GB2203939A - Steam room - Google Patents

Abstract

A steam room (10) has steam producing vessels (12) of relatively small volume situated in the room, the vessels (12) each being provided with an electrical heating element (14) whereby to generate steam. Means namely a header tank (16) and valve (22) are provided to maintain the water level in each vessel (12) at a desired level. A suitable atmosphere can be obtained rapidly and maintained easily. <IMAGE>

Description

STEAM ROOM This invention is concerned with steam rooms.

The subjecting of the human body to steam, or water vapour, is considered to be beneficial by many people and saunas and turkish baths provide this facility. In existing systems of providing steam rooms, it is customary for steam to be produced by a boiler situated outside the steam room usually in a remote locality, the steam being conducted to the room through a suitable supply pipe. Where steam is supplied from a remote source, not only do heat losses arise in conducting the steam to the steam room but also it can take a considerable period of time to generate sufficient steam.

There is hereinafter described to illustrate the invention by way of example a steam room comprising at least one steam producing vessel which is situated in the room the vessel being provided with a heating element whereby to generate steam, and means for maintaining the water level in the, or each, steam producing vessel at a desired level. Preferably the heating element is an electrical heating element mounted in the steam producing vessel and the, or each, steam producing vessel is of relatively small volume. In this case the water in each vessel can be heated rapidly to a temperature at which steam is generated so that the steam room can be operational very rapidly after a need is recognised to use the room.The steam vessels are preferably disposed low down in the room, on or even beneath the floor provided, in the latter case, that vents are located above the steam vessels to admit steam to the main body of the room and that the vessels are sealed to prevent escape of steam other than into the steam room so that the vessels are, in effect, within the room. As the steam vessels generate steam in, or provide it directly into, the steam room, it is essential to provide adequate protection in the vicinity of the steam vessels to minimise the risk that a user of the room will be scalded or burnt by the steam vessels.Conveniently, the steam producing vessels are mounted adjacent one wall of the steam room and are surrounded by a structure, suitably of hardwood or a suitable steam resistant plastics material, so that steam can circulate freely in the room but contact with the steam producing vessels or the coming into close proximity of the vessels of a human body, is prevented.

There now follows a detailed description, to be read with reference with the accompanying drawings, of a steam room embodying the invention. It will be realised that this room has been selected for description to illustrate the invention by way of example.

Reference is made to the drawing which is a diagrammatic perspective view of a steam room showing steam producing vessels mounted therein.

The illustrative steam room 10 is suitably constructed of wood of a suitable type lined if necessary with a plastics or heat reflecting form of. material, or may be moulded in suitable plastics material for example glass fibre. In any event, the room is preferably insulated adequately to prevent escape of heat and of steam from the room. Mounted on a floor 11 of the room are two steam vessels 12, which may be made of any suitable material for example copper or galvanised iron.

In each steam vessel 12 an electrical heating element 14 is mounted. The vessels 12 are positioned adjacent a wall of the steam room 10 so that the electrical leads to the heating elements 14 pass through the wall to a control panel outside the room. However, if desired, means may be provided within the room for operating the controls so that the temperature can be controlled from inside the room by a user. Preferably an emergency switch for 4 switching off the heating elements 14 is provided within the room.

Water is supplied to the steam vessels 12 through a connecting pipe 18 from a header tank 16 also mounted on the floor 11 of the steam room. The water is fed from the header tank 16 through the pipe 18 to the vessels 12 by gravity feed. Thus, the water level in the vessels 12 and in the header tank 16 is the same. Water is supplied to the header tank 16 through a supply pipe 20, which passes through a wall or the floor of the room 10.

Admission of water to the header tank 16 is controlled by a valve 22 operated, through a float arm 26, by a float 24 which floats on the surface of the water in the header tank 16. The water level which is maintained in the header tank 16 (and thus in the steam vessels 12) is chosen so that the heating elements 14 are adequately covered, while the water does not overflow from the steam vessels 12. Although, in the illustrative steam room, a float valve is used to control the level of water in the steam vessels, the float valve being disposed in a header tank, other means may be used to control level of water in the steam vessels, for example the water may be supplied from a supply pipe directly to each steam vessel and a level control means may be included in each vessel.

Although a float valve is used in the illustrative room, other level controls may be used if desired.

A suitable protective framework, for example contructed of a hardwood, is preferably constructed around the steam vessels to ensure that inadvertent contact with the vessels is avoided by a user of the room. Alternatively, the vessels may be sealed beneath the floor of the room, with grilles admitting steam into the room. Means may be provided for medicating the -water vapour emitted from the steam vessels, for example for supporting herbal vapour bags over the steam vessels 12.

4 Steam rooms such as the illustrative room may be provided in any convenient location, for example, in hotels, sports or health clubs, private houses and the like. They may be provided in association with other bathing or therapeutic facilities for example showers, baths, dry heat rooms and the like.

The illustrative steam room is approximately 0.8 metres long 1.2 metres wide and 1.8 metres high. A bench or couch may be provided along one wall of the room. In a room of those dimensions two steam vessels 12 have been found sufficient to provide a suitable atmosphere in about 10 minutes from switching on the heating elements 14. Suitable heating elements are rated at about 2.8 kw, one being disposed in each steam vessel 12. Capacity of each steam vessel 12 is suitably about 3 pints (about 1.7 litres). When the steam room 10 has reached a suitable condition, it has been found that it can be maintained at an acceptable condition using only one of the steam vessels 12, the other one being switched off (and possibly switched on again when necessary to give a boost). For larger steam rooms a greater number of steam vessels may be used. While larger steam vessels may be used if desired, it is preferred to use a plurality of smaller vessels for ease of control and for rapid heating, each vessel containing only a relatively small quantity of water which can be heated rapidly with a relatively small heat input.

The illustrative steam room is relatively simple to construct and inexpensive. The components from which it is built are readily available and should any malfunction occur, for example the failure of a heating element, replacement of the element is both simple and inexpensive. Furthermore, the illustrative steam room is more efficient than steam rooms where the steam is generated in a remote boiler outside the steam room enclosure and pipes to the room.

Claims (9)

1. A steam room comprising at least one steam producing vessel which is situated in the room the, or each, vessel being provided with a heating element whereby to generate steam, and means for maintaining the water level in the, or each, steam producing vessel at a desired level.

2. A steam room according to Claim 1 wherein'the, or each, steam producing vessel is of relatively small volume.

3. A steam room according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the-, or each, steam vessel is disposed low down in the room.

4. A steam room according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the, or each, steam vessel is disposed beneath the floor of the room, and wherein vents are located above the, or each, vessel to admit steam to the main body of the room and the, or each, vessel is sealed to prevent escape of steam other than into the room.

5. A steam room according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a structure surrounding the, or each, vessel so that steam can circulate freely in the room but contact with the steam producing vessels or the coming into close proximity of the vessels of a human body, is prevented.

6. A steam room according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said means for maintaining the water level comprises a header tank from which water is fed to the, or each, supply vessel- so that water lever in the, or each, vessel and in the header tank is the same, admission of water to the header tank being controlled by a level control valve.

7. A steam room according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the room is constructed of wood.

8. A steam room according to any one of Claims l-to 6 wherein the room is moulded in suitable plastics material.

9. A steam room constructed arranged and adapted to operate with reference to the accompanying drawings.