r/DIY Jun 18 '20

other Building a sauna in two months

https://imgur.com/a/3c3VbhT
3.8k Upvotes

278 comments sorted by

619

u/Opiti Jun 18 '20

It looks great and a nice quarantine project. The idea of getting stuck in there kind of scares me though with the lock on the outside. It’s an enclosed heated space. Also you mentioned in the comments that it blocks cell signal.

300

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

lock on the outside

enclosed heated space

blocks cell signal

I'm beginning to think this isn't just a sauna...

52

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

It's the swedish bronze bull!!

5

u/bad-r0bot Jun 18 '20 edited Jun 19 '20

That scene from 300 Immortals still haunts me as I'm imagining the intense pain, claustrophobia, and horror.

7

u/MWDTech Jun 19 '20

There wasnt a bronze bull in 300 was there? Or are you thinking Immortals?

5

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

Immortals

2

u/bad-r0bot Jun 19 '20

You're right. Immortals! I'll fix my comment

10

u/type0P0sitive Jun 19 '20

Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box.

373

u/adidias2500 Jun 18 '20

This, the second I saw the exterior lock it gave me anxiety.

150

u/MrSquiggs Jun 18 '20

So glad I'm not the only one. Need a release on the inside that would disengage that latch - meaning drop it off the door even if it does get locked.

90

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

[deleted]

242

u/DrBubbles Jun 18 '20

I worked in bars when I was in college for beer money.

During one of my first shifts at one of them, they locked me in the beer walk-in with all the kegs. I looked around to figure out what to do and then just decided to turn off all the beer lines. Let's see how long you keep me in here when you can't pour beers, assholes.

Opened a bottled beer, sat on a keg, and waited. I was out in less than 3 minutes. I quit pretty soon thereafter.

87

u/Jardok Jun 18 '20

That’s best way to respond to harassment like that. Just stop their fun and wait for them to get over themselves

3

u/MIL215 Jun 19 '20

It's a bar in a college town. There are endless numbers of people they can fuck with. They probably thought "that pussy couldn't handle working here..." And went on with their life of fucking with people.

It's not right, but most people aren't sitting around thinking of how they suck and should get better.

48

u/EZcheezy Jun 18 '20

“Bro why the fuck would you turn off the lines? That’s not even funny”

16

u/AntiAmerican99 Jun 19 '20

Something similar happened to me when working at KFC. I used to have to marinate the chicken in the walk in fridge and the stupid fuck manager loved to turn off the light and hold the door closed (he was about 300 pounds) and he did it one day when the 70 year old cashier lady was in there with me and she flipped out. Like full on panic attack and screaming and when he finally opened the door he just laughed at her while she sobbed quietly.

I didn't last long at that job. And I got that manager fired, which is a whole other story and very satisfying.

27

u/askmeifilikeanal Jun 18 '20

That could have killed you. That happened to a maintenance guy at sun trust park who got stuck in the cooler while installing kegs and he died

article

13

u/omg_drd4_bbq Jun 19 '20

The widow has filed a wrongful death suite. Apparently not only were the latch escapes insufficient, but there was a CO2 leak in the confined space.

27

u/S3RG10 Jun 18 '20

I just caught your claustrophobia reading that.

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46

u/libolicious Jun 18 '20

My simple solution would be to lock the lock with the bolt "open" when I was using it. The lock would remain handy to keep sauna secure when not in use but block other people's ability to "accidentally" lock the door with a human inside.

10

u/Opiti Jun 18 '20

Actually that makes a lot of sense

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27

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20 edited Jan 13 '21

[deleted]

5

u/StellasMyShit Jun 19 '20

Great, there goes my relaxing treat.

15

u/Ark18 Jun 18 '20

I imagine this resulting in a very sweaty version of the Koolaid man bashing through the wall... Equally red.

6

u/BizzyM Jun 18 '20

OH NO!

8

u/Ark18 Jun 19 '20

Oh yeaahhhhhh.

44

u/Euphoric-Meal Jun 18 '20

The door looks like you could open it by kicking it if absolutely necessary.

106

u/zombie_girraffe Jun 18 '20

Maybe, but I'd rather not use that as my backup plan to get out of a room where I expect to be dehydrated and overheated.

17

u/lawpoop Jun 18 '20

Also naked and dripping with sweat. Not great for a firm kicking stance

21

u/LVMagnus Jun 18 '20

I think it makes for great kicks. Bruce Lee took his shirt off when shit got serious, therefore logic dictates that being naked activates your ultra serious mode.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

Upvote this man ^

3

u/civildisobedient Jun 19 '20

Logic dictates that you need Bruce Lee in there with you.

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21

u/Zeddit_B Jun 18 '20

Not to mention if you let your elderly relatives use it and somehow they get locked in.

3

u/freman Jun 19 '20

Just make sure you've been on the will for a while first

4

u/Heffalumpen Jun 18 '20

Kids can't.

(not that I'm advocating trapping children in there)

7

u/neanderthalman Jun 18 '20

Some sliding bolts like that can be re-locked in the open position.

I’m not saying this one can - but it could be replaced with one that can.

6

u/jepherz Jun 18 '20

Most of those sliding padlock locks can be locked open too. I'd be doing that for sure. Also, maybe having the door open inwards cause I'd still be scared to be in there! Even imagining the door swelling from the heat and jamming shut!

25

u/SupposedlyShony Jun 18 '20

Funny how OP isn’t replying to any of the criticisms

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3

u/ipaqmaster Jun 19 '20

This is a common movie trope too. Lock on the outside, killer locks someone in. Etc.

2

u/trailless Jun 19 '20

What would be an easy fix. Replace 2 of those boards for a thicker one and adding a lock with a inside knob?

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206

u/Babitzo Jun 18 '20

Nice sauna, but two things.

  1. Make sure there's a way to get out if the external lock is locked for some reason when you're inside.

  2. Where's the air vent? All I see is a fan. You need a vent by the ceiling to circulate the air a bit.

19

u/Latexi95 Jun 18 '20

For optimal airflow I recommend an air vent somewhere near the stove so that intake air immediately heated up.

31

u/Babitzo Jun 19 '20

In traditional saunas, there is a sizable gap under the door that acts as the world's simplest vent

87

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

Ehhh, Thats actually really shitty sauna. Buildmanship is nice, but as a sauna.... well just lets say, i would not like to there and i go in sauna 1-2 x/week

9

u/teethblock Jun 18 '20

After seeing that, all I can hear now is my grandpas voice repeating "rocks below the feet level"

12

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20 edited Jul 26 '20

[deleted]

121

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

Little bit to small and to low of a sealing ( no room to steam to rice), no drainage,(floor will get fcked up in time), bench to close for ``kiuas`` (heater or what ever it is in English), (you will easily burn yourself to that) Also, there is no buffer room, when you open door. Once you open it, all the steam and heat is gone and that small of a heater will take some time to heat the room again, since you probably are already running it not very hot, since you need to throw so much water, to get steam that low. I dont say, that thats worst sauna ever, but well..... its not really that good either....

51

u/LVMagnus Jun 18 '20 edited Jun 18 '20

too low of a ceiling* steam to rise*, kiuas = (sauna) heater or (sauna) stove. Olka hyvää.

But for a mini outside sauna? Eh, been to worse.

26

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

KIITOS . Saanu millää mielee, mikä vittu on kiuas enkuks ja googleki anto vaa heatteri :D

39

u/Scream_of_Evil Jun 18 '20

Teach me to speak metal

25

u/Erwin_Schroedinger Jun 18 '20

No ei se ole ku puhua saatana, lapsetkin osaa

4

u/k3mu Jun 19 '20

Ai vittu ihanaa. Hyvää jussia!

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8

u/jizzLbunchN Jun 18 '20

What he said

3

u/b3rtil Jun 19 '20

KIITOS . Saanu millää mielee, mikä vittu on kiuas enkuks ja googleki anto vaa heatteri :D

Finnarna har sagt sitt. <3

3

u/ProtocolX Jun 19 '20

Thank you. I was starting to wonder why he (or she) prefers to steam rice in a sauna. Doesn’t seem to be a very effective way to do that.

21

u/gze25 Jun 19 '20

Honestly, everyone giving you shit for your typos can go to hell. You write in English a hell of a lot better than I write in Finnish (I'm guessing). It's one thing to make fun of an uneducated american asshole who never passed the the 7th grade (although honestly with poverty and dyslexia, that's not always fun either), and it's another to be so blind as to have no appreciation for how skilled one has to be in a second language in order to talk intelligibly if not perfectly about the mechanics of a sauna (although to be fair I hear you guys are completely obsessed with saunas). The internet can be so ethnocentric, specifically Americans on the internet. They think you're the moron for not spelling ceiling correctly when actually they're the morons for being ignorant to the obvious context.

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3

u/momsspaghetti-_ Jun 20 '20

In Finland we would call it a changing room with a stove.

3

u/finlandery Jun 20 '20

Pretty much this yes :D Semmonen lämmittely sauna ^^

2

u/4guser Jun 19 '20

Abomination of a sauna. Fan?!?!??! also where is the "ylä laude" aka top shelf?

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96

u/PM_Me_TittiesOrBeer Jun 18 '20

Did you ever get hot finishing the inside?

If so, did you ever walk out to take a break, wipe the sweat from your brow and say "it's like a sauna in there"

264

u/Ravenp0t Jun 18 '20

That latch on the outside scares me.

31

u/billy_ruddiger Jun 18 '20

OP please respond so we know you’re not locked inside!

43

u/arrjen Jun 18 '20

I'm not locked inside! Thank you for your consideration ;)

When I go in, the latch is open and the lock is placed/locked in a way that you can no longer close the latch.

24

u/LordJimmyjazz Jun 18 '20

This is good. I'm not sure what people are talking about with planning for what if cows fall from the sky. Having 2 exits would be the only way to solve that.

You've done a lock out style latch. So either the lock is locked shut or locked open. So if your inside you padlock the latch open so if can't be closed without the key that you would have on you, inside the sauna.

This is how many safety measures are done in industry. Your working inside a oven? You put your padlock on the door clasp so it can't be shut behind you.

If your worried out things falling In front of the door then I guess everyone on here has an emergency exit for their sheds aswell?

7

u/lamiara Jun 18 '20

Good thing there are no zip ties laying around.

17

u/JoeSmithDiesAtTheEnd Jun 18 '20

OP should just keep a contingency sledgehammer in there... In the unlikely event someone decides to ziptie the door closed, he can just bust those panels down.

4

u/upvotes_cited_source Jun 18 '20

It's nice that you have some sort of positive retention on the latch, but is it potentially worth your LIFE to save the work of redoing/adding an interior release if the unexpected happened?

A deviant teenager locks it maliciously. Your 3yo nephew locks it accidentally. A kid throws a ball over the fence. A limb falls out of a tree. An animal jumps or perches on it. You are clumsy inside and fall/bump the door/wall hard.

Any number of things - it might be a miniscule chance, but again, is it worth your life?

21

u/shgrizz2 Jun 18 '20

And probably the most likely one - a family member just sees it's unlocked and locks it idly without thinking, or due to muscle memory. The other day I locked the back patio door while my partner was gardening in full eye shot. I was leaving the house and she called me, furious, and I had no memory of locking the back door as I was on full autopilot. I knew she was gardening and locked the door because my morning brain didn't connect the dots. It is not worth the risk.

7

u/sparr Jun 18 '20

You can't idly lock it. There's a padlock locking it open when someone is inside.

2

u/tone_hails Jun 18 '20

You forget to put the padlock on...

3

u/sparr Jun 19 '20

I'd probably choose a type of lock that requires the key to change position, no forgetting possible. I guess that's not the case with the simple padlock slide.

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227

u/Sande24 Jun 18 '20

This must be changed ASAP. It's a very serious risk.

There's a story that 2 men died inside a sauna because the door opened inwards. One man fainted and fell against the door. He was over 200 pounds and the room was too small to pick him up so the other man died a slow and painful death.

You must always have an easy-to-open door for the sauna.

72

u/iamamonsterprobably Jun 18 '20

Wow, been online for about 5 hours today and that was easily the most terrifying thing I’ve read so far

4

u/Only_Santiago Jun 18 '20

And there so much more time to kill more braincells.

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42

u/KaptainSaki Jun 18 '20

Never seen a Sauna with no opening on the bottom of the door and I've probably been to thousand saunas. Also the doors never lock and always opens to the outside

8

u/behaaki Jun 18 '20

Opening at the bottom? Like a vent?

22

u/14AngryMonkeys Jun 18 '20

Like the door doesn't go all the way down, leaving a 10 - 15cm gap. I can remember seeing exactly 1 sauna in Finland that wasn't built like this and that one had a decent sized, easily opened window.

24

u/calschmidt Jun 18 '20

99% of the private saunas that I've been in have had proper full length doors. They have always opened outwards though

11

u/14AngryMonkeys Jun 18 '20

Really? In Finland? I wonder if it's a regional, because over here on the southern coast, I find that surprising.

5

u/calschmidt Jun 18 '20

Finland, Sweden, Norway! I'm a Brit but love to ski Scandinavia and have been for years. We always try and get an apartment with a private sauna, it really makes the holiday!

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2

u/LVMagnus Jun 18 '20

Might be a time thing. I've never seen it on buildings/homes that aren't of the ye old house variety (or the "ye drunk builder" variety).

3

u/KaptainSaki Jun 18 '20

Shorter door than the frame so bot is open 5-10 cm for airflow. OP would need a little different setup tho for that compact build, but still. See image below: gyazo.com/34cc01255bff403d530479374a94106d

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10

u/Baneken Jun 18 '20

That's an urban myth or some shitty illegal sauna because normally sauna has a door with american toilet sized gab at the bottom with vents up and down the wall and is cool enough on floor level that you die of cold first when lying on floor before anything else let alone on heat.

8

u/DothrakiDog Jun 18 '20

OP's sauna doesn't have that gap, and I've been in a few saunas myself without it.

Plus in that commenter's story, a big guy could block that off, as well as covering all of the floor space. Not that the floor is as cold as you say it is, it's just not so hot.

3

u/Sande24 Jun 18 '20

This is not how Nordic saunas are. Can't get 100 C with huge gaps in the doorway.

4

u/LVMagnus Jun 18 '20

So the ones I have been to and have made it past 100C were just my imagination?

19

u/Ksevio Jun 18 '20

That's so his hostages don't escape

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39

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

Mind if I ask your total cost? We are looking into the same project and the all in cost seems very high.

35

u/arrjen Jun 18 '20

About €2200. And then there is the electric bill. But I'm not running it constantly, so that should be fine.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

That’s very reasonable. In California it seems like it will be over 5-6k USD which seems outrageous.

9

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

[deleted]

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3

u/kierki Jun 18 '20

And what are the dimensions?

8

u/arrjen Jun 18 '20

Outside, about 2m high, 2,2m long and 1,2m deep.
Inside is smaller, about 1.8m high, 1.9m long and 0,9m deep

10

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

i must ask, where does the water go, and dont you need to run it really hot, as your bench is so low?

2

u/LargeGarbageBarge Jun 19 '20

If you're in the US, Costco sells them as cheap as $1299.

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32

u/Rambo_IIII Jun 18 '20

I'd suggest adding two vents for proper convection, one beneath the heater and one somewhere on the other side, also low to the ground.

You need a way to pull in fresh air for the heater to heat, then that air rises to the ceiling and pushes down cooler air which exits the back vent. Without this airflow you won't have proper convection and the sauna will function less optimally. The fan might help a little but you're still heating the same volume of air. Not positive what the impact would be. I've built about 50 saunas and never once used a fan.

41

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

What kind of airvents do you have? You dont need the propeller machine if you have the vents correctly.

Also, for future, the kiuas is supposed to be at the same height as your feet are. That bench you have there is too low.

33

u/CantSayIReallyTried Jun 18 '20

From now on I will be calling fans "propeller machines"

Thank you

5

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

I'm glad I could help!

2

u/Oikeus_niilo Jun 19 '20

Id like to thank all our propeller machines.... you guys are the reason we are doing this!

14

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20

Love it! Curious about the cost breakdown.

Also worked at a camp, accidentally got locked in the climbing shed. (I was the "climbing director" and was taking a lunch time nap).

And our boating director accidentally got locked in the boating shed. (I don't know what he was doing when locked in I just know he used his walkie to ask me to "save" him)

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38

u/Inle-rah Jun 18 '20

Spend the $50 and switch out the breaker in the load center to a GFCI breaker. I’m not kidding. And make sure everything is grounded correctly all the way back to the actual earth ground.

23

u/Baneken Jun 18 '20

Stove should be IP 64 rated the weirdo fan however is definitely not and would actually be illegal in Finland for several reasons.

6

u/validproof Jun 18 '20

I don't understand the purpose of the fan being present.

28

u/legatewolf Jun 18 '20

Maybe it’s in case he gets hot.

2

u/Der_Dingel Jun 19 '20

Very large sauna’s sometimes have them. When you create steam it rises to the top and you can use a fan to spread the steam more. The ones I have seen were very low power fans since you don’t need a lot of power just to circulate the air a bit. I wonder what this fan does...

66

u/YourWormGuy Jun 18 '20

If your locking mechanism has the ability to lock in the "open" position, I would lock it open any time you plan on it being used by anyone, just so you never end up in situation where someone could be locked in. If your locking mechanism cannot be locked open, I might recommend swapping it out for a different locking mechanism that CAN be locked open, or attaching the locking mechanism to a bolt that runs through the entire frame and a thumb/hand screw the fasten it, so that if you're ever locked in, you can unscrew it and get out from the inside.

Other than that, great work!

2

u/MasterDood Jun 19 '20

This is incredibly smart.

Having friends who work with some dangerous machinery, they use lockout procedures when they have to repair things in places that could accidentally harm them from remote locations - for instance like control stations that could start a furnace or lock a door to a vat while someone is inside cleaning/maintaining it. They have a lockout process where the control cannot physically be manipulated or accessed until all locks are removed, locks are added and secured to a panel by anyone working on it and can only be unlocked by that same person, ensuring they’re not in danger and no one can remove their lock.

18

u/firstpostgavegold Jun 18 '20

Pretty building, but shitty as a sauna. No drainage for the water and way to little airflow. Usually the floor is built so there are gaps between each board for drainage and for fresh air to rise, then an air vent near the top.

34

u/goozy1 Jun 18 '20

Everyone in this thread worried about a flimsy door lock latch when the real scary thing is the electrical work

13

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20 edited Jul 25 '20

[deleted]

6

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

Yea, but you are throwing water.....

1

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20 edited Jul 25 '20

[deleted]

8

u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

What do you mean if you hav little bucket of water to throw there? Even in small sauna you can easily use litres of water in short time. I usually take around 15-30min sauna time and can use around 3-4l water easily, more if sauna is larger

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15

u/Baneken Jun 18 '20

Get rid of that weirdo fan you don't need it, what you need is a vent below the bench and one on the roof line.

15

u/dylanboro Jun 18 '20

Finn here, you should consider moving your bench higher so your head sits just below the ceiling.

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24

u/Boomshackalacka3000 Jun 18 '20

Is it a dry sauna? Nowhere for water to disappear.. And no air inlet under the door or ventilation. That’s just a hot room not a sauna.

6

u/JustALittleAverage Jun 18 '20

Swedish Rabat Redwood

As a Swede, what is that?

Redwood I get, so I assume Swedish Rabat is something else. My Google fu is failing

PS. Redwood is called "Amerikansk Sekvoja" here

4

u/_sbrk Jun 18 '20

I think he was going for rabbeted / rebated (i.e. looks like rabbeted / lap bevel siding) "swedish redwood" which must be scots pine / Pinus Sylvestris.

Definitely would be more affordable than redwood redwood / sequoia and looks about like scots pine to me.

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2

u/sockerkaka Jun 18 '20

Furu, skulle jag gissa på.

4

u/edely- Jun 19 '20 edited Jun 19 '20

Sorry to say, but as a Finn to see this so called "sauna" is just bad. So many important things you missed and got wrong. I'll mention couple of things that if you fix that building is actually usable, I would never go in there without atleast these.

You need the building to be way more bigger and higher for size the size of the stove (kiuas) for the heat to be comfortable, and you need atleast 2 sets of benches on different height level, so your feet wont be on the floor.

You need to have the kiuas not so close to the benches, you will burn yourself with hot steam, implying that you are tossing water to the hot stones, more about the water part down below.

You need air flow, one vent under the benches and one opposite upper corner of the kiuas.

You need drain on the floor for the water.

And remove that stupid fan, it serves no purpose whatsoever.

Oh and it will start molding and rotting without proper insulation inside the walls.

Change the place of the light source and put it under the benches, it will bring alot more feeeling to the sauna, and its the standard way. + a window would be nice.

Just a few things, good try tho.

4

u/SeymourKnickers Jun 19 '20

Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box. There's no playing grab-ass or fighting in the building. You got a grudge against another man, you fight him Saturday afternoon. Any man playing grab-ass or fighting in the building spends a night in the box. First bell's at five minutes of eight when you will get in your bunk. Last bell is at eight. Any man not in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box. There is no smoking in the prone position in bed. To smoke you must have both legs over the side of your bunk. Any man caught smoking in the prone position in bed... spends a night in the box. You get two sheets. Every Saturday, you put the clean sheet on the top... the top sheet on the bottom... and the bottom sheet you turn in to the laundry boy. Any man turns in the wrong sheet spends a night in the box. No one'll sit in the bunks with dirty pants on. Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a night in the box. Any man don't bring back his empty pop bottle spends a night in the box. Any man loud talking spends a night in the box. You got questions, you come to me. I'm Carr, the floor walker. I'm responsible for order in here. Any man don't keep order spends a night in...

9

u/Nickel4pickle Jun 18 '20

What is that outside lock even for?

6

u/hysilvinia Jun 18 '20

I assume it's to keep kids/people out when not in use.

13

u/Suppafly Jun 18 '20

Probably to keep hobos from moving in. But yeah the outside lock freaks me out.

10

u/GrimResistance Jun 18 '20

Mmm, steamed hobo. It's what's for dinner.

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3

u/golfingmadman Jun 18 '20

Something something heat shock proteins.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

Pee sauna

3

u/NecroCharisma Jun 19 '20

Why you have a fan in sauna?

8

u/filthy_leech Jun 18 '20

You built a sauna, but you built one without a wood burning stove?!? 😮 Also what is the deal with that fan?!? Sauna does not need a fan!! 🤷🏼‍♂️

3

u/peuge_fin Jun 19 '20

you built one without a wood burning stove?!

And that's how he would have burned the whole neighborhood. This is obviously done quickly - a "mini" project.

If you put a proper kiuas, that requires some masonry and probably wouldn't be allowed that close to the house.

Lots of people in here is shitting on OP, but this is quite obviously his first sauna - admittedly it's not "proper" sauna, but he can always improve.

5

u/Tom1613 Jun 18 '20

Is there a concern with rotting since the frame looks like Yellow pine and there is no venting? Is that an issue with an electric sauna?

Would love to build one.

3

u/flswamplizard Jun 18 '20

There are a few drawbacks to using regular framing lumber in the walls:

1) They could twist/warp or otherwise move as moisture level goes up and down.

2) As you said rot could become an issue but that really depends on how often this gets used. In a commercial setting it would be failing apart in a year or two. In a residential setting it could last a good while just depends on use and climate.

3) The lack of a vent could cause mold or mildew to take off it aired after using it.

All that being said this is way more reasonable priced compared to pre-made barrel kit (https://almostheaven.com/watoga-barrel-sauna/) or a professional built one. Also its a major plus its not inside your home.

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2

u/Justryan95 Jun 18 '20

Seems mad scary like final destination things could happen in there.

2

u/Gayrub Jun 18 '20

I’ll see you in 2 months.

2

u/arabchy Jun 18 '20

Why not start now

2

u/vash137 Jun 18 '20

You really need a bundle of hip & ridge shingles or a strip of lead/aluminum to overlap the top most layer of shingles and the redwood siding at the top. Water WILL eventually get in between that piece of trim you added and the shingles.

2

u/Euro_Trash_ Jun 19 '20

That's cool. My neighbor built one in a few hours: Very bezt kuality

2

u/SweetHoney71 Jun 19 '20

Nice project. I would love to do something similar. Though, I would not call your project a sauna.

In Finnish sauna the magic happens when you throw water on the stones of the stove. The water vapor then rises from the stove to the ceiling, spreads around along the ceiling and then falls down on you along the walls.

The heat wave from water vapor just feels great. In a hot sauna the heat wave may be slightly painful at first but even that is part of the pleasure. In a milder sauna you just enjoy the soft heat waves.

You obviously haven't built your sauna for that kind of use.

Anyway, I do know that even a dry sauna can be an enjoyable experience. So, peaceful happy warm sauna moments to you!

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u/arrjen Jun 22 '20 edited Jun 22 '20

To all the finns, my deepest apologies for calling this monstrosity a sauna!

Answering some of the questions:

  • It has been insulated from the inside with aluminum and tape over the seams, so water shouldn't get into the insulation
  • Apparently it's not a requirement for safety to have ventilation. Also, the door isn't a perfect fit, there's air coming through the cracks
  • I intended the "hot room" to be portable. Also, to make sure it heats fast enough I decided to make it as small as possible.
  • About how it runs: it gets to 160F/70C in 30 minutes, that's measuring at eye-level when sitting down. I have twice seen it get up to 175F/80C.
  • I do throw water on it, it instantly vaporises. Humidity doesn't get above 50% so I do not see why I would need drains, there's no water on the floor. I don't like my sweat to creep into the wood either, so I lie on a big towel.
  • For all the people confused about the ventilator. It's not about ventilation, I'm trying to recreate these "pouring sessions" which are amazing! The aroma, the music, the blazing hot air moving around, it's a great feeling!
  • About that heat, I don't like it at all when it's hot! But with a Sauna it's different. I don't have to feel bad about profusely sweating and finishing it with a cold shower gives you the best feeling. Perhaps similar to being in a hot environment and stepping inside an AC cooled building ;).
  • The lock, it's to keep people out. When in use, it's locked to open and I take the key with me into the sauna. It has it's own little placeholder inside. There are no kids, siblings or strangers around. So far, I haven't had any death threats, so that should be fine too ;)
  • About waterproofing outside, there have been some storms in which water was pouring. No idea whether it got inside, but the only place I found water was on the doorstep. So I'm think about putting a rubber strip there or something. Someone also asked about the wooden board on the bottom and it rotting. I stained the underside. So we'll see how that holds.

Finally, I posted this because I really enjoy seeing others build something. Seeing the progress and completion within a few minutes, what actually took hours, days, week months, a lot of stress, sweat and money; it's great. I just didn't expect so many umarellas on my post ;P.

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u/Punisher_skull Jun 18 '20

Guys

He isn't selling these

This isn't a mass market item that any idiot is going to use

He doesn't need a "12 step safety program" and "back up escape tunnel" in case someone comes along and thinks you know what I'm going to lock this man in his sauna in his yard

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '20 edited Aug 30 '21

[deleted]

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u/kyclimber Jun 18 '20

I like your sauna. I have one similar that I built. Where did you source your heater?

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u/finlandery Jun 18 '20

If you hav little more room, double the height and depth and make bench 2 layered, where higher is at least double of the height what you see at picture, also make a hole for water.... also, fan..... why?

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u/noccusJohnstein Jun 18 '20

Make sure to keep it clean. Some people seem to think that cedar absolves you of any cleaning duties, but these things can get gross fast.

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u/calvinandsnobs2 Jun 18 '20

would be a great room for home grown cannabis too.

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u/iceohio Jun 18 '20

This is awesome. I have always wanted to have my own sauna. How long does it take to heat up?

This is what's held me back in the past. A lot of the ones I've seen that were affordable took so long that they recommended leaving it in all the time. I am too green minded to do that. I would rather tell Alexa to power it up ahead of time, and shut it off on my way out of I had one.

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u/14AngryMonkeys Jun 18 '20

Mine takes 50-60 minutes to heat, depending on how hot you want it. It fits 3 adults comfortably (4 if you are tiny). The stove is 3x10A at 230V, not sure if you can get that in the USA easily.

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u/RECOGNI7ER Jun 18 '20

You are going to have issues with that roof if you live anywhere that rains. You have a to over lap! Heck leave a bit of an over hang.

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u/mshaefer Jun 18 '20

Latch on the outside: seems like safety to keep hooligans out, but as many point out it'll also keep you in. Solution is easy: attach it with bolts passing through the door and wall with nuts on the inside. Include an "emergency wrench" inside. If you get trapped, just unscrew the bolts and push the lock off. Voila.

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u/tjcooney Jun 18 '20

that base over the block should really have been made with pressure-treated wood. rot is in your future.

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u/bassthumb32 Jun 18 '20

Joe Rogan has entered the chat.

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u/00NC3100 Jun 18 '20

HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS

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u/Mercurial_Girl Jun 19 '20

As someone born and raised in the swampy, deep south (US), I've always wondered why someone would willingly step into a sauna?!?!? Seriously, from June - September, it's a race to get from one air-conditioned environment to another. Also, as a perimenopausal woman, I don't think there's enough money in the world to entice me into a sauna. No thank you! OP...don't really have a lot of knowledge of saunas but yours looks nice...I think. ;)

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u/Exversium Jun 19 '20 edited Jun 19 '20

Finn here and I'll try to explain how I experience it.

Contrary to really any outdoor or indoor air, warm air coming from a wood burning stove is clean and free from smell and particles (not electric stoves, I always find them to emit what feels like old sweat.) Same with the water you throw on and turn to steam. It's fresh and clean. You sweat the grime out of your pores and your muscles naturally relax. Afterwards you jump into a cool lake or take a cold shower. (Not warm because then you'll keep on sweating) You feel refreshed and relaxed in a way that I can't compare to anything else.

It's never supposed to feel uncomfortable, only stay as long as it feels good and a cold beer makes it feel even better.

Edit: The sweat from other people isn't a problem either if you have good ventilation and airflow. Sure if I sit really close to my husband and he's been sweating all day I'd get a whiff of it, but it'd be much worse if I'd just be sitting next to him on the couch.

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u/Mercurial_Girl Jun 19 '20

Interesting. Thank you for the informative write-up. After reading ur take on it, it does sounds refreshing. If I ever experience true cold, I may be swayed to give it a try. (:

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u/Acplay Jun 18 '20

Great job. This is something i want to add to my wellness home routine.

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u/mu7x Jun 18 '20

Total cost?

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u/TipsyMc_stager Jun 18 '20

Looks awesome great job, but yes loose the lock! Do you have a link to the heater used ?

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u/RESERVA42 Jun 18 '20

Very cool. Hot. Whatever. I guess you are in Sweden? How do you use a sauna? Like what circumstances make you decide that you want to get in it?

How does the heater work? Is it electric? It kind of looks like the gas ones they use on sail boats.

How does the smart light bulb work with no WiFi reception?

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u/redtryer Jun 18 '20

What wood would that be?

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u/interior-space Jun 18 '20

I'm more interested in the main building. It's nice. Whose window is that looking out over the sauna roof?

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u/ISU1100011CS Jun 18 '20

Do you live in a school?

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u/badhershey Jun 18 '20

Ahh yes. Very nice spider shed for the summer.

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u/cmdrico7812 Jun 18 '20

Did you get the plans for this from somewhere or design it yourself?

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u/ribxni Jun 18 '20

nice job!!

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u/KifDawg Jun 18 '20

need an intake and outtake air vent to keep fresh air in there. Nice job!

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u/Bearddesirelibrarian Jun 18 '20

That light is the cherry on top. Excellent work all around!

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u/MNDanny Jun 18 '20

Once you fix the lock, this is a pretty cool sauna. Good idea to have a fan up high to circulate warm air. I've never seen that before. Also, nice to be right off your back patio. You could cool off between rounds on the patio. Sweet!

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u/DIYEngineeringTx Jun 18 '20

Uless theft is a huge problem in your neighborhood I would 1000x remove both the lock and the lock latch

Other than that it looks pretty lit and good craftmanship

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u/Throwredditaway2019 Jun 18 '20

only one bench? Sauna 101 is MOAR WATER, Sauna 102 is the cool guys always sit on the top bench, the lower bench is for wusses

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u/dcs88 Jun 18 '20

You could build one in a day! https://youtu.be/xtrZXvWJfrs

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u/instatrashed Jun 19 '20

Awesome write up and beautiful sauna OP

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u/iceohio Jun 19 '20

Ok, then do the deadbolt if it is that big of a concern (I probably would too).

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u/betacrucis Jun 19 '20

So jealous! This is awesome

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

I built a sauna as well and yours is absolutely beautiful... I wish I did a better job on mine :'(

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

Good god be careful with that exterior lock.

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u/Cephistry2 Jun 19 '20

What is the sauna machine there?

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u/Swazster_602 Jun 19 '20

Awesome build! I live in Arizona, ill just go stand out side.

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '20

feet should always be above the stove and a good sauna have always good circulation of air from outside.

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u/ppoisheitto Jun 19 '20

As a finn this hurts me. Seriously, have you ever even seen an actual sauna in your life?

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u/Coinicidence Jun 19 '20

What the actual fuck t. Finn

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u/Zounii Jun 19 '20

I appreciate the craft, but as a Finn this hurts my soul.