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.
DiscountSteamGenerators.com
We're open now
1-877-310-8385
Ask for Sharon
We're open now
1-877-310-8385
Ask for Sharon
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. Take my steam quiz here.
New: STEAM ROOM FAN PAGE
Please do research on steam room fans to bring down the steam trap. See my new page on how we use steam room fans at the top of the ceiling. See Steam room page here.
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. Take my steam quiz here.
New page - Wet steam problems with condensate - see my new page on Condensate levels
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.
Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
Know before buying a steam generator
DiscountSteamGenerators.com
We're open now
1-800-336-9285
Ask for Sharon
We're open now
1-800-336-9285
Ask for Alex
