Part of the elegance and design of your new Iki sauna heater is the positioning of the sauna stones relative to the heater elements. Jouni Kerrman, the thermal engineer who changed the sauna heater industry globally, tested and refined electric sauna stone placement relative to the heater elements.
But you don’t have to be a thermal engineer to stone your electric sauna heater. As you load stones into your new Iki sauna heater, keep in mind that, no matter what the language, you are setting up your heater up to create the kind of löyly that sauna pros all over the world experience with a satisfying “aaaahhhhhhhh.”
Sizing your stones for your Iki electric sauna heater
Size matters. If you are sourcing sauna stones on the open prairie or open market, Iki electric sauna heaters require 2″ – 4″ stones. This size variation allows you to pack stones entirely around the heater elements.
- Stones that are too big: Stones get hung up between the heater elements and between the heater elements and the outside cage. This creates too big of air gaps.
- Stones that are too small: Stones compact too tightly between the heater elements and between the heater elements and the outside cage. This creates too small of air gaps.
Loading your stones into your new Iki electric sauna heater
Please refer to Page 7 of your iki heater manual.
A quick summary of the details include:
- Allow some focus time. The entire process may take up to an hour.
- Create the vibe. Stoning your sauna heater can be a zen experience. Some enjoy cue’ing up some Grateful Dead, Tame Impalla, or Khruhghbin, to accompany the process. Others are known to cue up some Finnish heavy metal music, as a nod to the origins of their new 100% Finnish made Iki electric sauna heater.
- Unscrew, take off, and set aside the Upper Mesh Cage.
- Open your first box of rocks.
- Begin loading rocks from the bottom. Take the rocks as they come. Pack around the mesh and between the heater elements. Try to keep it even as you fill the heater chamber. When you’re filled close to half way up the chamber:
- Reassemble the Upper Mesh Cage.
- Begin filling the upper half. Before you get too far:
- Reinstall the heater element guidance plate so as to maintain equal spacing of the heater elements between the rocks.
Again Page 7 of your iki heater manual will give you complete step by step instructions
Keep in mind:
- Extra stones: Keep some handy. Over time, the stones will settle down, and you can add more to the top of the heater.
- Keep stove turned off: Heater elements stay hot for several minutes, and can burn you.
- Wear gloves and long sleeve shirt: The steel can be sharp. Safety first.
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