Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
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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
Wait times for room to heat up
This is different than wait times for steam to start coming out of the generator.
People always ask how long they will have to wait till the steam room heats up. If people are referring to the 110-114 preferred temperature range, the sweet spot range that it's not too hot and not cool enough that you have to stay in an hour to heat your core up, then it depends on the brand. The residential brands that put out 2.5 gallons of water in a 30 minute session can heat up twice as fast or even quicker since there is twice as much condensate coming out. Condensate holds latent heat.
The atmospheric steam generators put out about 1 to 1.5 gallons of water so it is going to probably take twice as long to get the room to the 110-114 temperature range. If the generator is upsized which I don't recommend, it can shave off a few minutes on the start time but once the room is up to 100% humidity and the set temperature, it can cut off quicker since too much is coming out at once. If more steam is being made quicker than it can fall to the floor, it becomes heavy and starts to clump to the walls and ceiling.
Note: many of the steam generators that start immediately or in less than a minute are not 20 psi generators. Also, some generators have a quick starting tank that is always on. These are good for people that want to save that extra minute as electricity is always keeping the tank on 24/7. The problem is limescale by having the heating element always heated up and in touch with water under pressure. You might have to change out the elements much more often.
So, the decision to make is, do you want a better quality steam (higher dryness fraction, lower condensate with a generator that works under lower pressure (10 to 15 psi) or do you want to wait an extra 5 to 10 minutes and get the highest quality steam (low moisture, slow burn rate, continuous). A dual tank is only good if the smaller tank is also at 20 psi. 20 psi models need higher quality components to work at a higher pressure (pressure relief valves).
Note: there are some people that don't want to wait 15 minutes. A steam room can be heated in 2 minutes if someone upsized high enough and had enough fans and and exhaust fan to suck out the condensate that rises to the ceiling (Brownian motion).
Concerning wait times to get the room heated up, I find myself more impatient when waiting several minutes for duty cycles on single tank pressurized steam generators. Most people in a 30 minute session will be waiting longer with the duty cycles when the steam generator cuts off than the 5 to 10 minutes extra it took to heat up the room.
When the room drops out of the 110 114 temperature comfort zone, most people find it way more annoying than waiting for the steam room to heat up to the 110 114 degree range.
There are so many factors to consider when tweaking a steam room for each person's preference. Please take my steam quiz. I will pick out the steam generator based on your answers you choose. Take the steam quiz here.
