Instructions

1. Only a licensed electrician is allowed to install the heater.

2. After taking a sauna, we recommend switching the heater on again for about 10 minutes in order to help dry out the steam room.

3. In standard use, we recommend the use of basic sauna stones (e.g. olivine diabase no larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. The stones should be placed into the heater so that there is enough room for air to circulate freely around the stones.

4. In commercial and communal use, IKI-Kiuas recommends using KERKES ceramic interspace sauna stones around the heating elements. The specially designed Kerkes stones support and protect the heating elements from premature disintegration. NOTE that soapstone and natural stones may only be used on the surface. Make sure to lay the stones carefully so that the heating elements DO NOT touch one another, or the outer casing

5. Sauna stones should be changed once a year. Over time deposits from infusion water and fragrance additives clog the pores of the sauna stones. This reduces the heat storage capacity of the stones, which is why we recommend changing the sauna stones once a year in commercial and/or intensive use heaters. At the very latest, if you notice a decrease in the heat output of the heater and/or the stones are becoming porous and breaking, it is high time to replace them.

As a rule, a heater is selected based on the volumetric dimensions of the sauna room. The functioning of heaters manufactured by IKI-Kiuas Oy is based on the heat retention capacity of the large amount of stones. This means that the heater’s power capacity requirement is not greatly affected by stone and glass surfaces in the sauna room. However, if there are a lot of stone or glass surfaces in the sauna, it is advisable to pick the more powerful model if the volumetric dimensions of the room are close to the limits.

Log walls heat up slowly, so a more efficient heater should be selected in this case as well. When selecting the appropriate heater, it is advisable to ask the reseller or IKI-Kiuas technical support for advice. Bear in mind also that the walls and the ceiling of the sauna room must also be well insulated. All surfaces that store heat must be thermally insulated. 10.76 sq. ft (1 sq. m) of uninsulated surface in the ceiling or on the walls increases the heater’s power requirement. As a rule of thumb: add 42.4 cubic ft (1.2 cubic meters) to 53 cubic ft (1.5 cubic meters) to the room volume per every 10.7 sq ft (1 square meter) of uninsulated surface. In saunas that have glass surfaces and walls, it is especially important to carefully calculate the heater’s power requirement in relation to the volumetric dimensions of the room.

The height of the sauna room itself should be relatively low. The higher the room, the more powerful the heater needs to be, as additional height increases the room’s volumetric dimensions. As warm air rises up, the recommended height between the seats and the ceiling is a maximum of 4 ft (1200 mm).

If the heater is not powerful enough, the temperature in the steam room will remain too low. In which case, sauna-goers often attempt to raise temperature by throwing more water on to the heater. This in turn quickly cools down the stones. And finally, there is no steam to be got out of a tepid heater

The stones should be placed carefully. The distance between the resistors and the mesh frame should be completely covered by stones, all the way around and to the top of the heater. However, the stones must not be stacked too tightly; there need to be slight gaps between the stones to ensure unobstructed air circulation.

In privately used saunas, we recommend using olivine, olivine diabase or peridot stones. The stones should be less than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, making them easy to stack between the heater’s frame and the resistors.

Over time deposits from infusion water and fragrance additives clog the pores of the sauna stones. This reduces the heat storage capacity of the stones, which is why we recommend changing the sauna stones once a year in commercial and/or intensive use heaters. At the very latest, if you notice a decrease in the heat output of the heater and/or the stones are becoming porous and breaking, it is high time to replace them.

NOTE! When laying the stones, make sure that the resistors ARE NOT in contact with one another or the outer casing of the heater.

According to building regulations the minimum height for a sauna room is 6.2 ft (1900 mm). Usually anything between 6.5 – 7.5 ft (2000 – 2300 mm) is good. The room height affects energy consumption and increases heating time. Thus, room height also affects the heater’s power requirements. The required power of the heater is calculated based on the cubic volume of the sauna room. The recommended height between the upper bench and the ceiling is a maximum of 4 ft (1200 mm).

Proper thermal insulation of the walls and the ceiling structures have a significant role in retaining a uniform temperature inside the sauna room. The better the insulation, the lower the energy required for heating. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the U-value of the materials used for thermal insulation. Thin materials often have low U-values, despite “increasing” the space inside the room.

All heat-storing surfaces must be thermally insulated in the same way as the walls. Uninsulated surface in the ceiling or on the walls increases the heater’s power requirement by 1.2. With regards to uninsulated surfaces, it is always advisable to read the manufacturers’ operating instructions. Often a good rule of thumb is that 10.7 sq. ft (1 square m) of uninsulated surface adds 13 – 16 sq. ft (1.2 to 1.5 cubic meters) to the room’s volumetric dimensions. If there are glass surfaces and walls in the sauna room, it is important to carefully calculate the power requirements for the heater in relation to the volumetric dimensions of the room.

The heating time of an IKI heater is approximately 60-75 minutes to get the saunastones ready for the appropriate temperature. This can vary depending on the starting temperature and the ventilation of the sauna room. Recommended bathing sauna temperature to enter the saunas with the IKI is approximately 131-167F (55-75C). Then by adding water to the heater you can increase the temperature to a preferred level. Pouring water on the heater increases temperature and humidity. You can control the heat and humidity by pouring the water to different parts of the heater. You can adjust the feel of the heat and steam from soft to sharp by throwing water either to the side of the heater or by pouring water on top of the stones at different places.