GB2314146A

GB2314146A - Electric sauna stove and steam generator

Info

Publication number: GB2314146A
Application number: GB9712308A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jorma Bexar
Original assignee: SAUNATEC Ltd Oy
Current assignee: SAUNATEC Ltd Oy
Priority date: 1996-06-12
Filing date: 1997-06-12
Publication date: 1997-12-17
Also published as: GB9712308D0; DE19724493A1; FI100090B; FI962447A0

Description

1 2314146 ELECTRIC SAUNA STOVE The present invention relates to an

electric sauna stove comprising a stove portion and a wall bracket portion for supporting the stove portion.

Nowadays sauna stoves, capable of generating except traditional so-called dry heat a more humid heat than usual, are being used at an ever increasing extent, the heat generation being based on a big stone space of the sauna stove, i.e. on a big charging mass, or possibly on separate evaporating devices. Combination sauna stoves like this are popular especially in Central Europe, since they are capable of creating correct bathing conditions either for a so-called Turkish steam sauna or for a traditional Finnish sauna or conditions between these two extremities.

Combination sauna stoves described above typically comprise an evaporator, on the one hand, and a sauna stove, on the other hand, which are combined to one compact whole. Combination sauna stoves typically comprise an equipment of a conventional sauna stove and an equipment of a conventional evaporator, which constitute units being at least almost entirely operatively independent of each other, in practice. This is understandable because the functions of the electrical sauna stove and the evaporator have to be con- trolled on the basis of at least somewhat different criteria.

The object of the present invention is to provide a combination sauna stove of the above type, in which the sauna stove portion and the evaporator portion are successfully combined in a more practical manner than previously. This result has been achieved by means of the electric sauna stove according to the invention in such a way that its wall bracket portion comprises a steam generator.

Preferably, the wall bracket portion of an electric sauna stove according to the invention comprises a steam generator portion to be mounted on a wall of a stove mounting space and consoles projecting from the steam generator for supporting the stove. In the electric sauna stove according to the invention, a fully separate conventional electric stove is thus used, which is mounted on the wall bracket portion. This wall bracket portion differs, however, from conventional support consoles therein that an evaporator portion generally in the shape of a rectangular prism is now integrated to it, the outer di- mensions of the evaporator portion corresponding to the breadth and height of the sauna stove. It is then further preferable that the steam generator portion 2 comprises a water tank provided with a steam nozzle and that an outlet of the steam nozzle is located on the level with the upper edge of the stove or above it.

Accordingly, the electric sauna stove according to the invention uses a conventional electric sauna stove positioned on such a wall bracket the outer dimensions of which correspond to the dimensions of the stove and which bracket in combination with the stove forms also stylistically an integrated-looking whole. A compact and, on the other hand, an easily variable product is thus created. This is based on the fact that, instead of a conven- tional wall bracket of the stove, a wall bracket with an integrated evaporator is used. By replacing a conventional wall bracket by a wall bracket provided with an evaporator or by replacing a wall bracket provided with an evaporator by a conventional wall bracket, it is easy to provide a unit as desired each time.

In the following, the electric sauna stove according to the invention is described in greater detail referring to the attached drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a skeleton drawing of an electric sauna stove ac cording to the invention and Figure 2 shows a schematic circuit diagram of the electric sauna stove according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows schematically an electric sauna stove according to the invention, comprising a stove portion 1 and a wall bracket portion 2 sup porting it. This wall bracket portion 2 is fastened to a wall 9 of a stove mount ing space, i.e. to a wall of a sauna room or stove room, in practice. Into the wall bracket portion 2 is integrated a steam generator, in Figure 2 indicated by 3. This steam generator comprises a water tank 6, in which a resistor is arranged for evaporating the water in the tank. The steam is discharged into the stove room through an outlet 7 of a steam nozzle 5 fastened to the upper edge of the tank. A coupling space 10 for the evaporator is provided below the water tank 6, in which space the evaporating resistor of the evaporator is coupled to the current supply and couplings for other possible fittings of the evaporator, such as a sensor for water level of the water tank, are provided. The current supply as well as other possible measurement data from the evaporator are connected to a control centre 11, positioned in spaces outside the stove room, i.e. in so-called dry spaces, in practice. Figure 1 shows the control centre on a wall of the sauna, but outside the stove room.

3 As appears from Figure 1, the wall bracket portion 2 further comprises support consoles 4, on which the sauna stove 1 is supported. The stove 1 can be a fully conventional electric sauna stove. There is a steam guide 8 at the upper edge of the stove. The outlet of the steam nozzle 5 is positioned at such a height that it is above the steam guide 8, whereby steam can flow out of the evaporator into the stove room without the stove or its structures preventing the steam from discharging.

A significant advantage of the combination sauna stove according to the invention is that the stove itself can be a fully conventional electric sauna stove and, accordingly, no stove model differing from the conventional one needs to be designed separately for use in the combination stove. Consequently, a conventional electric sauna stove being used already can be changed to a combination stove according to the invention by replacing the conventional support arrangement of the stove by the wall bracket portion of the invention provided with an integrated evaporator. The electric sauna stove according to the invention can, of course, also be made to a conventional sauna stove by replacing the wall bracket portion provided with the evaporator by a conventional wall bracket arrangement.

Figure 2 shows a schematic control arrangement of an electric sauna stove according to the invention. According to Figure 2, the electric stove comprises a stove portion 1 and a steam generator 3. These are supplied with electric current over lines 12 and 13 from a control centre 11, which again is supplied with voltage from the electric network. On the one hand, the control is based on the manual instructions given by the stove user to the con- trol centre and, on the other hand, on the temperature information to be received from a temperature sensor 14 over a line 15. Also the measurement data to be received from possible measuring sensors of the evaporator, e.g. from a capacitive level sensor of the water tank, are applied to the control centre. On the basis of these measurement data, the control centre 11 is ca- pable of observing the various dangerous situations which may occur when combination stoves are used. It is clear that it is not allowable to generate steam in a stove room having an extremely high temperature, such as 100 Q which temperature may be possible in connection with the traditional Finnish way of bathing. The steam generator can be allowed to operate at clearly lower temperatures only, such as 40 to 60 OC. On the other hand, the operations of the steam generator and the electric stove can be combined in the 4 sauna stove of the invention by the functions of the control centre in such a way that a desired temperature and humidity can be produced in the stove room.

The electfic sauna stove according to the invention has been de- scribed above by means of one illustrating embodiment only and it is understandable that several changes can be made therein without differing, however, from the scope of protection defined in the attached claims and from that basic idea of the invention that a combination stove is implemented by integrating the evaporator portion into the wall bracket of the stove.

Claims

1. An electric sauna stove, comprising a stove portion (1) and a wall bracket portion (2) for supporting the stove portion (1), c h a r a c lt e r i z e d in that the wall bracket portion (2) comprises a steam generator (3).

2. An electric sauna stove according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r - i z e d in that the wall bracket portion (2) comprises a steam generator portion (3) to be mounted on a wall (9) of a stove mounting space and consoles (4) projecting from the steam generator for supporting the stove portion (1).

3. An electric sauna stove according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that the steam generator portion (3) comprises a water tank (6) provided with a steam nozzle (5) and that an outlet (7) of the steam nozzle (5) is located on the level with the upper edge (8) of the stove portion (1) or above it.

4. An electric sauna stove according to any of the claims 1 to 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the steam generator portion (3) generally has the shape of a rectangular prism and a breadth and height corresponding to the dimensions of the stove portion (1).

5. An electric sauna stove substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.