A good stove and chimney, warm walls, and floors are important for a good sauna. But the real pleasure of washing will come if you choose the right firewood, which gives a long and aromatic heat. We’ll tell you which firewood is best for a bathhouse.
Firewood comes from different trees. And in addition to the type of wood itself, you need to pay attention to the quality of the firewood from it. Damp or rotten logs will not produce aromatic heat. Therefore, dry and not old logs are the first sign of good firewood, and therefore the right atmosphere in the bathhouse.
Modern sauna stoves have different designs. In addition to classic models, there are stoves with a remote firebox, with an open and closed heater. If the furnace of the stove is located in an adjacent room, the aroma from the wood will not enter the steam room, then you can use herbal infusions to aromatize the space. For stoves with a remote firebox and a closed heater, it is better to use firewood that will smolder well. These are oak, ash, alder, and birch.
Read also: How to lay firewood for long burning with maximum efficiency
Birch firewood
Birch is considered the most popular tree for a bath. Birch firewood and brooms give a good aroma in the steam room, the heat from birch firewood is light. Firewood is suitable for all types of stoves; it ignites quickly and burns for a long time.
The best firewood is the one that was harvested less than two years ago. If firewood is stored correctly, after two years it will be a suitable heating option, but will lose most of its healing properties.
Oak firewood
Due to their high price, such firewood is used less often for heating, but the heat from it is considered the best for a sauna and is very fragrant. Oak fumes are especially beneficial for children’s bodies. Another advantage of oak firewood is its long burning time, that is, despite the high price, it is used sparingly.
Like firewood from other types of trees, it is better to choose oak from medium-thick logs; the inside should not be damp or rotten.
Softwood firewood
Coniferous trees contain a lot of resin. During combustion, it is released and enters the chimney with vapors. Therefore, it is believed that firewood from coniferous trees is not the best option for heating. Using them, you will have to clean the chimney more often.
When burned, conifers release not only resin but also vapors that are beneficial to the body, as well as an aroma. A sauna with pine wood will be useful for cleansing the respiratory system, for recovery from bronchitis, and for clearing mucus from the lungs.
Coniferous trees burn out quite quickly. This is convenient for quickly lighting a bath, but fuel consumption increases significantly.
Of all the coniferous firewood, cedar and larch can be distinguished separately. They will burn longer and contain less resin. But it is difficult to light a stove with them, so for kindling you will need dry deciduous wood.
Linden firewood
This is a good option for heating a sauna, as linden wood burns evenly, but at the same time intensely. With their help, you can quickly heat a steam room or a stove. Before preparing such firewood, it is worth keeping in mind that they are stored for no more than two years. Of course, even after this period they will burn in the oven, but their heat will cease to be healing.
The fumes from linden firewood are beneficial for the body. They treat colds, bronchitis, and skin diseases.
Alder firewood
This firewood stands out for its appearance. Their cut is bright and can be red, orange, or even blue. Alder firewood burns well and has a pleasant aroma. Their shelf life is only three years; after this period, their heat loses their healing properties.
The advantage of using alder firewood is that it cleans the walls of the chimney. Thanks to the steam from alder firewood, soot build-up comes off the chimney.
Firewood from poplar, aspen, apple, and other fruit trees, and willow is not recommended for heating a bathhouse. They either have too little heat transfer or are simply considered unsuitable for heating a bathhouse.
How to store firewood for a sauna
It is convenient if the woodshed is located next to the bathhouse. It must have a canopy to protect the firewood from precipitation. Also, the woodshed must be thoroughly ventilated so that air can circulate freely between the logs. If the firewood is damp, first leave it to dry in the open air, and then stack it in rows in the woodshed. Drying the firewood can take several months.
If there is no way to build a woodshed, stack the logs on top of each other and cover them with a layer of slate.
How to choose firewood for a sauna
Firewood should be selected dry and not rotten, harvested no more than two years ago. But in addition to firewood, the quality of the firebox is also affected by the stove with a chimney.
A stove-heater is an ideal option for a sauna. It does not take up much space and is suitable even for a very small steam room. Moreover, even a small stove can have high power, suitable for heating a spacious steam room. The stove stove can be open or closed. A closed heater heats the air longer, but the heat in the steam room with it will last longer. A stove with an open heater will heat the sauna faster, but will also release heat faster. At the same time, both types of stoves save a lot of heat due to hot stones. Such a stove can be supplemented with a tank for heating water, which is important for a bathhouse.
Choose a chimney for a sauna that is light and modern. A stainless steel sandwich chimney is suitable for any building; the finished structure is lightweight and does not require a reinforced foundation. The walls of the sandwich chimney are smooth, so soot does not settle on them. The pipe is insulated along the entire perimeter, which means there will be no problems with the formation of excess condensate. This is important if you are going to heat the sauna during the cold season. A sandwich chimney is considered safe since the steel will not crack and this will not cause a fire. The cost of a sandwich chimney is several times lower than the cost of a brick pipe, and installation takes only a few hours.
Read also: Barrel sauna: how it works and which stove to choose
