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 here. 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.
Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
DiscountSteamGenerators.com
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1-800-336-9285
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DiscountSteamGenerators.com
We're open now
1-800-336-9285
Ask for Sharon
We're open now
1-800-336-9285
Ask for Alex
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.
