metal box that holds the heater). This produces a somewhat softer heat than ceramic-encased heaters and the plain metal rods, but not as soft as carbon panel heaters. Incoloy heaters heat up quickly, and are often more expensive to manufacture than the other 3 heaters.
Placement of heaters inside the sauna is very important. Being surrounded by as many heaters as possible is the goal. Most saunas have heaters on the front and back walls. Even more desirable is to have heaters on both side-walls and the floor. Floor heaters are important because a large amount of toxins are expelled through the feet when they are sufficiently warmed. Saunas without floor heaters are usually much cooler in the floor area. As the heat rises, cold air circulates in the bottom of the sauna. Side-wall heaters are a bonus because when you stretch out lengthwise, you can treat your spine and feet to FIR energy. The larger and wider carbon panel heaters distribute the heat safely and evenly. Other heaters tend to concentrate the FIR energy only in the small narrow area directly in front of the heater.
Part 2 will cover types of wood and other construction issues, concerns about electromagnetic frequencies (EMF), warranties, dealers, manufacturers and good questions to get answers to before you buy.
References:
1.Infrared Sauna Guide-How to Use them and Why You Need Them, by Reggie Anderson, M.H. (2005)
2.http://best-infrared-sauna.blogspot.com/2007/11/read-this-before-you-buy-your-first.html
3.http://www.spasnstuff.com/ceramic-carbon.html
4.http://www.infrared-sauna-reference.com/infrared-sauna-heater.html
For more info, call Rawjuvenation at 775-323-3000.

By Peter Zulim |

PART 1: General Considerations, Types of Heaters

In previous Healthy Beginnings Magazine issues, we have discussed the benefits of using a Far Infrared Sauna (FIR). So what about purchasing one for your home? One might think that all you do is go to your local sauna store and buy one. Sounds easy until you consider the details like, where am I going to place it, what kind of electrical outlet do I need, what features do I look for, and so forth. Buying a sauna can be a complex purchase given the cost and the physical logistics involved. Here is important information that will help you purchase your own FIR sauna.

Saunas come in all different sizes and shapes, including different woods, types of heaters, electronics, and construction. The #1 consideration in purchasing a sauna should be to buy a sauna that advances your health. This means a sauna that does what it is supposed to do, i.e., it produces the correct micron of FIR energy and does not emit toxins from the materials used to construct it. You will also need to consider the size of the sauna and where you want to place it in your home or office. Other considerations are the controls, size and placement of heaters and benches and amenities, e.g., a stereo sound system or DVD player. The warranty and reputation of the manufacturer should also be considered.

The heart and soul of your sauna are its heaters. There are essentially 4 types: carbon panel heaters, ceramic encased coils, metal rods, and ceramic rods coated with incoloy, a very stable base-metal protectant.

Carbon panel heaters have an advantage over the other 3 types of heater because of their large size. This allows them to distribute the infrared heat more evenly, producing a softer heat that most closely resembles a warm sunny day. Some carbon panel heaters are merely carbon paper glued to a metal board and will peal away with extended use. Other saunas use carbon placed in front of steel rod heaters. The most efficient design is a layer of carbon paste baked between two sections of a circuit board, with a thin copper wire up the length of each side of the heater.

When completely baked, it is a solid panel rather than a multi-layered. Carbon is what conducts the electricity across the surface area of the panel, creating the FIR energy. A good carbon panel heater should not be hot enough to cause burns when touched by the body. These are the most complex heaters and cost more to manufacture.

Ceramic encased coil heaters are much smaller than carbon panel heaters, producing much more heat per square inch of heating surface, making them much hotter than carbon panels. Ceramic heaters may cause burns if touched. They are often shielded by aluminum grates which also get hot enough to cause burns if touched. In addition, due to their size, the heat is much harsher; thus the time it takes for the sauna to heat up can be relatively longer than other heaters. These heaters are less expensive to make, keeping the price of the sauna a bit lower.

Metal rod heaters are similar in design and construction to those in an electric oven. Whether they produce the correct micron of FIR energy is questionable since there has been no known testing of them. Some manufacturers spray-coat metal rods with a carbon-based substance supposed to increase the likelihood that the correct micron of FIR energy is produced. Metal rods do get hot enough to burn when touched and heat the sauna very quickly. This type of heater it is rather inexpensive to manufacture, which keeps the cost of the sauna down.

Ceramic rods coated with incoloy appear similar to metal rod heaters but are much different. Incoloy is a metal alloy (a mixture of metals, e.g., copper, iron and other). The coating helps distribute the heat more evenly in conjunction with the heater housing (the metal box that holds the heater). This produces a somewhat softer heat than ceramic-encased heaters and the plain metal rods, but not as soft as carbon panel heaters. Incoloy heaters heat up quickly, and are often more expensive to manufacture than the other 3 heaters.

Placement of heaters inside the sauna is very important. Being surrounded by as many heaters as possible is the goal. Most saunas have heaters on the front and back walls. Even more desirable is to have heaters on both side-walls and the floor. Floor heaters are important because a large amount of toxins are expelled through the feet when they are sufficiently warmed. Saunas without floor heaters are usually much cooler in the floor area. As the heat rises, cold air circulates in the bottom of the sauna. Side-wall heaters are a bonus because when you stretch out lengthwise, you can treat your spine and feet to FIR energy. The larger and wider carbon panel heaters distribute the heat safely and evenly. Other heaters tend to concentrate the FIR energy only in the small narrow area directly in front of the heater.

Part 2 will cover types of wood and other construction issues, concerns about electromagnetic frequencies (EMF), warranties, dealers, manufacturers and good questions to get answers to before you buy.

References:

1.Infrared Sauna Guide-How to Use them and Why You Need Them, by Reggie Anderson, M.H. (2005)

2.http://best-infrared-sauna.blogspot.com/2007/11/read-this-before-you-buy-your-first.html

3.http://www.spasnstuff.com/ceramic-carbon.html

4.http://www.infrared-sauna-reference.com/infrared-sauna-heater.html

For more info, call Rawjuvenation at 775-323-3000.

Filed Under: Spas Tagged With: sauna, spa

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