When considering a new custom sauna build, one of the first questions that comes up even before the plan design is electrical requirements. What type of power is needed to operate my sauna? Does my home or building have enough power for a sauna?
The good news is, if you have electric to your building you have a worthy power supply necessary for installing a sauna. There are a number of elements that will come in to play that may affect the location of your sauna, such as running more power to a specific room.
If you are planning a custom built sauna, consider one of our pre-cut DIY custom sauna kits. Included is everything you need to build a sauna, pre-built benching, and all interior tongue and groove material inside the room to your exact measurements. The kit also includes your sauna heater of choice, as well as the pre-hung door. It is truly a sauna in a box, delivered to your door for DIY assembly!
Call Sauna Supply Company at (612)505-9700 or request a quote online.
Every Power Supply Option For A Sauna
The vast majority of traditional saunas utilize a 240 volt power supply for the entire room. Smaller infrared saunas often run on a 120 volt system, but a 240 volt electric supply can be required by the size of the room. The majority of our custom infrared saunas are built to run on 240 volt power. It is possible to run some traditional electric sauna heaters on 120 volt power, but the room will be very small.
The main reason most saunas require a 240 volt power supply is due to the size of the sauna heaters. Our sauna heaters come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 4.5 kilowatts to 29 kilowatts. Our smallest panel built saunas feature a traditional sauna heater that is capable of running off 120 volt power, with a 15 amp and 20 amp option available.
These are the standard power supply options for electric powered saunas
- 110/120 volt
- 220/240 volt
- 3 phase 208 volt
What power supply do I need for a wood fired sauna?
Of course, there is no power needed for a wood fired sauna stove. However, if you’d like lighting inside your outdoor wood fired sauna, you will need standard 120 volt power to the building itself.
Saunas That Run Off 120 Volt Power
The main types of saunas that only require a 120 volt power supply are infrared saunas. Whether you’re building a custom infrared sauna, or choosing one of our panel built pre fabricated infrared saunas, most of these will run off of 120 volt power.
We have two traditional saunas that run off 120 volt power, the Hallmark 44 15 amp and Hallmark 44 20 amp traditional sauna. We also have an infrared and traditional combination sauna that runs off 120 volt power, the IS440.
What Is The Optimal Power Supply For Saunas?
While it is size dependent, a 240 volt power supply is far superior to saunas that run off 120 volt power. Choosing to run 240 volt power to your sauna will be a decision you not soon forget, especially as you become experienced with taking hotter saunas. 240 volt power, while it does add to the cost if it does not exist in the area you want to build, will allow you to build a more comfortable sauna with a far more effective heater.
Sauna heaters that run off 240 volt power heat quicker and maintain higher heat capacity than sauna heaters that utilize 120 volt power.
How Do I Get 240 Volt Power For My Sauna?
It is absolutely critical that you work with an electrician for running electrical power supply to your sauna. Under the right conditions, any electrical device running on household power is capable of producing a fatal accident. If you’re considering building a custom sauna and would like to save money by experimenting with your own electric work, stop right there. Electrical errors create a higher risk for house fires, incorrect functioning of your sauna heater, and more.
Not only is it not worth the risk, but in order for us to work on any sauna heater we sell, it’s required that the work is performed by a licensed electrician. If you do not know of an electrician, give us a call. We have a number of them that we work with on a near daily basis, all of whom have considerable experience in wiring saunas.
When planning your new sauna, it is most ideal to have a power supply roughed in to the space prior to completing sauna framing and finishing tongue and groove. When working with us, we help you take care of all of this, so no need to stress about it now.
The 240 volt power supply will run to a contactor box, mounted either inside or outside the sauna room. If you’re building your sauna in a corner of the basement, you’ll want to make sure this power supply location can be accessed later.
Once your electrician has determined that providing power supply to the location of your sauna is possible and it’s been roughed in, it’s time to get to work!
Pre-planning the location of your electric supply for your sauna will save you time and money later. The cost for electrical wiring for saunas varies dramatically based on location and existing building framing. You’ll want to determine your contactor box location and have the correct power in this location prior to doing any framing and insulating of your sauna.
One additional thing to consider with power for your sauna and the contactor box of your heater is the location of the box. If it will reside inside the sauna room, it should be mounted away from the heater, most commonly under the bench. If this is the case in your sauna, you’ll want to make sure that the contactor box will not impede with your top bench!
Our sauna benches are typically built for saunas with a 7′ ceiling height. In this case, the best location for your contactor box is somewhere between 1′ and 2′ from the ground, but no higher than 28″.
