I am renting a room in a very cool apartment building. I know the owner
of the building so even though what I am considering may sound
inadvisable, I intend to pull it off.

I am about to rent two ajacent apartments in the building and remove a
wall. This leaves me with a extra kitchen that I desire to make into a
dedicated occasional sauna. (perhaps fired up 2-3 times a month)
(dedicated meaning not used for anything else)

1) What would standard building codes say to this?

2) If I ignored the building inspector (which I plan on), what damage
could happen? (perhaps I could keep it less humid?)

3) Can I heat it with a 1500 watt space heater, or two of them on
separate circuits? (That seems a bit weak to me.)

I have posted a picture of what a similiar kitchen looks like he

http://www.musicalfurnishings.com/sauna.jpg

Thanks!!

Tor

"tor" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am renting a room in a very cool apartment building. I know the owner
of the building so even though what I am considering may sound
inadvisable, I intend to pull it off.

I am about to rent two ajacent apartments in the building and remove a
wall. This leaves me with a extra kitchen that I desire to make into a
dedicated occasional sauna. (perhaps fired up 2-3 times a month)
(dedicated meaning not used for anything else)

1) What would standard building codes say to this?

2) If I ignored the building inspector (which I plan on), what damage
could happen? (perhaps I could keep it less humid?)

3) Can I heat it with a 1500 watt space heater, or two of them on
separate circuits? (That seems a bit weak to me.)

I have posted a picture of what a similiar kitchen looks like he

http://www.musicalfurnishings.com/sauna.jpg

Thanks!!

Why go to all that bother??

There are portable saunas sold all the time. You put them together in an
hour or two.

If you want to build one, fine. Make it portable so you can take it with
you. And you don't have to worry about the building inspector.

Sat, Nov 19, 2005, 11:07pm (EST-3) (tor) burbled:
snip I know the owner snip 1) What would standard building codes say
to this?
2) If I ignored the building inspector (which I plan on), what damage
could happen? snip

You're planning all this, and the owner still lets you live there?

How the Hell would any of us know what the building codes are where
you are?

You "could" collapse the building.



JOAT
Just pretend I'm not here. That's what I'm doing.

On 19 Nov 2005 23:07:30 -0800, "tor" wrote:

I am about to rent two ajacent apartments in the building and remove a
wall. This leaves me with a extra kitchen that I desire to make into a
dedicated occasional sauna. (perhaps fired up 2-3 times a month)
(dedicated meaning not used for anything else)

1) What would standard building codes say to this?

Not getting a permit can cost a lot more than the project if the local
governing body finds out you don't have one.

2) If I ignored the building inspector (which I plan on), what damage
could happen? (perhaps I could keep it less humid?)

Have a look at this site, it explains a lot about saunas and
steambaths. http://www.saunafin.com/. According to that site the
humididty shouldn't be a problem if what your are building is an
actual sauna. I'm not selling these but we've installed a couple of
their kits and they are nice.

3) Can I heat it with a 1500 watt space heater, or two of them on
separate circuits? (That seems a bit weak to me.)

It'll depend on size of the sauna and how long you want it to take to
heat up to around 180 degrees f. The smallest heater listed on the
above site 4.6KW. The largest sauna recommended for a 5KW heater is
only 5'x5'. If you are putting the sauna in what was once a kitchen,
you may have a 220 range plug somewhere that could be used for a
larger heater.

Mike O.

Thanks Mike,

I really am not very worried about the code, mainly just my relations
with the owner. He's a great guy. I am not really altering much at all.

Yeah, thanks for looking up those heaters, that doesn't fair well with
my plans. ouch. The room is 7x6x9, and there has never been 220 in
there. The building has these very cool "MasterChef" 1940's stoves
still in here. I can't use that for a heat source unless there is some
amazing way to vent it. (though, there is that oven vent shaft... 3.5
inch pipe in the ceiling)

Perhaps an offical gas sauna heater vented out that pipe? Then I am
really making a sauna, not a halfassed sauna. (the halfassed was sort
of my goal, as to not really upset the owners) I'll take a look on
craigslist all the same.

Man, now I am getting worried that I can't easily get enough heat in
there. Gas sauna stoves are rare (none on craigslist) and need careful
consideration. (something you can guess I am not full of) How hard is
it for me to wire a 220 service up safely? (two small panels with four
breakers each) It is not being used unattended, so I do not feel the
need for it to be really legit, only safe. It seems that is my only way
to safe heat.

tor

your inviting a disaster.


"tor" wrote in message
ups.com...
Man, now I am getting worried that I can't easily get enough heat in
there. Gas sauna stoves are rare (none on craigslist) and need careful
consideration. (something you can guess I am not full of) How hard is
it for me to wire a 220 service up safely? (two small panels with four
breakers each) It is not being used unattended, so I do not feel the
need for it to be really legit, only safe. It seems that is my only way
to safe heat.

tor

I don't think so. Perhaps I'll hire someone to hook up the 220. I hope
I do not need to run it all the way from the main breaker. I am unsure
how these apartments are wired. There are four more spaces in the box
here in the room for expansion.

I don't think so. Perhaps I'll hire someone to hook up the 220. I hope
I do not need to run it all the way from the main breaker. I am unsure
how these apartments are wired. There are four more spaces in the box
here in the room for expansion.

On 19 Nov 2005 23:07:30 -0800, "tor" wrote:

Most newer hottubs come with the option to wire them to 220 thus using
less electricity plus boosting the pump force. I would suggest some
type of cover to keep the heat and humidity in tub till time to use
it. Also to reduce the humidity, if you have the option of installing
some type of bathroom fan that could be vented out would keep the
humidity from peeling the paint off the walls. You need to have the
hottub on a seperate circuit preferably a 40 to 50 amp circuit. If you
have tennants below you, you might want to check where the loadbearing
walls are because you are adding a lot of weight with a full tub. If
it was me I would want to plumb in some type of drain line in case of
some type of leak. If it is close to where the kitchen sink is then
plumb it directly into that drain line.

I am renting a room in a very cool apartment building. I know the owner
of the building so even though what I am considering may sound
inadvisable, I intend to pull it off.

I am about to rent two ajacent apartments in the building and remove a
wall. This leaves me with a extra kitchen that I desire to make into a
dedicated occasional sauna. (perhaps fired up 2-3 times a month)
(dedicated meaning not used for anything else)

1) What would standard building codes say to this?

2) If I ignored the building inspector (which I plan on), what damage
could happen? (perhaps I could keep it less humid?)

3) Can I heat it with a 1500 watt space heater, or two of them on
separate circuits? (That seems a bit weak to me.)

I have posted a picture of what a similiar kitchen looks like he

http://www.musicalfurnishings.com/sauna.jpg

Thanks!!

Tor

wrote in message
...
On 19 Nov 2005 23:07:30 -0800, "tor" wrote:

Most newer hottubs come with the option to wire them to 220 thus using
less electricity plus boosting the pump force.

You need to have the
hottub on a seperate circuit preferably a 40 to 50 amp circuit.

It would be a safe bet that (despite your otherwise reasonable suggestions
which I snipped...) you should refrain from offering electrical suggestions.

--

-Mike-

"tor" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't think so. Perhaps I'll hire someone to hook up the 220. I hope
I do not need to run it all the way from the main breaker. I am unsure
how these apartments are wired. There are four more spaces in the box
here in the room for expansion.


Your friend can say goodby to his insurance. There's a high likelyhood you
are going to burn the place down, and this will not be covered by insurance.
Don't forget to tell your friend that.

A sauna has dry heat. Your friend has simply made a steambath.

tor wrote:
Come on,

This is a fantastic idea, and I don't think I will collapse the
building. I have a friend that makes his apartments kitchen into a
makeshift sauna during parties. He boils different herbs in water on
each of his four burners on an electric range, drops a blanket over the
doorway - presto! sauna. Seems to me if I kept it drier I could keep
from damaging the cabinets (old crappy solid fir) and subfloor/walls.

The wiring to the sub boxes in the apartments is probably not
adequate to add a high current 220 v circuit. You'll almost
certainly have to run to the main panel.


tor wrote:
I don't think so. Perhaps I'll hire someone to hook up the 220. I hope
I do not need to run it all the way from the main breaker. I am unsure
how these apartments are wired. There are four more spaces in the box
here in the room for expansion.

wrote:
On 19 Nov 2005 23:07:30 -0800, "tor" wrote:

Most newer hottubs come with the option to wire them to 220 thus using
less electricity plus boosting the pump force. I would suggest some
type of cover to keep the heat and humidity in tub till time to use
it. Also to reduce the humidity, if you have the option of installing

[snippage]

I am about to rent two ajacent apartments in the building and remove a
wall. This leaves me with a extra kitchen that I desire to make into a
dedicated occasional sauna. (perhaps fired up 2-3 times a month)
(dedicated meaning not used for anything else)


I heard that if you grab a giraffe by the trunk and pinch the lip, you
can wrestle him to the ground.

er
--
email not valid

Mike,

Thanks for the thoughts. That damn main panel is a long way off. shoot.
hmmmmm.

t