Single vs Dual steam heads
There are 3 different steam technologies at this time so with different killowatt sizes you may want to go with 2 steam heads instead of one.
With the single tank pressure cooker type that let the whole load of steam out at once, unless you want your feet to get. burned, never oversize them. Many people have high ceilings and the only way to avoid the steam trap is to oversize without a fan. You will need an enclosure to go around the steam head if it comes out too hard. Also, having 2 steam heads should make it much quieter than having one steam head if you are getting a steam generator over 9 kilowatts.
For the dual tank models, these always have 2 steam heads. One for the larger boiler and one for the baby boiler. If you are getting a larger sized generator, make sure you know how many cubic feet it goes up to. The higher psi models usually make a dryer steam with less condensate and blow harder and might burn your feet a little but the 10 and 15 psi models let out more condensate and don't blow as hard but the room feels hotter since there is more water in the steam. But, it falls to the floor and sticks to the walls quicker than the dry that lingers more in the air.
With the atmospheric tanks (non pressurized steam generators), these always require 2 steam heads if you go over 9 killowatts. Having 2 steam heads makes it whisper quiet, especially if you are using 3/4 inch pipes and not the smaller 1/2 inch pipes. Also, when having 2 steam heads it makes the steam not as clumped together.
So, if anyone is getting a generator over 9KW, if not getting a dual pressurized type, you can use a single or dual steamed. (You can't go by what your see in the gyms and spas. They have 1 inch pipes and can handle just one steam head. Most homes have 1/2 inch pipes. So, if you really want to make it whisper quiet and want a high quality steam, make sure you find out if the generator works with 3/4 inch pipes. You never want to use an adapter if you have 1/2 inch pipes and make it work with a 3/4 inch outlet on a steam generator.
Note: Be aware that if you have a 10.5 KW or higher and you've upsized 30% or more for your adjusted cubic footage (ceramic tile 30%, glass door 10%), if you only have 1 steam head it will blow twice as much instead of splitting the steam speed coming out. This can burn your feet and it can be a very uncomfortable steam experience every time you steam bathe. If you have two steam heads and they are only 1/2 inch, that can also be a problem.
Customers with 9 Foot Ceilings
Customers with 9 foot ceilings are when people get their generators and usually complain about their steam but it is not the generators fault, it is a sizing issue. Many companies will tell you to upsize 2 sizes if you have a 9 foot ceiling. This will only make it so you get enough steam. If you have a steam generator that produces a very wet steam with lots of condensate, yes, you will need to do something to bring the steam down 24 inches lower otherwise the hot steam will linger at the ceiling and you will have a very mild steam experience.
If someone has ceramic or natural stone, it makes the problem even worse since the ceiling is not only 2 feet higher than optimal but it is now acting like a sponge soaking up the steam due to it being porous.
With a 9 foot ceiling, I urge people to get a steam generator that has 3/4 inch pipes or bigger. I would seek out the dryest steam available and definitely one that has a constant slower burn steam. If it has 15 psi, that is going to make a very wet steam and will not be a pleasant experience and those with 9 foot ceilings will probably not want to use their steam room daily if the steam is muggy and humid and not gassy like the models that have a high dryness fraction give.
If you have a 9 foot ceiling, before getting a larger killowatt steam generator, the best scenario is when you have 2 fans suction cupped to the ceiling and getting a high psi continous steam so the steam is not trapped at the ceiling from a single tank model that lets the whole load of steam out at once.
9 Foot Steam Traps
I strongly urge those who have 9 foot ceilings to bring their ceiling down to at least an 8 but if you can't there are ways to make the steam quality better. A 9 foot will have a fair steam quality (10 is poor, 8 is good, 7 is optimal)
At 9 foot the way to keep the steam trap away and to make sure all the hot steam doesn't wick to the ceiling and upper walls 24 inches over the 7 foot standard ceiling is to not only have the fans but to splash very cold water a few times during the session to cool the walls and ceiling down. This helps to keep the steam drier and less drippy.
If I am going to have a 9 foot ceiling, I would only use a higher psi generator that has less condensate from the start.
Notice: I do not recommend getting 2 sizes larger due to having a 9 foot ceiling. Many companies will tell you to upsize 2 sizes if you have a 9 foot and 3 sizes more if you have a 10 foot ceiling. All this does is make steam faster than it falls to the floor. Too many grams of steam are coming out at once. The slow burn steam generators make a better quality steam that won't rise too quickly due to Brownian motion and create a steam trap at the ceiling.
Steam Room Thermoclines - 40% steam trap if not taking care of - the valuable steam is lost at the ceiling
Those who have a 7 foot ceiling still need to read this. The top thermocline near the ceiling will have such intense heat that it is over the 110 degree comfort level. A 7 foot ceiling is perfect so that your upper body level (waist up) is in that 100 to 110 degree range that most people like to stay within.
The problem is when someone has an 9 foot or higher ceiling, the thermocline is shifted up 24 inches and the body is now in less than the 100 to 110 comfort zone. If the steam is not constant or is not a slow burn, the hot steam will travel up to 9 feet and a 2 foot difference from the standard 7 foot ceiling will create an exponential shift in the temperature and steam quality of the room. Those who don't have a fan at the ceiling will never experience full body steam therapy. Those who have 9 foot ceilings will never get full body vasodilation, only half body steam therapy. That extra 40% heat loss in the extra 2 feet makes the quality go down from an A to a C- to a D if not using a fan to bring down the steam trap. The lower steam room temperature (legs down to feet) can have a steam quality from fair to poor if the flow rate of the generator is too high and doesn't make a constant steam.
I urge people to compare the differences between pressurized generator to atmospheric generators. If you have an 9 foot or over steam room, I only recommend 3/4 inch pipes and either atmospheric or 20psi generators, not the 15 or 10 psi models that release too much condensate. I urge people to bring the ceiling down to 8 foot or 7 foot but having a 9 foot ceiling can still have an A+ steam quality if do what is needed to fix it.
The bottom room temperature is the hardest to get hot and maintain that heat unless you fight the rising heat and the steam dropping to the floor.
If you like a very hot steam and you want to contain that heat and steam the entire session, you have to choose if you want to settle with a hotter room with less steam or a more steamy room that mixes the thermoclines (floor thermocline and ceiling thermocline) and the room temperature is near the same from the ceiling to the floor. When I experience full body steam therapy and it is all at my desired temperature, that is the best steam quality I can get.
If you have a 9 foot ceiling and are not going to bring it down, please let me know on my steam generator sizing quiz.
Customers with 8 Foot Ceilings
Having an 8 foot ceiling is good (7 is optimal). Nearly everyone that contacts me has a 8 foot ceiling, about 90% of people. There are several ways to make an 8 foot steam room feel like a 7 foot room. It is much easier to bring steam down from 12 inches below the 8 foot ceiling than the 9 and 10 foot ceilings that are much harder to work with.
First, having a steam with the highest dryness fraction will help keep the steam from rising to the ceiling. The more water (condensate) the steam has along with the steam, the faster brownian motion causes the steam to rise and stick to the ceiling, especially if you have a ceramic, porcelain, or natural stone wall.
Another way to keep the steam down closer to the body is to keep the duty cycles as short as possible. The slow burn types and the high psi dual tank steam generators put out steam over a longer cycle so it makes steam continously instead of a quick burst like the single tank models. The models with lower psi (closer to 15 psi) give off a wetter, heavier steam that can make it more trouble if you have an 8 foot ceiling. If someone must get a single tank steam generator due to a low budget, then I have to consider placing a marine grade fan to blow the steam down.
Steam trap at the 8 foot ceiling:
The 12 inch steam trap with an 8 foot ceiling is much easier to fix than the 9 and 10 foot ceilings. It is much easier to avoid the steam trap if the steam coming out has a high dryness fraction and doesn't have lots of condensate. If you have a high psi generator and 3/4 inch pipes, a Kona fan is not necessary. With a good generator and even with ceramic or porcelain walls without a fan you can still get an A quality steam. If you have dry steam generator and you have natural stone walls no matter what I can't give it more than a B as far as quality without a fan.
With an 8 foot ceiling, if you want an even better steam experience on the last half of your steam session, I recommend keeping a bucket of cold water and doing a single ceiling and wall splash to cool all the walls down once during your session. This will make the room have a thick foggy steam you won't get otherwise. I want to avoid wet muggy steam at all times.
7 FOOT CEILINGS
If you have a 7 foot ceiling, there is no need to install a small fan in the steam room. 7 foot is the perfect height that all manufacturer’s base their measurements on.
The problem is when just say someone has a 250 square foot room that has a 7 foot and another one is 250 square feet and has a 8 foot ceiling, most manufacturer’s will recommend the same wattage and will not let people know they need a dryer steam if over 7 feet. Some people have 9 foot ceilings and I wouldn’t recommend a wet steam at all if the steam can go 12 extra inches above the head. If someone has a 10 foot ceiling, don’t even build a steam room.
Having an 8 foot ceiling gives about 20% less comfort than a 7 foot ceiling. I recommend a 2 level bench at this point.
A 9 foot ceiling is exponentially worse. Its about 50% less comfortable and you won’t feel the heat sitting 3 feet off the ground. You are 6 feet away away from the hottest point of the room.
Note: If the room is not going to be sloped and the ceilings are high I would only use an open tank steam generator that gives a drier steam or a high psi dual tank model only if 3/4 inch pipes are used (no 1/2 inch pipes). With dry steam, it takes a lot longer until the ceiling condenses the steam and starts dripping. With higher ceilings, the temperature above the head can be over 20 degrees hotter than at the person’s head level. Many people upsize the power of their steam generator to compensate for the higher ceilings. The open tank types if upsizing should make a more uniform steam so the latent heat doesn’t heat up the ceiling and instead fills up the room with the steam instead of condensing it mostly on the ceiling. If the ceiling is not going to be sloped, it is even more important to get steam generator that gives a drier steam. The wet moisture in the steam would push the vaporized steam to the ceiling and I wouldn’t get the benefit from that steam.
If you have an 8 foot ceiling please let me know on my sizing quiz. Many people call in and tell me their room dimensions and round it up to 8. If you don't know how to fix a steam trap with an 8 foot ceiling your steam quality will be lowered. My killowatt recommendation is based on the answers on the quiz.
Notice: steam rooms with 8 foot ceilings are prone to steam traps. Those who are getting generators that produce high condensate may want to talk to me about avoiding steam traps.
Steam Room Thermoclines
Those who have a 7 foot ceiling still need to read this. The top thermocline near the ceiling will have such intense heat that it is over the 114 degree comfort level. A 7 foot ceiling is perfect so that your upper body level (waist up) is in that 110 to 114 degree range that most people like to stay within.
The problem is when someone has an 8 foot or higher ceiling, the thermocline is shifted up 12 inches and the body is now in less than the 110 to 114 comfort zone. If the steam is not constant or is not a slow burn, the hot steam will travel up to 8 feet and a foot difference from the standard 7 foot ceiling will create an exponential shift in the temperature and steam quality of the room. Those who don't have a fan at the ceiling will never experience full body steam therapy. Those who have 8 foot ceilings will never get full body vasodilation, only half body steam therapy. That extra 20% heat loss in the extra foot makes the quality go down from an A to a B. The lower steam room temperature (legs down to feet) can have a steam quality from fair to poor if the flow rate of the generator is too high and doesn't make a constant steam.
I urge people to compare the differences between pressurized generator to atmospheric generators. If you have an 8 foot or over steam room, I only recommend 3/4 inch pipes and either atmospheric or 20psi generators, not the 15 or 10 psi models that release too much condensate.
The bottom room temperature is the hardest to get hot and maintain that heat unless you fight the rising heat and the steam dropping to the floor.
If you like a very hot steam and you want to contain that heat and steam the entire session, you have to choose if you want to settle with a hotter room with less steam or a more steamy room that mixes the thermoclines (floor thermocline and ceiling thermocline) and the room temperature is near the same from the ceiling to the floor. When I experience full body steam therapy and it is all at my desired temperature, that is the best steam quality I can get.
Customers with 10 Foot Ceilings: POSSIBLE 36 INCH STEAM TRAP
No one builds a steam shower with 10 foot ceilings. The people that have homes that already have 10 foot ceilings, mainly old homes are the ones that have 10 foot steam rooms.
Ten foot ceilings are the worst but it can be fixed and bring the quality of steam closer to the quality of a 7 foot ceiling. Note that the steam will be 36 inches more over your head and it is super hard to bring this steam down if the starting steam is wet and not a slow burn and continuous.
With a 10 foot ceiling, I would never recommend a single tank generator and definitely not one with a 1/2 inch steam line. Just by avoiding that should save you have the trouble from the start.
Many people with 10 foot ceilings call me up saying someone recommended a 12 killowatt generator and I'm like, no, you need a 9 kw model. Then the customer gets more confused and they have to figure out who to believe. Yes, the 12kw model will put out more steam but going up 3 sizes will put out too much steam at once and will not keep an even temperature for the room. The temperature will fluctuate too much and it will feel more like the single tank models with long wait times for steam. The thermostat will heat up to fast and the generator will just cut off too quick. You will have a hot room from the high latent heat of the steam and a room with little steam.
Kona fans will be recommended and I don't care what brand someone gets if they have a 10 foot ceiling. Even if you have a generator that has the dryest steam and you have a 20psi model and 3/4 pipe, having 36 inches of room above your head requires a fan. That is, unless you don't care about the steam quality and just want to feel heat and muggy steam.
If you do have a 10 foot ceiling and are not going to bring it down there is no way of avoiding the 3 foot steam trap unless you do things to fix the room. If the steam coming out of the generator has a low dryness fraction it will be even harder to do this.
The best way is to install at least 2 Kona fans if you have a small room (up to 4 if your steam room is big). Another way is to keep a few buckets of cold water. During a 30 minute session, many people splash water on the walls and ceiling to make the walls cool again. This keeps the steam cloud dense where you can't see the person across from you. You will notice when you first go into a steam and turn it on, the steam in the beginning when the walls are cool make the steam cloud dense and heavy. The hotter the room gets, the less you will see the steam cloud.
10 foot ceilings and floor temperatures.
Unless you have enough Kona fans, your legs and feet will probably not feel a hot steam. I recommend an Atwood fan (this is different than using a Kona fan to bring down the latent heat. Having an Atwood fan will raise the heat co-efficient on the body. It feels amazing. See the video below on how I use the Atwood fan.
There will be so little steam near the lower back and legs that I have to use an Atwood fan on the floor (always with a 10 foot ceiling)
Once you experience a higher heat co-efficient, you will probably never use your steam room without your fan.
These fans cost about 70 dollars and I set this on the floor to keep the steam blowing on me to create a higher heat co-efficient. If you want a more powerful fan the yellow ones are more powerful.
Steam Room Thermoclines - 60% steam trap if not taking care of - the valuable steam is lost at the ceiling
Those who have a 7 foot ceiling still need to read this. The top thermocline near the ceiling will have such intense heat that it is over the 110 degree comfort level. A 7 foot ceiling is perfect so that your upper body level (waist up) is in that 110 to 114 degree range that most people like to stay within.
The problem is when someone has an 10 foot ceiling, the thermocline is shifted up 36 inches and the body is now in less than the 110 to 114 comfort zone. If the steam is not constant or is not a slow burn, the hot steam will travel up to 10 feet and a 3 foot difference from the standard 7 foot ceiling will create an exponential shift in the temperature and steam quality of the room. Those who don't have a fan at the ceiling will never experience full body steam therapy. Those who have 10 foot ceilings will never get full body vasodilation, only half body steam therapy. That extra 60% heat loss in the extra 3 feet makes the quality go down from an A to a D to an F if not using a fan to bring down the steam trap. The lower steam room temperature (legs down to feet) can have a steam quality from fair to poor if the flow rate of the generator is too high and doesn't make a constant steam. Note: if a several fans are not hardwired in with a 10 foot ceiling, the steam quality at the normal sitting level will be beyond poor. You might as well not even buy a steam generator if you are just installing a generator and nothing else to fix the steam trap.
I urge people to compare the differences between pressurized generator to atmospheric generators. If you have an 10 foot or over steam room, I only recommend 3/4 inch pipes and either atmospheric or 20psi generators, not the 15 or 10 psi models that release too much condensate. I urge people to bring the ceiling down to 8 foot or 7 foot but having a 10 foot ceiling can still have an A+ steam quality if do what is needed to fix it.
The bottom room temperature is the hardest to get hot and maintain that heat unless you fight the rising heat and the steam dropping to the floor.
If you like a very hot steam and you want to contain that heat and steam the entire session, you have to choose if you want to settle with a hotter room with less steam or a more steamy room that mixes the thermoclines (floor thermocline and ceiling thermocline) and the room temperature is near the same from the ceiling to the floor. When I experience full body steam therapy and it is all at my desired temperature, that is the best steam quality I can get.
Warning: if you upsize in kilowatts to compensate for the higher ceiling, you may want to consider the extra force coming out of the steam head that will blow steam on your feet. Even if the steam is an atmospheric or a low condensate 20 psi steam generator, it can still burn your feet and you probably won't enjoy your steam room like you thought you would.
Note: if you have a 10 foot ceiling you may want to get a hygrometer. I have a whole page on hygrometers. Having a hygrometer makes it easy to tweak the 110 114 degree sweet spot zone. If you research on my site you can find my pages on how to stay in that temperature zone with as close to 100% humidity as possible. Full body vasodilation is my end goal in every steam session and I know the temperature I need to stay at if I want to do a 20 minute session, a 30 minute session or even a 45 minute to an hour session. With a hygrometer and as you get experience, if you want to stretch and relax for longer, you will know exactly the tweaks you need to make (temperature, fan speed, etc.)
If you have a 10 foot ceiling and are not going to bring it down, please let me know on my steam generator sizing quiz
Ceramic and Porcelain tile - Buyer beware
For those who are installing ceramic tiles I urge people to know what to expect and what to avoid. With ceramic tiles you have to adjust the cubic feet 30%. Many people get their cubic feet and add 30%. What many people don't take into consideration is the ceiling height. If someone has an 8 foot ceiling, there is always going to be a 12 inch steam trap and about 20% of the higher temperature heat and steam will be above your head. For those that have 9 foot ceilings, 40% will be above your head.
I urge people not to go up in size if they have a 8 foot or higher ceiling. This will make the steam trap even harder to bring down to the lower body level. Upsizing an extra size or two means more grams of steam are coming out at once faster than the steam is falling to the floor. If you keep the recommended killowatt size and you have a very high ceiling it will bring the steam quality from optimal to good. Basically, bringing the quality if it was at a 7 foot which is an A down to a B score. If upsizing the killowatt size now the quality becomes C (if 8 foot ceiling) or D (if a 9 foot ceiling). Anyone that uses a DC marine grade fan will tell you how the quality of steam in an 8 or 9 foot room becomes the quality as if it were a 7 foot high steam room.
Many people don't want to have to splash cold water on the upper walls and ceiling several times during their steam session just to prevent the steam trap and have a dense, thick steam. A fan will always work better than the cold water splash.
If someone has ceramic or porcelain tile in their steam room, the drier the steam coming out of the generator the better the steam experience will be. Generators that have 1/2 inch pipes will usually be wetter and sticker. Also, 1/2 inch pipes are much louder if getting a high killowatt size steam generator. Also, if using porous walls the require you to upsize it 30%, starting with the highest psi pressurized generator will always put out a steam with less condensate and less water hammer. The driest steam with the least condensate comes out of 20 psi generators and the 15 psi or lower have the most condensate and will usually be the muggiest and drippiest rooms. Also, the lower psi and steam that coms from pipes smaller than 3/4 inches will make the steam room prone to hard to lower steam traps.
With ceramic tile you have to upsize 30% (ceramic acts like a sponge). When the temperature of the tile meets the temperature of the room and it gets closer to 100% humidity, the steam starts sticking to the ceiling and walls. The best way to work with ceramic tile is to keep the walls and ceiling cooler by having the least condensate in the steam. If you can get a generator that uses only 1.5 gallons of water instead of 2.5 gallons of water in the same steam session, that extra gallon of condensate holds latent heat that heats up the walls quicker and that is why the steam cloud is not as dense and you have drippiness down the walls.
If using ceramic or porcelain tile, if too much steam comes out at once (fast burn), too much can rise and heat up the ceiling and walls too quick. A steady slow burn is better with ceramic. I prefer the atmospheric or the dual tank models that have the highest psi (these make the least condensate).
Also, if the steam generator is oversized, the steam can get caught in a steam trap, especially if the ceiling is over 7 feet tall. If someone has an 8 foot ceiling, this pushes the 110-114 degree thermocline up a foot and your body most likely will not be in that sweet spot comfort zone. Those with high ceilings and have ceramic often complain that it takes them 45 minutes and in the spa they used to go to it only took them 20 minutes to complete their steam session.
Using ceramic that wicks about 30% and having a glass door that wicks another 10% can make it tricky to choose a steam generator. If you have ceramic and a glass door and a high ceiling it can get tricker. If you have a generator that produces high condensate and puts out too much water then it becomes very tricky.
My best recommendation for those who have ceramic tile is to start with the driest steam you can get (least condensate). This can help so that the steam lingers in the air longer and doesn't stick to the walls, rise to the ceiling too fast, or even worse, drop to the floor quickly when the steam generator turns off during the duty cycle (with single tank pressurized models).
Notice: Customers with ceramic ceilings over 7 feet tall
I urge those who have taller ceilings with ceramic tile to avoid steam traps. At 8 foot heigh, about 20% of the heat and steam is going to be trapped at the ceiling. With ceramic, another 30% has to be adjusted. These 2 factors bring the steam trap up and the thermocline at the body level will most likely not be in the 110 114 comfort window. I strongly recommend having a Kona marine grade fan and suction cup it on the wall to blow the steam trap down. Also, having a hygrometer is also important so you have better control of the temperature and humidity at your body level, especially if you want whole body steam therapy, not just heating your upper body.
Feet Burn - another reason people return an oversized generator
First, I avoid all generators with 1/2 inch pipes. It forces too much to come out at once. 3/4 inch pipes give off steam with less force so you don't have to lift your feet every time the steam comes on. There are some models that have 20 psi that have 1/2 inch pipes that should use 3/4 inch pipes and the steam comes out with too much force and burns your feet.
For larger size steam generators if there is not a dual steam head I would always use a cage to go around the steam head. Some gyms have a wooden cage around the steam head (usually the models that have single steam heads). You really don't need it on the slow burn steam generators that have 3/4 inch pipes under 9kw and those that have 10.5 and over should never have just 1 steam head if people's feet are going to be on the floor. If it is a raised dual level bench that is another story.
Note: a split system with a dual steam head splits the force in half.
Single vs Dual Steam heads - (read if you are needing a generator 10.5 kw or higher)
This is another big problem. Many people have 1 steamhead in their steam room when the problem of sticky wet steam can be avoided by having 2 steamheads. Two steamhead splits up the steam. If you have 2 half inch steam pipes, having 2 is like having a single 1 inch pipe.
Many people are deceived thinking they are getting the benefit from 2 steam heads when they have 1/2 inch pipes. Having 2 steam 1/2 inch steam pipes with larger killowatt generators really is just 25% more piping size. The best dual steam lines are when the lines are 3/4 inch pipes and you have 2 jumbo sized steam lines. This is when it is super quiet and the steam quality has less condensate than two 1/2 inch lines.
So, don't just think 2 steam lines are better just because you are getting two of them. Two 1/2 inch pipes on a larger model will still be much louder than two 3/4 inch pipes. Also, with dual 3/4 inch pipes there is less back pressure and the steam is much dryer and the steam cloud stays in the air rather than sticking to the walls like the wetter type steam.
It is not enjoyable to steam bathe when the steam is coming out with too much force. Many dealers oversize customers 2 sizes too large when people have 8 or 9 foot ceilings and 3 sizes larger for 10 foot ceilings. Most people that have an 8 foot ceiling who upsize for the 12 inch steam trap at the ceiling may have problems with too much steam coming out at once. I urge people to research the slow burn generators as well as the dual tank models and choose the type that best fits your needs. Most people haven't experienced any other type of steam than what they have been in at hotels, gyms and spas.
Most people haven't experienced continuous steam in a commercial setting. If you want help choosing the type of steam generator based on your answers I can help. Call me at 1-800-336-9285.
Here is a video of a steam room that has 1 steam head with too much steam coming out at once. I do not like fast burn steam generators that have single tanks.
Notice: If you have to upsize by having a taller room or using ceramic and natural stone that makes you usually go up a size, make sure you are aware of the force of steam that comes out between a 1/2 inch pipe vs a 3/4 inch pipe. Most complaints from feet burn come from people who have 1/2 inch pipes.
Getting the right size steam generator is what many people get wrong. Many people oversize an extra kilowatt thinking just a little more is better. This is the biggest mistake people make. Another mistake on sizing is when one manufacturer recommends one size and then the person gets that kilowatt size from a different manufacturer.
Things to take into consideration when sizing.
Height: 7 feet is what is optimal. 8 is good if it has low condensate. 9 is fair. 10 is poor. (any of these heights can be ok if a latent heat fan is used to bring down the thermocline near the ceiling.
Pipe size: 3/4 inch is optimal for residential. 1/2 inch can work but the smaller the pipes the louder it gets and it can shoot out steam with more force causing feet burn. Also, high psi steam generators usually require 3/4 inch pipes. (Never use an adapter on your 1/2 inch pipes to make it work)
Generator placement: If it is 25 feet away, always add 10%. If 50 feet away, figure in 20%
Glass doors: I always figure in 10% for a glass door. It gets tricky when people have 2 glass walls and 2 ceramic walls. If the steam is atmospheric or high psi with low condensate this should usually be fine.
Benches: some benches can take up a lot of space. With this, you take away cubic footage from the room once you know about how much cubic feet your bench takes up.
Materials used: I would avoid natural stone. Most people that use natural stone already have it there to start with. I strongly urge getting an atmospheric type if you have natural stone. Ceramic is the most common and wicks up about half of what natural stone does. If you want a thick steam cloud, make sure you use a steam generator that has the least latent heat and condensate. Or, just hose down the walls with cold water several times during your steam session. Most people want to relax and not do the extra work.
Session time: Do you like to stay in under or over 30 minutes. This can help us determine if you should size up or down.
Temperature: what temperature do you like to keep it at. 110 to 114 is the comfort zone. If you want to keep it at a 114 average and not go down to 110 that will help determine killowatt size also
Wall insulation: Some walls are very cold in the winter. Some are insulated. This is also a factor that determines killowatt size. Everything adds up and the more we know the more accurate we can recommend a size.
How fast do you want to heat up your steam room? Some people don't mind waiting 5 extra minutes and sacrifice more wait time for a steam that is drier and has less condensate.
Amperage: make sure your power supply can handle the killowatt size you get.
How far will your steam head be away from your legs. If you size up too much it can burn your feet as the steam comes out.
In the middle of 2 killowatt sizes: Do you go up or size down? This is a question that is hard to answer unless many questions are answered first.
Notice for people looking at a 6kw or 9kw Thermasol:
I urge people to read below. Many people think they know what size they want. Most sizing charts are generic. On the below example, many people call in and say they need a 12kw and they actually need a 9kw. Those looking at a 6kw size generator are the people that get the wrong size the most. On the Thermasol, their 6kw is for up to 84 cubic feet. The Steamcore, for example, their 6kw can handle up to a 175 cubic foot room. I urge people to take the sizing chart quiz I made that will help me pick out the right size based on your answers. Please take my sizing quiz on this page and then take my main steam quiz for choosing a brand. Doing both quizes will give you the best sizing and brand choice based on your answers
One sizing does not fit all brands. So, the Thermasol 6kw model can work up to 84 cubic feet. MR. STEAM can handle up to 110 to 150 cubic feet (150 assuming when we tested it at 7 foot. If 8 foot then stay with 110 cubic feet. The Steamcore handles up to 175 cubic feet.
The Steamcore non pressure cooker type generator needs a 12kw generator for 525 cubic feet. If someone uses this information and wants dry steam with low condensate and chooses a 12kw Thermasol for 525 cubic feet, it can be the reason for a return since it is the wrong size.
NOTICE: SINCE THE 6KW SIZE IS OUR MOST POPULAR SIZE WE SELL TO RESIDENTIAL USERS.
THERMASOL'S 6KW MODEL GOES UP TO 84 CUBIC FEET WHILE STEAMCORE 6KW GOES UP TO 175 CUBIC FEET. Steamcore's same powered killowatt model handles double the size room. Mr. Steam is somewhere in the middle. The dryness fraction is what all this means to me. It takes a lot more energy to make steam if there is lots of condensate and it has to use 2.5 gallons of water while the dry steam brands use just over a gallon and a half.
A SteapSpa 6KW generator will only work with up to 63 cubic feet steam showers. A steamcore 6KW will work with up to 175 cubic feet showers. With SteamSpa, you would have to buy a 12KW generator (double the size) while a Steamcore you only have to use a 6KW. If you want a pressurized, very hot steam room instead of a milder most continuous with Steamcore, you have to get a more powerful generator to keep making enough steam and not just putting out an extra gallon of water in a 30 minute session to trick you into thinking its really hot and steamy. The wet steam models put out very little steam and an extra gallon to a gallon and a half per 30 minute steam session. SteamSpa might cost 15 to 20 more cents per steam session. We rate Steamspa as the best steam if you want it hot and super dense. Steamcore is super dense but doesn't get as hot and has less fluence.
Natural stone - buyer beware
Natural stone is the worst to add to your walls in your steam room. I feel bad for people that have natural stone ceilings. You are already doubling the cubic feet to adjust the room dimensions. This is not so much a problem if you are just under a 6kw at 120cubic feet and you have to double it and need a 7.5kw generator. Most people that have natural stone typically have much larger steam rooms. If you combine natural stone that will soak up 50% of the steam and you have a 9 foot ceiling (40% of the steam will be in a steam trap under the ceiling) and you get a generator that is 15 psi and has 1/2 inch pipes and your generator is not within a few feet of the steam room, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Most companies will tell you to go up as much as 5 killowatt sizes if you have natural stone and a high ceiling and a large steam room. You don't just go by adjusted cubic feet when you have things like this not in your favor. Those that get sold too large of a steam unit (see my oversizing complaints page) will get ENOUGH STEAM but the quality of the steam will be fair if not poor. Most people that have natural stone steam rooms who do not have a fan to bring down the steam trap have steam that I give a D- or even an F as far as the steam experience.
If you have a natural stone steam room (and a glass door that adds another 10% along with the 50%), I urge people to start with steam that has the highest dryness fraction coming out of the steam generator. If the steam is too wet with too much condensate, this is what is going to take most of the heat out of the steam in the room and you are going to have steam drip from the ceiling way worse than any ceramic or porcelane steam room.
About 1 in 25 people have a natural stone steam room. These are the most porous and take the longest to heat up. It is very tricky to size a natural stone steam room especially if the ceiling height is very high. I never recommend a steam generator with 1/2 pipes and low psi if it is a pressurized steam unit. With stone acting like a sponge, having a wetter steam with more condensate from the start makes the situation even worse.
The biggest problem with natural stone is if you have it on the ceiling. Not only does this require doubling the cubic footage to adjust for the room size, natural stone sucks up the heat and has the worst steam trap of all rooms, especially those with 9 or 10 foot ceilings. I don't know why but most people that have natural stones have a 9 foot or higher ceiling. Also, if someone has natural stone, I never recommend a 15 psi model. This has way too much condensate to enjoy a steam session with natural stone.
Remember, when someone has natural stone, using a single tank steam generator is not what I recommend. Dry steam is super important so the steam doesn't wick to the natural stone. Natural stone absorbs almost twice as much steam as ceramic does. It acts like a super sponge.
Warning: Please consider having a fan to bring down the steam if you have an 8 foot or over steam room ceiling. I urge people not to go up a size due to the higher ceiling after the adjusted cubic feet have been measured.
If you are going to have natural stone, let me know on my sizing questionnaire. Natural stone steam rooms are the trickiest ones to work with. I will give you the options and will pick out the size and brand based on the answers you give me.
Oversizing with single tank steam generators
Notice: Oversizing will not produce more vapor. It will overheat the steam room and the thermostat will stop the steam.
Oversizing produces a wetter steam. The steam is produced faster than it can condensate and drop to the floor.
Many people have ceramic or porceline or other porous walls in their steam room and also have higher than 7 foot ceilings. When people have a higher adjusted cubic footage and just go by the sizing charts, that will give enough steam to keep the room hot but often the steam is trapped at the top of the room (steam traps). It is not so much a problem with dual tanks that have a slower burn rate but for those getting a single tank, pressure cooker steam generator it can burn your feet if the single tank model is oversized. Too much steam is spraying out at once and you feel the heat co-effiecient so much that you have to lift your legs to avoid getting sprayed with steam (opposite of a wind chill factor). This is such a big problem.
If you oversize on a single tank model, you most likely will want to face the steam head upwards instead of spraying downwards. This will actually make more steam get trapped at the ceiling and your feet will not feel any warmth. Definitely a fan would be recommended suctioned cupped on the wall near the top of the ceiling. I personally like to have the steam facing downward and blowing into a pasta strainer with fresh eucalyptus leaves and having all the essential oil constituents go in the air. I don't use essential oils since I use the plant. Those who use the oil will probably never go back to that once they experience the leaves that you break down with a rolling pin. I only use the leaves are broken down.
Also, if you bought a single tank steam generator and want it facing down, you can add a wooden cage around it so it blocks the strong flow so it doesn't burn your feet.
Warning: if a steam generator is oversized for the room size, even 1 size too large, it can make the steam experience from optimal down to fair or poor. Oversized generators are the biggest reason we get returns from customers that can't return them to the contractors or dealers they bought from. Once the steam generator is installed very rarely a contractor will pay the expense to ship it back and reinstall a proper size generator. Many contractors call us and think they know what size to buy based on the sizing chart they used on a manufacturer's chart. These charts are there to give you enough steam. Many don't take into consideration the type of steam (wet or dry) and some people want to stay in for 30 minutes or less, not 45 minutes to an hour. They often don't know how to avoid a steam trap with taller ceilings but only to size it up 1 size for each foot in ceiling height. So, if a ceiling was 9 foot tall, some companies say to go up 2 sizes and others don't mention anything at all except height, width, and ceiling height to get the cubic feet and they multiply it by 30% if ceramic or whatever the material needs to be adjusted by.
Oversizing puts out more grams of steam per minute faster than it can fall to the floor. All this does is enlarge the micron size of the steam once the room is at 100% humidity and it drops to the floor. It doesn't make it more hot. It actually trips the thermostat and you get less steam and just a hot steam room from walls that get too hot and trick the thermostat to cut off too soon.
Some people have generators that are 25 feet away from the steam room. That needs to be figured in as well. Many people have 1/2 inch pipes, not 3/4 inches that is optimal. There are many things that need to be figured in so the generator doesn't get oversized. Take my steam generator sizing quiz b. I will size it based on your answers.
Discounted steam generators - The most returned steam generators are 6kw, 7.5kw and 9kw generators. I only take returns if the customer did not run water through it yet. If they did I only sell certified returns that have been inspected by the manufacturer and they say it is as good as new and will add the full warranty to the generator.
These are heavily discounted. Please contact me if you want a return from a customer that oversized their generator and needs to switch it to the right size.
Warning: If the generator is upsized too much, the room can reach 100% humidity before the area around the body is at the 110-114 degree window. Upsizing too much can keep you in that comfort zone for very short times until it goes over 114 degrees if too many grams of steam are coming out at once. If you use a hygrometer and it says 118 or 120 degrees, it might be sustainable for 10 minutes or so but then it can put you into too high of a cardiac drift if you wanted to stay in for 20 to 25 minutes. For those who want full body steam therapy, I don't know anyone who wants to go over 114 degrees who also wants to enjoy the steam and not feeling like they can't wait to get out.
STEAM GENERATOR SIZING QUIZ:
Length of steam room
Width of steam room
Height of steam room
Is your ceiling going to be slanted?
How long do you prefer to stay in the steam room each time?
What size pipes do you have?
How far will the generator be from the steam room?
Are there any cold un-insulated windows?
Will you have a glass door?
Will you have a solid bench that takes up 40 to 60 cubic feet?
What material will you be using? (ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, other)?
Do you want to have to splash cold water on the ceiling and upper walls a few times during the session?
If you have a ceiling over 7 foot, would you prefer to upsize the killowatt size or use a fan to bring down the steam trap?
If you are in the middle of two killowatt sizes, what would you most likely do?
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feedback or comments about my site:
(I give discounts to those that give me feedback that will help my site)
My sizing chart is designed to help you choose a steam generator kilowatt size based on the answers you choose.
Take the Sizing Quiz below.
What temperature range do you want your steam room to be at?
Be sure not to oversize it. Less dense dry steam is better than just more wet steam.
Do you want your steam room more relaxing or more therapeutic?
Steam with less humidity is more relaxing and easier to breath in.
Do you know the R value of your wall insulation where the steam room will be?
(This is another factor in getting the right killowatt size generator).
Do you know what type of water pressure reducer you need for your unit?
All types of problems happen if you don't have this if your generator needs it.
How fast do you want your heat up time till the room is at 100% humidity?
Faster steam often results in wetter steam. A dryer gassier steam will take longer but most people tell me just a few extra minutes is worth the wait for better steam.
Warning: Steamrooms that heat up too quickly and get to 100% humidity too quick will not be able to condense the steam faster than the generator is producing it. This is the biggest problem people run into.
What is the longest time you want to wait till the next steam duty cycle to kick back on without having to pour water on the sensor?
Are you going to be using a water softener?
Those that have hard water unless the tank is 304 surgical steel and the elements are as well will run into limescale problems.
Will you stay in the steam room for the entire session?
Letting cool drafts in especially with wet steam will make the steam even wetter.
Some generators make wetter steam and have a higher latent heat index and increase your pulse rate higher than normal 75bpm.
Do you understand the difference between Saturated Steam (DRY) and Unsaturated Steam (WET) from my site?
Do you want a more continuous or pulsed steam with longer pauses in steam until the room cools down
Most people don't know this if they haven't tried both types. Please take my steam quiz if you haven't already. I must know the kilowatt size before picking out the brand. Everything must be balanced and in equilibrium to get just the right steam quality.
How intense do you like our steam.
Don't confuse intensity with high latent heat index with a hot room and little steam.
What is the amperage your power supply can handle?
How high will your seating level be in your steam room?
How many feet away will your steam generator be from your steam room?
Mixing Thermoclines: I BELIEVE THIS IS THE BEST GOAL FOR A STEAM ROOM
It really doesn't matter if you have a 7 foot or a 10 foot steam room, I never upsize a generator size unless it's the last resort and the person who is installing the generator is not going to use fans to bring down the steam trap.
What ever brand of generator is used, the goal is to keep the temperature around 110 if doing full body steam therapy or 114 at the at your upper body level. Four degrees makes a different when the room is at 100% humidity.
The goal is NOT to have a 114 degree room when the room is half steamed (long non-steam duty cycles). Many people have steam rooms that stay around 110 to 114 only because the walls are heated up but there is not a lot of steam (not at 100% humidity).
If the steam quality is dry and the steam around the body is within 110 to 114 degrees, a steam session should be around 20 to 25 minutes. So many people like to stay in for a half hour to 45 minutes. This is because most steam rooms have duty cycles and it lets the body cool down and most places have above a 7 foot ceiling, especially commercial places (8 to 9 foot). This brings the 110 to 114 sweet spot zone up above the body and most people that like to stay in a long time are in the 97 to 102 range with an 8 foot ceiling (with no downward blowing fan).
If someone has a 9 foot ceiling and no fan, this increases the steam trap 24 inches and 40% of the heat and steam will be above the head.This brings the 110 to 114 comfort zone to 98 to 91. This is when people usually can stay in an hour. There is very little vasodilation in this temperature zone so it is easy to stay in the steam room an hour. Having the ceiling 2 feet lower can make the difference in a 20 minute versus a 1 hour session to get same cardiac drift.
Also, if the steam is trapped at the ceiling, the humidity level at the body (especially the lower body) is not usually at 100%.
My goal is to get rid of the top thermocline and make the steam room have the most uniform temperature it can be. If the bench is high off the floor, I don't worry about the floor thermocline if that is cold. I turn my fan on high enough so that my body is always in the 110 to 114 zone. For those that want super intense steam sessions, you can get the room temperature over 114 but it is not comfortable.
Warning: Trying to heat up the upper torso without the lower torso is inefficient and not safe. When the entire body in a steam room is at 110 to 114 degrees, this is when the body core is heating evenly and it is rare to have over a 25 minute session.
Note: if the generator has too wet of a steam or is not an atmospheric steam generator, too much condensate can heat the body quicker and that can take another 5 minutes off your steam therapy. Those who are maintaining 110 degrees will probably be able to sustain a 25 to 30 minute session. Those who are getting full body steam therapy at 114 degrees usually end their session around 20 minutes.
Warning: if a steam generator is upsized even 1 Killowatt size, it can bring the head level from the 110 to 114 comfort zone to 116 to 119 which makes most people want to leave their steam room in 10 minutes as their brain gets too hot. If you upsize 1 KW size, it can bring the comfort zone to the middle body and the head gets way to hot. The head heats up exponentially faster than the rest of the body. Also the thermostat will heat up quicker and the steam will stop so you only get a very short time outsize the comfort zone. It basically messes up most peoples steam therapy almost the entire session. Also the average time for duty cycles are effected making you have to wait longer for the room to cool down for the next steam cycle to go back on.
Note: if upsized too much it can make a 30 minute session become a 45 minute session because the room is so hot and it takes longer for the thermostat to kick on the steam again.
Note: if upsizing too much on an atmospheric generator, if someone likes a 30 minute session, it will usually bring it down to 15 as the heat co-efficient will be way too high and people usually can’t sustain their normal time session. It usually will feel uncomfortable half way though the session. Cardiac drift can suddenly happen when the person has already reached 3 degrees over core body temperature.
My best recommendation is to start with a generator that has a 6 degree variance in temperature at the thermostat placement.
Note: for those who are trying to bring the entire steam room into a single thermocline, having an exhaust fan to suck out the top layer of heavy condensate can also help. It does not feel good if your generator is producing high condensate and you have a fan blowing that condensate on you. Atmospheric and high psi pressurized steam generators make it easier for displacing the thermoclines in a steam room if you want whole body steam therapy.
This is sucks out condensate with the exhaust fan.
Controller for exhaust fan
Wrong Size Steam Generators - One of the most common complaints
About 1 in 3 people who read a sizing chart come to me and ask if the kilowatt size is the right one for their steam room. I get calls asking what my price is on a certain steam generator and after talking to people they have no idea how to really size their room. There are so many variables besides cubic feet. These sizing charts don’t take into consideration the quality of steam, just the volume of steam needed. I would say about 1 in 4 people after talking to me that originally thought they needed a certain size then talk to me and need to upsize it or downsize it. Those that get the size too big will always have a higher latent heat index and the steam will be muggier and wet.
Many salespeople will usually upsize people just so they don’t want to return it if there is not enough steam. Having more steam and quicker steam up times creates a muggier steam if the room is too far from the boarder line of upsizing.
The most common size for residential steam rooms is the 9kw sizes. One in 4 people that want the 9kw after talking to me end up buying a 7.5kw or 10.5kw model when looking for a pressure cooker type generator).
The salesperson that made the first recommendation didn’t consider heat co-efficients, getting too high of a latent heat index, and never even mentioned what the dryness fraction would be if they upsized. Most people get steam generators that make steam too drippy and the steam coming out is not in equilibrium with the steam condensing to the floor. This is a big problem with getting the wrong size. The steam gets very hot and clusters together and then you are waiting a long time for the next steam session to kick on but it comes on after you waited way too long since the room is very hot but the steam is gone.
I urge people to look for a generator that has the lowest latent heat index (steam that holds the least amount of non-steam moisture). The open tank generators (non-pressurized) steam have highest dryness fraction. If someone wants to upsize to make their steam more intense, I only promote upsizing to a higher kilowatt size if the steam is an open tank. Upsizing a generator will create more heat and the duty cycles will be less, even more less if using a low pressure steam generator.
What to do if you bought the wrong size:
There are many people that buy from the manufacturers and other authorized dealers that customers end up returning the steam generator back to the manufacturer for a different size. I always call to see if there are any of these available. I can get a deep discount on these if anyone wants one. Contact me if you are interested in a return from someone who bought the wrong size. The manufacturer checks them out to make sure they are in working condition and once they are certified used then I can buy them cheaper than my normal wholesale. For those that want the expensive open tank generators or who want surgical steel tanks and surgical steel heating elements, they can be too expensive more most home projects. Sometimes there is a dent on the side of a generator and I can get these at the same price as the returns.
It gets tricky when one company tells you that you need 6KW for a 175 cubic foot room and another tells you you need a 12kw.
Rarely does someone undersize. Everyone seems to be scared enough to always go to the next size and if they have high ceilings then to upsize even more. There is one company that I butt heads with nearly every day. They say there is no way a 6 kw generator will power a 175 cubic foot room. They say they need a 12 kw and the last person had a 9 foot ceiling and they told them to get a 13.5 kw generator. That is double the size I recommended.
Some steam generators need to have double the power when they are pressurized. Due to being inefficient, to produce hot enough steam and put out 2.5 gallons instead of a little over a gallon on the high end models that use very little water, it has to boil nearly twice the amount of water to produce the same steam since almost half of what is coming out of the steam head is nearly 50% condensate, 50% steam. The condensate is what causes the heat trap. That is the steam that is so hot that it rises to the ceiling. So, more steam needs to be produces to break away from the steam trap. I don’t like the models that have low psi that use 1/2 inch pipes that use so much steam. If it had 20 psi and had 3/4 inch pipes that didn’t make so much condensate that is a different story.
I am not saying other places are giving the wrong sizes or upsizing too high. If you go to my Thermasol page you will see that their 6 kw model works with rooms up to 84 cubic feet. SteamSpa’s 6kw generator only works with steam rooms up to 63 cubic feet. Steamcore’s 6kw will work with up to a 175 cubic feet. The benefit you get with the Steamspa which you would think is super inefficient if you need a 12 kw generator to do what a Steamcore can do with only 6kw of power. The difference is the fluence of steam. The Steamspa makes a really hot steam while Steamcore has a milder temperature and has very little water (condensate) in the steam. Both rooms are at the same temperature but the Steamspa is way more saturated than any other brand I have tested.
Steamspa steam sizing charts will give you one size recommendation while Mr. Steam or Thermasol can give you a much different size recommendation. The right size generator that most people prefer is a dry steam that has very hot steam so that it the excess heat from a 20psi generator can stay at the steam trap at the ceiling without taking away too much heat from the lower part of the room.
The dual tank inlet type generators also give a dry intense steam but in just is not as dense. The cloud lingers and stays at near the same temperature because it is so dry that there is very little condensate to bring down the steam cloud down to the floor. And, since it uses minimal water, Brownian motion doesn’t take over and create a large steam trap.
My sizing quiz will ask you enough questions so you don't get the wrong size.
