Heating Supplies for a Sauna

Electric Heating Source

• Conventional saunas are usually constructed of durable softwood, typically cedar, and feature a conventional electric heat source. Conventional saunas provide a high-heat, low-humidity environment with an air temperature of 185 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Electric heat sources allow you to control the precise heat of your sauna and are usually equipped with timers. An advantage of this heating source is that you can pour water directly over the hot rocks, which produces a wave of steam heat throughout the sauna.

Wood-Burning Heating Source

• Wood-burning heating sources are exclusively used in outdoor saunas. These saunas are heated by a conventional wood-burning stove that is designed specifically for the sauna. Like its electric counterpart, the stove heats up rocks that are placed on top of the stove. The disadvantage to a wood-burning heat source is that you must manually build and feed the fire.

Ceramic Emitters

• Infrared saunas generally provide a milder experience than a traditional sauna, due to the difference in the way heat is provided. In a conventional sauna, the air is heated; in an infrared sauna, the person using it is heated by an infrared lamp. Infrared lamps with ceramic emitters have the heating filament cast into a ceramic housing. These lamps are industrial strength and can reach temperatures of 750 degrees Fahrenheit. These types of infrared lamps can be found in larger saunas, since they must be at least three to four feet away from the sauna occupants due to the high heat and potential burning hazard.

Carbon Emitters

• Infrared lamps with carbon emitters are larger than their ceramic counterparts and do not present a burning hazard. The surfaces of infrared bulbs with carbon emitters are considerably cooler to the touch. Carbon-based infrared lamps provide heat evenly and are usually found in smaller home saunas.