Avoiding Condensate
Condensate is what makes steam wet and muggy. It is heavy and either falls to floor fast or rises if too hot and sticks to the ceiling and walls. Condensate in steam holds a lot of heat and heats up the walls and is what causes steam traps at the top of the ceiling, especially with ceilings 8 foot and higher. Wet steam will make the steam room feel more like a sauna. Dry steam is the steam that stays in the air. Dry steam has less condensate and is comfortable to steam bathe in.
Some steam generators have a much lower psi than 20 psi and have smaller piping (less than 3/4 inch). Single tank steam generators produce the most condensate. They are a fast burn type that put out lots of hot steam and then there is a duty cycle where you have to wait till the next steam session kicks on. Single tank models are most known for steam traps at the ceiling due to high condensate. The steam generators that give off the least condensate have very low sensible heat in the steam. If using pressurized steam, the best steam works at 20psi and uses 3/4 to 1 inch piping. The larger the killowatt size, the more you will need a 1 inch pipe.
The reason single tank steam generators produce so much condensate that creates a steam trap at the top of the ceiling is because water holds the latent heat. If too much steam is dumped out at once (faster than it falls to the floor) it will rise (Brownian motion is the reason). When the ceiling gets too hot it creates a steam trap and the heat and steam has a hard time falling to the floor unless the ceiling cools down. This is why keeping a bucket of cold water and if you have a steam generator that makes a very wet steam, I splash all the upper walls and ceiling with the cold water and the room is now cloudy and steamy again. All steam rooms are steamy when they first get started. The first 1/3 of the session is nice but the last 2 thirds are drippy and muggy.
Note: dry steam does not mean less steam. It means there is less condensate in the steam. There is less unevaporated water. Many people call me up saying they want their steam wet. They want the steam so thick that they can't even see someone a few foot away from them. These people are so ignorant. A room where you can't see someone due to heavy steam is a factor of the room (the temperature of the walls, the height of the ceiling, and how porous the material is. Next time you go to a spa, if you splash cold water on the upper walls and ceiling you will have a steam room where you can't see a person on the other side of the room. But, if the steam starting out has a high dryness fraction and has low water hammer from the start, that will keep it has steamy as possible without the wall stick and steam trap. Call me at 1-800-336-9285 if you want help avoiding steam trap problems
Heat Types:
Each steam generator brand can have a different heat type than you might expect if comparing to the one you have been using in the gym or spa. Most people have only experienced commercial steam rooms and when they but a residential one the steam is nothing like those other ones. Depending on the dryness or wetness of the steam generator, the room will be heated up differently. The steam generators that put out more steam at the same temperature will have a wetter steam and wont transfer the heat to the room like the high fluence lower output models.
Note: when the steam droplets from on the walls and ceiling, its is just heating up the walls and the heat is drawn out of the steam room. My goal is to lower the latent heat index and raise the heat coefficient.
Higher wattage and higher output steamers might put out more steam but if the vapor size is too big it will effect how hot the steam rooms gets. The dryer the heat for some can feel more like a sauna. Many people like to breath in steam to help with colds while other people want to sweat out toxins or burn calories.
If trying to detox, the longer I am in the steam room getting a slower sweat where I am not just sweating like a pig and getting my heartbeat up. This depends if trying to burn calories or sweating toxins from the oil glands. (Sebaceous sweat). Remember, fat soluble toxins are not the same as water soluble toxins that many people think they are sweating out when in the steam room (or a sauna).
Heater types
High vs Low Density Heaters - separates the cheap from the good
This is another thing that companies don’t take the time to explain to people buying a steam generator. High density heaters are the heaters everyone wants to avoid in their generator.
High-density and low-density heaters refers to the amount of wattage the heater uses compared to the total surface area of the element. The really cheap generators with high density use a super high temperature to operate.
Some steam generators have 11 foot heaters while the standard is 2.5 feet. The more surface area the less limestone buildup on the heating elements. Also, bigger heaters will last longer. The larger heaters don’t heat the water faster but touch more water at the same time as with nearly 3 times the surface area touching the water makes for a dryer steam. I only recommend the 11 foot heaters for those that are not using a water softener who have hard water.
Note: If getting a steam generator with 11 foot surgical steel heaters, the only way to damage them is if it wasn’t installed correctly and the water pressure reducer was not there.
When to get better heating elements
For those that have hard water or not using a water filter I urge people to only use 304 grade surgical steel heating elements. I get so many pictures of heating elements that are ruined from limescale. Surgical steel heaters are the mostv resistant to limescale. I have never heard of a surgical steel heating element break from limescale. The really cheap heating elements usually found on on the budget steam generators can use cast aluminum heating elements or standard metal (standard stove element). The middle quality brands usually use stainless steel elements. For that never want to worry about replacing their heating elements in their steam generator should make sure the generator has 304 grade surgical steel heating elements. 304 grade is the hardest steel and least prone to limescale corrosion. Having a high corrosion resistant 304 surgical steel heating element as well as a 304 surgical steel boiling tank is the best for maintenance free use.
Mild vs intense
Steam under pressure heats up way faster but people sacrifice poorer quality steam for this impatience, mainly the low psi models with 1/2 inch pipes. The steam generators using high pressure produce very fast steam and it gets very intense but also has the shortest duty cycles where most of the time the steam is off. Some people like these bursts of intense steam followed by no steam and a longer delayed wait time. Others like a more constant milder steam that typically the non-pressurized tanks give. The open tank steam generators still get very hot but only have a few degrees of temperature change until the steam kicks on again so there is always a dense cloud of steam.
Note: if the steam is too hot, the water droplets in the steam that never turned into vapor will still appear like steam since they are small enough not to fall yet since the vapor keeps it in lifted up in motion. There is more heat in the room from the wetter steam but not as much steam vapor.
Those that have been in the steam rooms at the gym who feel the need to pour water on the sensors will probably like a more continuous steam. Many people upsize their kilowatt size one size up if a more intense steam is preferred. I would not upsize a pressure cooker type but only an open tank so the steam stays drier.
Some people will want steam heated up in a pressure cooker type steam generator beyond the boiling point. I do not recommend this. The goal is to get as much steam vapor and less humidity and moisture in the water. When the steam being condensed in the room and the steam being made by the generator are in equilibrium, this is when the steam quality is at its highest dryness. This will give the best steam experience for those building their own steam room. If the room is not in equilibrium and the steam doesn’t have enough time to condense before it comes on again, this can cause even the driest steam to become wet.
Steam Quality - sizing charts give zero help with this -
We measure each steam generator we review from 0 to 100 based on the type of steam it gives out. A generator that gives out steam with 100% vapor would get a 100% rating. If it has a 15% condensate (non vaporized water), then we would rate it at 85%. I do not like going in a steam room where it has a high moisture in the steam. High pressure cooker steam generators have less duty cycles as they shoot out steam quicker but high pressure steam is a much wetter steam unlike the open tank steam generators that have the highest dryness fraction.
Notice: it is hard for most people to stay in the steam room for a long session when there is high condensate. If more steam is generated after the room is already at 100% humidity, it makes it hard to breath and most people start coughing. If the steam generator is still making steam when your hygrometer says you are in the 110 114 degree range and its at 100% humidity, it makes it easy to tell if your steam is too wet and has too much condensate. Some generators put out way too many grams of steam per minute, faster than it can fall to the floor and this creates the uncomfortable mugginess that I never want to experience.
Oversizing a generator and getting a generator with a low dryness fraction can be the biggest mistake in choosing the right steam generator.
Steam Fluence
Understanding what Steam Dryness is, is critical to being able to analyze the various steam generator brands as well as knowing what your preferences are for a steam therapy experience. This was one of the crucial pieces of information that I spent $12,000 to a Steam Consulting Firm to analyze the steam output of the top six brands of generators.
I have traveled around the country experiencing various steam spas at clubs, hotels, gyms, Spas, and also showrooms with the most common steam generator brands you might find in a Home Depot to some exclusive commercial high end steam generators that is not sold to the public. For anyone who has at least tried a couple different steam room setups, I am going to provide some examples of the most common experiences to help clarify what could be very technically scientific differences between generators. Most people don’t want to feel like they are going back to Science class which unfortunately is the level of self education it takes to figure out what to buy..but since I have already done this work I will try to keep things as simple as possible. Just know that there is science behind figuring this stuff out don’t be easily convinced with unsubstantiated claims and subjective information stated as Fact by all the sales people out there for these various steam generator companies.
For anyone that doesn’t have the time nor interest in reading this kind of info and just wants to be guided more directly please feel free to give me a call or send me an email.
1.The last steam room I visited was at a lower end gym while I was on a trip. First thing I noticed was steam on the mirrors in the bathroom. That was a bad sign as it is showing me that the steam room is not sealed around the door properly.
When I opened the door I noticed that the steam did not rush out past and around me. What this immediately told me was that the actual density of steam inside the steam room was not that much greater than the outside which told me that most likely the generator was not continuous or was designed for a smaller room space. A good sign of a generator that is producing enough volume of steam and at a dryer scale (less condensed water with higher latent heat) is that the steam rushes past the person who enters the room and even after the door closes it should still be challenging to see the person sitting a couple feet away on the bench ie. there should be enough density of steam to spare a few people opening the door without the generator having to kick on immediately (if it is a single tank).
Now these observations are not that accurate if the steam room has a generator that is continuous function (has two tanks) which is ideal as it builds up a lot of steam volume and density quickly as it never shuts off. One thing that has always surprised me is that even in high end gyms ($200-300 per month membership) it is not that common to sit in a steam room that has dual tanks running on a continuous mode! I more often experience these types of generators at Spas and higher end hotels.
In terms of the most popular generator brands on the market, only a few have dual tank options which I always highly recommend for multiple reasons which I discuss elsewhere on my site.
2.The other common experience in a steam room is walking into one and noticing that you can see the ceiling very visibly. Remember steam rises so the last thing you should be seeing is the ceiling versus your neighbor right next to you which is more likely. The lower end generators produce steam that is simply more saturated or ‘wetter’and heavier, has faster entropy, lower volume expansion efficiency and rate, and lower heat temperature (the latter can be measured with a simple device I use in my videos) that transfers to your physical body as well as the walls of the room. Low end generators have a higher produce a lower steam dryness fraction. This is the measurement of what percentage of the steam is gas versus water. A really good generator might produce something that is 3-5% water mix. Why is this good because normally steam contains 10% water by mass. The less water in the steam the closer to the less dense gas state and higher latent heat it has so it condenses more slowly so this has the effect of hanging in the air longer.
There is one test that easily shows how good the generator is with steam dryness fraction is using a humidity thermometer and tracking the change right after the steamer fills the room then shutting it off and seeing how long it takes for the steam to condense and the humidity to fall to 80%. (I show this in one of my videos). It’s fairly obvious what is going on when a high end steam room takes 30 minutes for the humidity index to fall to 80% versus a low end steam room where it takes 10 minutes.
Another test that can be done is how much steam condenses on the wall or glass door within 30 minutes. I turn the generator on for one cycle then collect how much water drips down a specific area of a wall or door (I make sure to keep the surface area measured the same in the various rooms I test) into a rubber tube that routes the water into a cup. This is not always the most accurate test but sometimes does provide some good info if the overall size of the room and materials used in its construction is similar (tile walls with same square footage room dimensions more or less).
3. Another common experience in steam rooms is walking in and finding it relatively easy to breathe and this is regardless of if the generator is spewing out steam or you are waiting for it. What to pay attention to is the steam rooms where it feels like each breath I take its super hot inside of my nose. In fact I force myself to just breathe for the first minute through my nose to assess the temperature of the steam. This is a very telling observation on the efficiency and quality of the steam generator. Steam that has a higher temperature (I analyze this in my vids) means it has more latent heat and the only way that is possible is if the dryness fraction is higher (less water droplets in the vapor).
The only way for a generator to create those dryer and hotter conditions is by higher pressure inside the tanks, properly outgassing excess air inside the tanks (this is a commonly overlooked specification), and heating the water hotter. Steam that is at or near water’s boiling point, 212 degrees F will contain higher percentage of liquid water versus than water heated hotter. Just for reference sake heating to 240 degrees creates dry steam which is 5-6% water.
Better generators will use a dual tank so that the water being held in the reserve can have a little bit more time to be heated to higher temperatures. Since the water is not in the tank for long subjecting it to higher PSI or pressure is a way to make water boil in less time (think pressure cookers for making meals in less time). Having more air in the tanks affect all this efficiency and the dryness fraction etc. so good generators release the air through valves. This air in cheaper units can leak into the tanks when not being used in between sessions.
All these features are more expensive in general so higher end generators will incorporate them. There are a couple exceptions of brands that do not really charge much extra for these important aspects.
Personal Steam Room Preferences are important:
So here I am talking about ways to tell the quality of the steam and generator but all of this can be useless depending on a person’s preferences of steam therapy experience.
This is why I created the questionnaire or ‘quiz’ on my site to assess these things. For example, better steam production might be 20 degrees hotter which makes it much more intense to breathe but ‘better’ doesn’t mean preferable. What if someone has sensitive sinuses or just the opposite they find the extra heat opens them up more effectively. Is the person wanting steam therapy for relieving sore muscles or pain? If so then having a hotter steam (dryer fraction) production is important.
I have found that for older folks who find most steam rooms hard to breathe in they prefer continuous dual tank generators that can be temperature adjusted. Having a steady supply of steam at a lower temperature is far easier than a single tank that shoots a (uncontrolled temperature) huge amount of hot steam to fill up the space all at once then shuts off. As that tank is fully emptying itself it can be a very unpleasant experience that is repeated over and over again!
Higher end generators will have temperature controls and they better brands will have the capability to produce steam at higher temperatures than the other brands. Even if a person doesn’t plan on using it on the higher temp setting knowing that the generator is capable of those higher temperatures actually reflects the technology and design inside the unit as being superior. Did you ever wonder why a unit that looks the same size can be $10, 000 and one $1,500?
Some people might be on a tight budget and can only afford a lower temp single tank type of unit. There are steam hacks in a way on the setup of the personal shower spa to help increase the efficiency and quality of the steam. For example, keeping the walls as hot as possible. What this does is super heat the steam or add more latent heat energy to the steam that nears the walls. One can do this by running Infrared Nano Carbon panels behind the walls or using just standard hot water piping behind them.
If the walls are hotter than the steam that is created after a tank empties itself is suspended in the air for longer and condenses more slowly as the vapor is receiving extra latent heat energy from the walls. Infrared actually moves out in a beam into the water vapor directly and can act on them in the air as Infrared is a light wave. This is helpful if a person purchases a single tank unit.
The other steam room hack is actually opening up the generator itself and putting extra piping insulation which can be picked up from any plumbing supply store. Many of the cheaper units I was shocked to find (some more expensive units as well) had no piping insulation! What this means is that the steam is already condensing and losing latent heat potential as it travels before it even leaves the valve into the room.
Some generators put out 2 gallons of steam in a 30 minute session while others put out 1.5 gallons. There are slow burn and fast burn types which helps us determine the fluency of the steam. A steam that comes out at 100 grams per minute has a different fluence than 100 grams coming out of the steam head over minutes.
The higher the fluence the brighter the laser beam. This is what it looks like in a commercial steam room at 113 degrees at 100% humidity.
Heat Co-efficients - How to raise or lower them
My goal is to have an even heat co-efficient of steam on my entire body in my steam session. If it has too much condensate the steam when blowing on me feels stingy and uncomfortable. If I am only concerned with only heating my upper body then I don't pay attention to heat co-efficients.
Many times people want the steam more intense and don't want to turn up the temperature because it feels uncomfortable,
So, when the temperature is in the 110 to 114 degree window and I use a heat co-efficient fan to blow the steam on my body it feels much more intense without raising the temperature on the controller. When using the fan I like to keep it around 110 if I want to stay in 20 to 25 minutes. If I use the fan at 114 or 115 degrees I do not stay in long.
If trying to raise the heat co-efficient of the steam around the body, the hotter the thermocline, the lower most people will want to have the fan speed. I use the Attwood fan. It is the best one that I have found and you don't have to plug it in. I like to feel a draft of steam around my body as long as the temperature is not too hot. It is the opposite of a wind chill factor. The harder the fan blows the steam on you the hotter it feels. I bring my fan to gyms and spas and everyone that tries it wants to get one. The people that have their phones with them write down the name of it. They ask me questions and don't realize I have a review site on steam.
Notice: if you are going to use a fan to raise the heat co-efficient, make sure the steam is a low condensate steam and is a slow burn or at least a high psi model. Low psi models do not make steam that feels good when blown on me.
Notice: A heat co-efficient fan is different than a latent heat fan. The latent heat fan blows steam to a different thermocline without blowing directly on you. The heat co-efficient fan blows directly on you.
Wet vs Dry steam
It is so hard for people to understand the concept of wet vs dry steam unless they see it. I am sick of other dealers trying to tell the customer I just talked to that all steam is the same.
Steam from low psi generators with 1/2 inch pipes is totally different than 20 psi steam with 3/4 inch or larger pipes. The dryness fraction is easily felt the minute you enter a steam room. Wet steam has a high latent heat but a low heat co-efficient in the steam room.
Wet steam is more prone to steam traps. If too much steam comes out at once the steam rises too quickly (fast burn, not the slow burn type) and the steam gets trapped at the ceiling. Also, using a fan to blow down wet steam that has lots of condensate does not feel good when it hits you.
Dry steam does not heat up the walls as the walls absorb the water and condensate in the steam. A small 6 kw residential generators that produce wet steam use about 2 gallons of water in a 30 minute while a slow burn or a dual tank generator uses only about 1.5 gallons in that same 30 minute session. For those that think they want a heavy steam where you can't see a person sitting across from you, think again. A room that is at 100% concentration is not a factor of the steam generator. That has nearly everything to do with the walls. To prove this, if you splash cold water on the ceiling and upper walls, a steam room where its not dense will instantly become so steamy you can't see anyone in there that you could see before across the steam room from you.
Wet steam vs dry steam feel:
Wet steam is much harder to breathe in the steam room for many people. Some people have allergies and think they are going to have a therapeutic steam session with wetter steam. It is very hard for most people that have allergies to bring steam with lots of condensate. Wet steam is muggy and is my least favorite steam. Dry steam doesn't create as much of a steam trap like the wet steam does (Brownian motion is the reason for this). A Dry steam cloud doesn't linger mostly at the top of the room. Since it has less condensate the cloud lingers more around the body instead of above it. Also, it is much easier to bring a steam cloud down with a marine grade fan that has less condensate that using Brownian motion to fight the fan you installed.
Steam Types:
When people call in for a steam room and they don't know the type of steam they want almost always people are disappointed. Take a freaking humidity/temperature meter. I strongly urge people to borrow one of my meters and go to a local gym or spa and send me the reading on the steam room you liked the best.
Some steam types are comparable to a sweat lodge. Nothing beats pouring water on red hot rocks. If someone wants this type of quality it is very expensive. The standard steam generator for a few thousand dollars won't give this. There are some that give the quality of that steam but the fluence is lacking. The steam is so dry that I have to put a towel over my mouth so I won't start choking. When the steam is so fluent that you literally have to duck down and crawl out of the steam room is the type I am talking about.
Note: Some steam generators put out about a half gallon of steam and some put out nearly 2 gallons of steam in 20 minutes. With higher water output, the wetter the steam is unless the generator is able to produce dryer steam which will always cost more. Most people don't want to spend over 2000 dollars so it's hard to help those that want that type of steam when they only want to spend under 2000 dollars. I do have discounts on demos and used models for those that.
Note: Steam generators, depending on the brand, can have a high pressure or a low pressure. The wetter the steam the lower the pressure is and it can put out the same amount of steam as the high pressure ones. You can tell by how far the steam blows out when the steam head is not screwed in. A high pressure generator that blows out less steam is going to be dryer and have more fluence but it will take a lot longer for the steam to fill up the room but the quality will be higher.
Note: Steam rooms with radiant heat loss will cause more wet steam to condense. When going to to local steam rooms make sure you let me know the types of walls they have. If you don't know, take a picture of it because if I pick out a steam generator that match that steam type, if you have a room that will just condense a dry steam, it can make the whole steam room bunk.
Note: Low quality steam generators that I do not approve of that have high pressure output can create friction in the piping and over time can produce a lower fluence steam. This can add up to about 5% wetness that wasn't there when the steam generator was first bought. If the steam generator you are looking at produces a higher temperature steam, and the construction is subpar, a higher grade steam generator may be required if high performance is desired.
Open vs closed tank (prssure cooker vs non pressurized steam)
Many people don’t know the difference between an open or closed tank steam generator. Some people only know about the closed tank steam generators that work under pressure. Steam build up faster under pressure but in a pressure cooker the vaporized steam mixes with the water that is still at the bottom and makes a wetter steam. The closed tank is much dryer and gives a more comfortable steam experience.
Those that are building steam rooms with ceilings over 7 foot may want to avoid steam that has more moisture. Also, open tanks are more resistant to corrosion since the water doesn’t sit in the bottom of a closed tank like most of the pressure cooker types unless their flushing system really flushes 100% of the water. No one likes to change out their heating elements and tank every few years. I urge people to understand the differences between 304 grade surgical steel heating elements and 304 grade surgical steel boiling tanks over the cheaper cast iron and most common regular stainless steel tanks. I have an entire page on limescale and surgical steel is the best thing to prevent that.
Pros and Cons of open vs closed tanks
I don't want to make the closed pressurized tanks that have been around since the beginning to seem bad but since the open tanks have been introduced I believe they have more pros than cons in steam rooms. The steam from a pressurized steam generator can make very quick steam. Steam created under pressure is created faster but as far as steam clouds the cloud becomes very dense at first and then quickly falls to the ground when the steam has more moisture and the steam is heavier. Both the dry steam and wet steam can be equally as hot but the un-evaporated water in wet steam makes it "feel" hotter. The less humidity in the steam makes the steam cloud linger longer and a dry cloud from an open tank generator should linger much longer than a wet humid cloud of steam. My best example is when someone takes a plastic spray bottle and starts spraying water the steam gets heavier and quickly drops to the floor.
Those that want a gassier steam should at least try a steam generator somewhere where they can experience a very dry steam. Most people only have experienced very wet steam at their local gym.
The biggest difference that an open tank offers is dryer steam. Please research.
If you don't know which type of steam you prefer, take my steam quiz. I will pick out the generator that will give you steam based on the answers you choose.
If you have a high ceiling or your steam is too wet and it gets trapped at the top of the ceiling (steam trap), this is what makes the difference in a half body steam versus whole body steam therapy.
Wetter steam actually cools the body down!! Why else would the body sweat to begin with!? I actually do a test at high level Spas where I go into a steam room with a high quality fully sleeved cotton t shirt on. I then time how long it takes to dampen the outer layer thoroughly. I also wear two additional t shirt layers beneath it so I do not get unclear results with any of my sweat mixing into the outer layer. In some steam rooms the outer shirt gets wet three times faster than others. That’s a lot of water that would be helping to cool the body down. That is the opposite of what we want for burning more calories in a shorter period of time.
Some people are fooled when they get into a cheaper steam room and it feels hotter but really that is because the steam is too wet. Sure the vapor is heavier and feels hotter when it lands on the skin but if you check out the temperature it’s actually quite low compared to where it could be with a better quality generator.
Let me use an example do you know that hot convection radiant heat blast that comes out of the oven when it is opened? This is what should greet a person when they open the steam shower door. They should feel like as they sit there the air is really hot but dryer. It’s like going into a desert climate like Arizona as another example versus Florida in the summer which is less hot but way more humid.
Steam Clouds
I urge everyone who doesn’t know the difference between a wet steam cloud and a dry steam cloud to know the difference before choosing a steam generator. The dry steam cloud with very little moisture will linger in the air. When you open the door the dry cloud will linger and not just disappear once the door is closed. A steam cloud from a steam generator that makes wet steam will usually fall immediately to the floor when the door is opened. A dry steam should linger much longer as it is lighter from less non-evaporated water in the steam. Dry steam has little weight to it since it is not a muggy condensed steam. This is the easiest to bring down from the steam trap at the top of the ceiling.
Many people that have either the wrong size or buy an inferior steam generator built for their steam room will never experience a dense steam cloud. If the steam is too wet, it will condense quicker than the steam is formed and drop to the floor. The best steam rooms are when their is an equilibrium between steam production and steam condensation. It is very frustrating for many people to wait for the next steam session while nearly all the steam has dropped to the floor.
It is very relaxing when there is a steam cloud that is nice and dry rather than a big burst of steam that makes the room dense from too much steam. The clouds that linger the most are from continuous type steam generators. The open tanks that turn on or off with a 6 degree temperature are the most continuous. The dual tank types like Thermasol have 2 tanks and make continuous steam their way. They were the first to have the dual tanks. Steamcore was the first to make the open tank without using pressure. Some people like the duty cycles where the steam is super intense and then the room gets cooler while others like a steady temperature the entire time.
Dry VS Wet Steam Generators:
When picking out a steam generator the first thing I ask is how wet the steam is. Most of the generators I have test have more droplets of water blowing out of the steam head than a more gaseous state. This all depends on if the steam is at or only near the boiling point and depending on how much steam is coming out at a time can make a difference. The higher end steamers heat the water above 240 degrees and these are very dry. These have about 5% water and the rest gas unlike having. Each 1% percentage of water droplets over absolute dry makes the feel of the steam room exponentially wet.
Note: the models that make this superheated over 240 degrees steam are much more expensive and require a special outlet.
Wet steam is can be good for some people but if heating the steam room quickly is desired, the dryer the steam the quicker the room heats up. Non vaporized water is no where near as efficient in heating than steam having 5% water. I also want a room that doesn't condense the steam so quickly.
Note: What I've noticed with some generators they put tiny droplets of water in the steam with bubbling. The steam will be wetter if the bubbles from the boiling process breaks through. This can also cause the steam generator to produce steam higher than 5% water ratio.
If you are interested in how dry the steam is, knowing the dryness fraction is what to look for. The steam generators that I prefer have no more than 6% wet. That means I would ask, "Does this or that steam generator brand have a dryness fraction of 94% or higher?. That is the question I ask when trying to buy one.
Note: the type of steam room also plays a part on how the steam will condense.
One of the best ways to know when a steam generator is producing more wet steam is when droplets of water start forming on the walls and the droplets of steam start dripping off the ceiling quicker.
More on Wet steam
Wet steam is the biggest topic and no one wants wet steam. It kinda hits you in the face when you walk in and is not as pleasant. Steam with too much water moisture clumps together and creates a drippy, muggy steam experience. I have videos that I show the differences between wet and dry steam and most people that haven’t done a lot of research don’t know the difference and buy a generator usually that is the wet type.
The low pressure brands have the wettest steam (mostly the Chinese import bransds) and the high pressure USA made brands that have a loud sound from the pressurized steam coming out have the 2nd wettest steam. The high pitch whistle sound quickly tells me there is too much water coming out and not vaporized steam. I had enough problems when I sold the Chinese brands that I avoid selling them altogether. (These are quieter because they don’t work at as high of pressure).
I urge people to really understand the types of steam each brand of generator gives and knowing why a dryer steam with a lower latent heat index with lower moisture in the steam makes a huge difference in the experience of steaming.
Most people at gyms experience the wet steam type that has been around since the beginning of steam room generators. When the steam is wet you won’t notice a lingering cloud when you open the steam room door. It will not linger like the steam that is dry with low moisture. I am so picky that I’ll go to a spa and open the door and if the steam doesn’t hit me just right I won’t even use their steam room. I’ll use the sauna instead.
Some brands have under 5% wetness while others can have over 20% humidity in their steam that has not been vaporized yet. Those who live in Florida know what I mean when the humidity levels are too high and its muggy out and you just want to stay inside in the air conditioning. Most people who live in California and less humid places usually prefer the brands that make a dryer steam. But, for people who don’t mind living in a muggy climate, then maybe the wetter steam is better for them.
Note: Wet steam has a higher temperature from moisture but a lower steam density. Wetter steam also has a higher heat transfer so the super hot steam coming from pressurized steam is only hot for a brief time and then condenses and sticks to the walls quickly. This is why the room stays hot and the steam goes away and many people always feel the need to pour water on the temperature sensor in the steam room.
Dry steam has a lower heat transfer coefficient. If the steam is very dense, dry steam can hold more heat than wet steam. That is why the steam cloud lingers while the wet steam that has a higher moisture density cools down quicker and drips to the floor quicker.
Dry steam is always hotter than wet steam but doesn’t stay hot for a long time and is not preferred by those who have tried he differences. Both a wetter and dryer steam room can be set at the same temperature but the dry steam if the steam density is high (this is why a 9kw wet steam type might call for 10.5 kw if getting an open tank type that has a dryer steam), will feel hotter since more water vapor is touching the body instead of hot air after the steam from a wet type generator has condensed to the floor. This is usually during the duty cycle of no steam that takes longer to heat back up.
Wet steam feel hotter at the same temperature as dry steam when it first comes out due to the higher latent heat index. During each steam cycle, the room tempurature stays high but it feels cooler. This is why those who want continuous steam will have a steady steam without high fluctuations in heat. Those who have poured water on the hot rocks in a sauna know when 100% of that steam evaporates in the sauna will know what a dry steam is. This is the best example of steam that is very dry. It is much easier to breath in dryer steam and it doesn’t get my pulse rate up too quick.
Wet steam and dry steam is a personal preference. I urge people to go to different places around their area and go to a place that has a Mr. Steam to experience the best of the single pressure type tank generators. Those who want to experience the dual tank constant steam may want to see if there is a Thermasol in their area. Those that want to experience what a dry steam feels like should look to see where a Steamcore is in their area. Saunacore.com is the manufacturer’s site and they have a listing of all the places where you can try their brand.
Or, you can call me and I can find a place where you can get an invitation to try a session for free. Many holistic day spas will let me if they know I am working with the manufacturer.
I hope people will understand that just getting the right size generator that fits their cubic size feet is not enough. Getting just the right steam that makes you happy is just as important.
Do you prefer a wetter or dry steam?
I have used so many different brands of steam generators so I have a very strong opinion on what steam quality should be like. Most people buying a steam room just go by room dimensions and type of materials used and usually have an average quality steam. Most people don't know what the differences between wet and dry steam is. All the research on my site should help people learn the differences and use my information to get just the right steam generator to give the steam that is desired. The majority of steam rooms people have been in have been steam rooms from pressurized steam generator. The latest in steam generators are steering away from high pressure to making steam at atmospheric pressure giving a higher dryness fraction. Steam generators that use pressure to start steam almost instantly rose in popularity and now things are different. After all my research, I do not say one type is better than the other but as far as build quality and high end components, Mr. Steam, Steamcore, and Thermasol are the top 3 that I promote based on my research.
Avoiding humidity
A steam room with 100% dry water vapor would have 0% water in the steam. If one brand had 20% humidity then that steam would have a 80% dryness fraction.
The latest generator steam generators have open tanks that do not work under pressure. The ones with pressure have been out since the beginning. There have been a lot of improvements since then. Now they work at very high pressure and create a much quicker steam. The latest models work at 1 ATA and have a lower latent heat index and have much less humidity and muggy moisture in the steam compared to the early days. A wet muggy steam does not feel good to most people.
Steamrooms with high humidity that have a very high latent index are not the type I recommend for people who cannot handle long sessions over 15 minutes. When their is too much hot humidity in the steam in can raise a person’s starting heartbeat (75 beats per minute) to 150 beats per minute much quicker than a dryer steam. It is hard to enjoy the steam when the steam room has a lower dryness fraction. When I go in a steamroom I do everything I can to keep the steam as dry as possible. I bring in a bottle of boost oxygen instead of going out and getting a little air.
Generators that have high humidity to start with cause the most drippiness and it might feel hotter at first but if it doesn’t feel pleasant this is when people get their steam room and use it for a few months and then rarely use it. When the steam is nice and dry most people want to use it every day. When the steam feels like a gym steam room where the door is constantly being opened and closed it becomes more of a chore to sit in there for a steam session.
Low pressure steam generators have the most humidity, enough that I won’t even give the steamroom any of my time. I want steam vapor, not a humid room. The next best is the high pressure generators that work at a much higher ata than the typical Chinese import generator. (Thermasol and Mr. Steam are both high end pressurized steam generators). Then, for those that can afford an open tank non pressurized steam generator, this has the highest dryness fraction. Unfortunately, these are very expensive and the company that makes the most expensive ones have surgical steel nearly everything, from the heating elements to the boiling tank to the frame of the generator. These can cost nearly twice as much as the next priciest model. I have access to those that return their generator and get a smaller or bigger size. This happens every day. People always are buying the wrong size. It’s getting worse and worse as untrained sales people simply go by the cubic size and ceiling height.
If you are interested in dryer steam, let me know on my steam quiz. Note that the dryer the steam you want the more expensive the steam generator will be.
The higher the ceiling in a steam room the worse the quality of steam there will be at the sitting level. The dry steam vapor will quickly become wet steam and form into water droplets and will cause an unbalanced steam room where the person will never get to enjoy the steam and only the falling high cluster size humidity.
I compared all the different generators hooked up to the same shower and I found out which steam generators produce steam with faster or slower drop rates. The really cheap ones that make the wettest steam that has more water moisture in the steam had the highest drop rate and drippiness. This is the problem when the room stays hot from the latent heat index and keeps the room hot when nearly all the steam is gone. I stopped selling the lower pressure steam generators way before I did this test because of all the complaints I get. These really cheap generators are enticing for many people since people don’t know how to compare them. Yes, they still have a great warranty but there is very little stress on the generator since it works at such low pressure. The quality of this steam is a 2 out of 10 compared to the open tank models have have very dry steam. I urge people to stick with Thermasol, Mr. Steam, and Steamcore if Steamcore is within someones budget.
When we ran the open tank generator in the steam shower, the green laser test passed nearly 60% more of the room than the low pressure models and about 40% more than the higher pressure types like the Mr. Steam and Thermasol. I urge everyone to buy a 5 dollar green laser pen on Ebay and test their steam and see the rate of how the steam drops to the floor once the generator stops making steam during the session. Those that want to experience an open tank with their laser pen will see the difference between wet and very dry steam that the vapor lingers instead of clumps together and become muggy. Also, when you turn the steam off completely, the dry steam will linger in the room much longer. A wet steam will fall to the floor much quicker. If you go in a gym steam room where people open and close the door every minute, that is the worst steam as the cool air turns the steam into moisture. I urge people to try the new open tank steam generators that produce the highest steam vapor based from all the generators I tested. Most high end gyms like Equinox or many Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons hotels have the open tank types. But, most people are not as picky and just want a generator that will last a long time and quality built but haven’t experienced wet steam or dry steam.
Avoiding Drippiness - Knowing a few things should help avoid a steam room that has too much moisture and constantly dripping everywhere.
If you don't know if you like wet steam versus dry steam yet, it is ok. Most people don't until they buy a steam generator. I can talk to you about dry and wet steam until you make your own decision. Most people like a drier steam with less condensate but about 10% really like it wet and humid and wet. The people that like wet steam probably have never experienced the difference between a steam room with high relative humidity and one with high absolute humidity. It is hard to have a craving for one type over the other if you haven't experienced it yet. I will do my best to help you decide. If you want to try a little experiment. Imagine pouring a teaspoon of water in a hot cast iron skillet and seeing what happens to the water and also just boiling a pot of water and experiencing that steam. Once has a high dryness fraction and the other a high condensate low dryness fraction. Please call me at 1-800-336-9285 if you want to go over this. Yes, my partner and I work late and have the experience most people are seeking.
