Below is an email exchange that we thought worthy of putting out to the universe, for others who are in the planning (but not zoning) phase of building their own sauna. John: Hi Glenn, I hope you are doing well and enjoying winter saunas. I'm still working on plans for an outdoor sauna and would really prefer to build with rectangular logs. Having trouble finding someone who understands the answer to the following: will thicker log walls (eastern white pine) take longer to heat up due to the extra thermal mass having to first heat the logs, especially in colder weather we have in the UP? For example: 4" or 8" logs - will there be a noticeable difference in warm up time? Sauna interior … [Read more...]
Wood heat vs. electric heat explained once, and probably not for all
Heat isn't heat. Have you ever cooked with a cast iron pan vs. a thin teflon pan? All quality restaurants use thick heavy cast iron pans. The food cooks evenly. The heat is more controlled. "The food tastes better." Those into food can tell the difference. Thermal mass through radiant heat. For those of us in cold climates, we know the difference in our homes. Baseboard electric can heat a room, but it's a different type of heat than, say, heat created by radiators. Why? Radiators radiate heat, baseboards heat air. WTF does this mean? Why is it that when your feet are cold as you get into a cold car in Minneapolis, your feet are still cold by the time you get to Duluth, but the inside car thermometer says 70 degrees the … [Read more...]