Indoor wood boiler - Water jacket temp

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Kegonsa

New Member
Nov 19, 2018
2
Stoughton WI
I have seen several indoor wood boilers for free on craigslist and this has got me thinking. I would like to build a sauna and my original plan was to find a used wood furnace, take off the sheet metal housing on the outside and weld up baskets to hold the rocks. If i used a wood boiler I could possibly heat a hot tub with heat exchanger as well. I am wondering how hot the sides and front of a indoor wood boiler get? I am guessing they have the water jacket on the sides and top of the firebox, some insulation, and then sheet metal. If I removed the sheet metal and insulation do you think it would be hot enough to use as a sauna. Thanks for any input.
 
Any modifications will void the UL listing. Any issue created down the road may trigger your insurance company to get out of paying a claim.

My boiler water temps do not get above 190. You don't want to make steam in a boiler not designed for it.

Is the idea of a sauna to make steam by pouring water over the rocks? That's how my former sauna worked.
 
This sauna would be detached and away from the house so I am not concerned with insurance.

The boiler would not be used for steam, sorry if this was not clear.

The only idea with the boiler is to add a heat exchange to help supplement heat to a hot tub.

I am trying to figure out a indoor wood boiler will radiate enough heat from the unit to use as a sauna stove when water is in the jacket.