What could be better than relaxing with friends on a fishing trip and a sauna right on the river bank? Recently, this seemed completely impossible, but recently in Russia a mobile bathhouse and sauna on wheels has become common.
You can find mobile steam rooms on wheels in many large cities, but the price per hour is 800-1000 rubles per hour. In this article we will tell you how you can make a mobile steam room, which you can use both at home and on a hike, or rent it out.
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Bathhouse by the river
What is needed to organize a sauna on wheels as a business: important points
The popularity of baths has increased significantly recently. If previously it was exclusively a place where you can wash, now it is considered as a relaxation area. Many people decide to use it to relax in the company of friends and improve their health. Considering on wheels as a business, it is worth knowing that opening your own business is carried out in the following sequence:
- the base on which the structure will be located is selected. Most often, the choice is made in favor of the ZIL 131, GAZ 53 and other vehicles that have sufficient reliability and good maneuverability. You can buy a GAZ 66 for a bathhouse on wheels. Featuring good cross-country ability, this equipment will allow you to set up a steam room for 6 people;
- A project for the future building is being developed and its layout is being worked out. It is advisable to provide not only a steam room, but also a relaxation room;
- activity for the provision of services is registered. The majority are registered as individual entrepreneurs. To put it into operation, you will have to prepare a certain package of documents, including permission from the SES, traffic police, and firefighters;
- an advertising campaign is carried out;
- business starts.
Advice!
Draw up a business plan to assess the risks of opening a sauna on wheels.
Bathhouses on wheels, placed on different types of bases, with photo examples
If you decide to become an owner on wheels, photos of completed projects can be used as an idea for subsequent implementation. We offer you to look at mobile buildings erected at various bases.
Sauna on wheels on a trailer for a car
If we are not talking about your own business, you can consider this option. For personal use, a trailer with a sauna on wheels is best suited. When designing it, it is important to take into account the carrying capacity of a passenger car. Additional supports will prevent the structure from swaying during operation.
Such buildings usually include a steam room and a dressing room. Due to their limited carrying capacity, they can only be used near bodies of water. We have prepared photos for you so that you can evaluate what such steam rooms look like.
Mobile sauna on wheels on all-terrain trucks
Having decided to start your own business, you should consider using all-terrain vehicles/trucks as a base. Such a mobile bathhouse on wheels will be able to get to places where other equipment cannot go.
Mobile sauna on wheels on a platform frame
A practical and concise option. Such a mobile sauna on wheels is in demand because it can be loaded and removed as needed.
Mobile sauna on wheels in buses and minibuses
If you need a large steam room and relaxation room, you should consider a bus as a base. Often a mobile bathhouse on wheels is made on the basis of Ikarus. In such a bathhouse, up to 15 people can wash at the same time. It includes:
- steam room for 5 – 7 people;
- shower;
- dressing room;
- rest room;
- toilet;
- kitchenette.
A gazelle bathhouse has a smaller capacity, however, it is still in demand among consumers.
Bathhouse made of polystyrene concrete
Polystyrene concrete blocks have poor thermal conductivity. For a bath this is an ideal option. However, the material absorbs moisture. The walls of the bathhouse are protected to the maximum with reinforced waterproofing from the inside and outside.
A reliable strip foundation is poured under a bathhouse made of polystyrene concrete blocks. From above, the base is covered with two layers of roofing material. Laying out the walls starts from the corners. The first row of bath blocks is placed on cement mortar. The subsequent rows are laid using glue. The thickness of the seam is kept to a maximum of 5 mm. Every third row is reinforced. Grooves are cut in the blocks for the rods. The laid reinforcement is filled with mortar. Further laying is again done using glue.
The roof of the bathhouse is made gable. Mauerlat is laid along the perimeter of the walls. Rafter legs and floor beams are attached to it. The rafters are filled with sheathing, waterproofing is rolled out, and a roofing covering, most often corrugated sheeting, is laid.
A ventilated façade is installed on the walls of the bathhouse outside. Mineral wool is used as insulation, and the cladding is chosen as desired. The inside walls of the bathhouse are similarly insulated and vapor barriered. Wooden lining is used for cladding. The ceiling of the bathhouse is hemmed in the same way as the walls. The floor is concreted. The rest room is tiled and heated with electric mats. Boards are laid inside the steam room.
Making a sauna on wheels with your own hands
If you decide to become the owner of a mobile building, we suggest you learn how to make one on wheels yourself. Knowing the sequence of actions and the main stages, you can do everything yourself. In this case, a bathhouse on wheels will fully meet the requirements for it and have suitable characteristics.
Design and layout
Before the assembly of the future structure begins, a project must be developed. You can sketch a sketch by hand or use a special one. The latter option is preferable, as it allows you to estimate the proportions of the future and accurately calculate the required amount of material. We take into account the price of the materials for the bathhouse on wheels that are to be purchased. At the design stage the following is calculated:
- total weight of the structure;
- required power.
- the sheathing is installed;
- vapor barrier and mineral wool are installed;
- foil is attached;
- all foil taps are carefully taped;
- a counter-lattice is installed, to which the facing material will be attached in the future.
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When designing, special attention should be paid to the center of gravity to avoid the building from collapsing during transportation.
As a counterweight to the stove and shelf, you can use a step and a floor grate. “
A photo of a do-it-yourself kung bath can be used as a basis when planning your interior space.
Frame assembly
To assemble a bathhouse on a trailer or frame with your own hands, you should follow the following sequence of steps.
Illustration | Description of action |
All elements of the future design are cut to size. All wood is treated with special compounds to prevent premature rotting. For external ones, you should use a composition that allows you to protect the wood from precipitation, and for internal ones - from steam. | |
We start by assembling the blank wall and with. The boards should be placed vertically, and the power jumpers horizontally. The jumpers should be cut before assembly. | |
We install furniture ties at the ends of the formed circles to increase the rigidity of the structure. We form holes. | |
We install the door. We install the platbands while the ends are in a horizontal position. | |
We collect all the elements into a single structure. |
Thermal insulation device
The work must be done to a very high quality. The thickness of the thermal insulation cake should be about 15 cm. The work is carried out in the following sequence:
Stove installation
The firebox should be placed outside. This will make the structure safer and allow for more efficient management of the internal space. It is preferable with a tank for water or a heater, for which a platform has been previously equipped. The mobile steam room can be heated up to +60°C. In stones used to generate steam, it is worth drilling holes and connecting them with wire. This will prevent an accidental fall when the wheel hits a bump.
Interior decoration
For after completion of thermal insulation work. It is worth giving preference to lining made from alder, aspen or linden. It is acceptable to use ordinary treated boards or block houses. Coniferous species can be used to decorate the dressing room. You can often see tiles on shower walls. In any case, there should be boards on the floor.
Attention!
All decorative items and furniture must be securely fixed to prevent them from moving while the car is moving.
External skin
To finish the outer wall, you can use high-quality wood. This will add similarity between the mobile structure and the stationary one. The door should open.
Advice!
Carved wooden steps and beautifully decorated windows will make the bathhouse more charming.
Bathhouse underground
An underground bathhouse, whose design resembles a dugout, is considered an unusual but economical structure.
The walls are lined with stone for reliability. There is often dampness in the dugout. High concentrations of moisture are observed in spring and autumn. The stone walls of the dugout easily resist moisture. Bathhouse walls made of wood have a shorter service life. Dampness does not spare the material. The advantage of wooden dugouts is that they warm up quickly compared to stone buildings.
It will only be possible to install a dugout bathhouse in an area with deep underground layers of water. It is important to choose a hill. In the lowlands, the dugout will be flooded with melt and rain water. The height of the bathhouse is 25 cm greater than a person’s height. The dugout cannot be completely immersed in the ground. The pit is dug to such a depth that part of the bathhouse extends above ground level. Windows are installed in the protruding parts of the walls of the dugout for natural lighting and ventilation.
Advice! Dugouts that partially protrude from the ground are made if they use a bathhouse project without electricity.
The design of a wooden dugout involves the installation of log supports at the corners of the pit and in the center. Moreover, the pit can have not only a rectangular shape. If desired, the dugout bathhouse can be built with a tent of 6 or 8 corners. If the roof is supposed to be covered with earth, it should be made flat. The soil will not slide off such a bathhouse roof during rain or melting snow.
Forest dugouts are not covered with waterproofing. The roof is covered with dense layers of clay, leaves, moss, and pine needles. The walls of the dugout need special waterproofing. On the soil side they are covered with roofing felt, film or membrane. To prevent the soil from falling into the dugout, the walls of the pit are strengthened with a board nailed to the supports.
Advice! It is better to build stone dugouts in a round shape. The design is more resistant to heaving and lateral shift of the soil in winter.
Installation of a sauna on wheels at the location
The installation begins by uncoupling the bathhouse on wheels and the car. To ensure sufficient stability of the trailer sauna, a leg-support is fixed, as well as three additional supports. After this, the side is folded back and the ladder is lowered. To install a steam room on the base of a truck or bus, just find a relatively flat area and simply turn off the engine.
In order for the mobile sauna to last as long as possible, you should follow certain recommendations when using it. You should:
- separate the time between driving on the road and being in the steam room. This will avoid accidental falls and burns;
- disconnect the transport from the bathhouse for the entire period of operation;
- design the bathhouse as a vehicle so that there are no difficulties when driving on the road.
Finishing inside and outside
The finishing must be approached with complete seriousness, because this is the “face” of the bathhouse. It is much more pleasant to wash in a bathhouse with a beautiful decoration than to sit and be horrified by the design. It is important to choose high-quality material so as not to re-cover the floor or walls after a month. Let's look at the interior decoration.
1. Interior finishing
The finishing may be standard, but it must be done efficiently and beautifully. First you need to provide thermal insulation, do not spare money on the material, you need the spirit to remain in the steam room and not go outside. Then you can sheathe it with linden; this sheathing will withstand various procedures. Everything needs to be secured very well so that nothing comes off during transportation.
2. Exterior finishing
Do not skimp on the material with which you will cover the outside of the bathhouse. The bathhouse should be similar to a stationary one. You need to use only natural materials. Decoration and all other frills are to the taste of the owner. It is recommended to make a layer of thermal insulation.
Review of prices per hour of using a sauna on wheels
The price of a barrel sauna on wheels may seem too high to many. Many people refuse to purchase because there is a stationary design. If you want to spend time with friends in nature, then you can simply rent it.
What the price for an hour of a bathhouse on wheels will be will depend on the rental period and the place where it needs to be delivered. On average, for the first 3 hours you will have to pay at least 3,000 rubles per hour. For the fourth and fifth - 2,500 rubles each, for the subsequent ones - 2,000 rubles. After 10 hours the rent will drop to 1,000 rubles/hour. If you decide to buy or order a sauna on wheels, share in the comments which option you preferred and why.
What could be better than relaxing with friends on a fishing trip and a sauna right on the river bank? Recently, this seemed completely impossible, but recently in Russia a mobile bathhouse and sauna on wheels has become common.
You can find mobile steam rooms on wheels in many large cities, but the price per hour is 800-1000 rubles per hour. In this article we will tell you how you can make a mobile steam room, which you can use both at home and on a hike, or rent it out.
Converting a car booth into a bathhouse
Even old cars can be used as a basis for a car bath. The most popular are Soviet army vehicles with kung - GAZ 66 or ZIL 131, they have high cross-country ability, but high fuel consumption. Mobile saunas are also made on the basis of ordinary trailers for cars.
The kung has a large area, so its capacity can reach up to 6 people. Additional insulation will allow it to be used all year round. The photo shows examples of a mobile, dressing room, changing room, lounger, folding table and bench.
For an ordinary wood stove it is small. If you order this option from specialists, then turnkey conversion will cost you at least 140 thousand rubles.
In terms of performance, mobile bathhouses built on the basis of the GAZ 66 will not differ much from the classic types: on average, the transported volume of water is 700 liters, and the supply of firewood is enough for a whole day of heating. This is enough for 15-20 people to relax, so many people began to open a similar business.
Furnace installation
For convenience and space saving, the firebox goes outside.
The surface around the stove inside and outside must be finished with non-flammable, heat-resistant material.
Advice! To prevent them from accidentally falling out while driving, they can be sewn into beads with wire in advance. Since their weight can reach 300 kg, to reduce the load they can be completely removed while driving into another car.
Exterior decoration of the bath
- To get a beautiful appearance, the outside of the wall can be finished with a house block.
- It is better not to make windows, as a lot of heat will be lost through them. If you decide to make windows, try to reduce their area and use 3-layer double-glazed windows with glass at least 6 mm thick.
- The door should open outwards.
- To save space, the woodcutter and water containers are mounted externally in boxes under the bottom of the kung.
Interior decoration
Inside, the walls are insulated exactly the same as in a regular sauna.
Instructions for interior wall decoration:
- A sheathing of antiseptic-impregnated bars is attached to the walls every 60 cm. In kungs they are attached directly to the walls, and in trailers a metal welded frame is first made and sheathed with wood.
- The first layer of waterproofing is attached. To do this, you can use a vapor barrier membrane, for example Izospan. On the one hand, it will not allow moisture to pass through, and on the other, it will remove steam, preventing it from accumulating inside.
- Then, mineral wool insulation is placed tightly together in the cells of the frame. Additionally, it is recommended to attach it to the walls using umbrella dowels.
- The top of the insulation is covered with the same vapor barrier. Heat-reflecting aluminum foil can also be used instead. The insulation joints must be taped with aluminum tape.
- To maintain a ventilation gap under the sheathing, an additional counter-lattice 2-3 cm thick is screwed onto the bars.
- Then the frame is covered with clapboard or block house.
- Particular attention should be paid to securing furniture and the stove so that they are securely fixed while moving.
- To save space, you can use folding shelves, folding tables and benches.
- Lighting is done from a 12-volt car battery, or a separate 220-volt generator is used.
Note! For lighting, you need to use moisture-proof and heat-proof lamps, and the wiring must be heat-resistant. Ordinary wires cannot withstand temperatures above 50 degrees, but in a bath it can exceed 150 degrees in some areas.
Solving the problem of lack of space on the site
The plan of such a one-story “bathhouse-barn” structure is quite simple, which allows for some deviations in size and even the organization of a porch at the entrance (see description in the text)
The main, as it is fashionable to say today, pilot option for combining a bathhouse and a utility room could be the following, tested in more than a dozen implementations:
- A – hallway – dressing room, note that the stove is controlled from the steam room, but the wall of the stove opens into the hallway, which ensures its reliable heating;
- B – washing room, there is a small window - windows in the working rooms of the baths are either absent or small in size (in the proposed version 50 by 40 cm), which allows for better control of heat transfer;
- C – steam room – traditional floor and stove, there is everything for a true connoisseur of relaxation “with a park”, please note that in the proposed implementation there is no window in the steam room, this is the unspoken rule of all steam rooms for all designers;
- D – a barn, or, well, a utility room with an area of 4 sq.m., in such an area you can place a small machine; appreciate the thoughtful and forward-thinking approach of the proposed solution - the barn with its pile of metal has no contact with moisture-rich rooms; of course, thermal insulation and vapor permeability must be ensured at the highest level, however, such a division indicates a subtle understanding of the situation by the developers;
Perhaps the heroes of “Kalina Krasnaya” steamed in such a bathhouse, simply attached to a barn, but those days of 40 years ago are still gone and today you most likely won’t have to agonize over the question of how to attach a barn to a bathhouse
- E – porch, and this is another plus of the proposed project.
The technology for constructing the proposed bathhouse with a barn is so well developed that usually a team of 2-3 people undertakes to build it in no more than a working week. And the price for all this pleasure will disappear after putting the barn in order - no more than 300 thousand rubles.
Here are some more useful technical characteristics of this combination of a bathhouse and a barn:
- for external walls, planed timber measuring (mm) 95 by 145 is used;
- for the steam room - aspen lining;
- size of concrete piles – 200 x 200 x 400 mm;
- distance between pedestals – 200 mm;
- number of pedestals – 9 (8 around the perimeter and one in the middle of the building);
- roofing material must be used on top of the piles as waterproofing;
- means of insulation between the beams - jute;
- vapor barrier in the steam room is provided by special bath foil;
- 50 mm insulation is used both on the floor and on the ceiling of the bathhouse;
- all joints, bottom and top, are covered with skirting boards;
- on the outside the roof is sheathed with pine clapboard;
- ceiling height inside – 225 cm;
As in the “shortest joke” from Yuri Nikulin: “Bathhouse, locker room across the road.” Outside the city, this is no longer a joke, especially if you made a bathhouse from a barn with your own hands
- wall thickness – 95 mm;
- height of the ridge of the bathhouse – 150 cm;
- for the roof, ondulin is used in three colors - green, red or brown;
- floor characteristics: rough thickness - 20 mm;
- steam and waterproofing material – glassine;
- insulation material - URSA 50 mm;
- floorboard - 27 mm tongue and groove;
Any project of a bathhouse with a barn requires a particularly careful attitude to the foundation - creating a parameter around the perimeter is a very good option
Autobath on wheels: advantages
Popular wisdom states that any material can be used to make a steam room, from a tarpaulin awning of a tent to a wooden cabin of an old refrigerator. The main thing is to properly and safely equip the stove with a heater and make high-quality thermal insulation of the room. These are all temporary options. They are not very suitable for a good autobahn on wheels, and are almost never used even by fans of relaxing in a steam room.
Modern mobile bathhouses on wheels differ little in terms of comfort from stationary options. Among the disadvantages, one can cite only a limited amount of space for the washing compartment; it is most often sacrificed in favor of the steam room and dressing room. In all other respects, the autobahn soars and treats no worse than a hospital.
There may be several reasons for building or purchasing a mobile sauna on wheels:
Advice! The opportunity to relax and take a steam bath on a trailer in the evening, after construction work during the day under the summer sun, solves half of everyday problems.
Especially if there is nothing on the site except a pit and a water well, and a team of builders hired to work in an open field will always require acceptable living conditions. For the winter or at the end of the season, a trailer with a sauna can be towed to a parking lot near the house or to a garage, and a car sauna with a steam room can be used even in urban conditions.
Idea concept
The mobile bathhouse as a phenomenon did not appear yesterday. More than a century ago, during the First World War, soldiers sitting in the trenches, in conditions of positional confrontation, began to suffer acutely from lice and experience other sanitary difficulties. The situation did not allow us to abandon our position and go to the rear to take bath procedures. But if Mohammed does not come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed.
The French were the first to solve the problem. A mobile unit was created on the basis of a Renault truck, which has all the necessary means to combat corrosive trench mud. The success was stunning, so much so that a number of copies of the mobile miracle ended up on the Eastern Front as part of the allied mutual assistance between the Entente countries; bathhouses on wheels, albeit slowly, nevertheless entered the trench life of the Russian soldier. The seed was sown and the process began.
From war to peaceful life
It is unfortunate, but it is wars that very often become the engine of progress. During the years of virgin lands development, Soviet industry also made attempts to create mobile bath and laundry complexes on the chassis of products from the Soviet automobile industry. The problem of washing machine operators was acute; the distances in Northern Kazakhstan are considerable, the fields are vast, and water is scarce. In addition, the work of a tractor driver is very dusty, and the overalls are heavy-duty.
In general, to say that the process has become widespread, and as the unforgettable Mikhail Sergeevich said, “went to the masses,” means to be somewhat disingenuous, but there is no doubt at all that a considerable groundwork has been created for use in everyday peaceful life.
A little constructivism
What do mobile bathhouses essentially represent? Structurally, they are self-propelled and trailed. A self-propelled sauna is such if the sauna module is mounted on the chassis of a car capable of independent movement. Trailed ones are built on the basis of a trailer capable of movement exclusively with the help of a tractor vehicle. Moreover, the tractor may not necessarily be a truck. If the mass and overall dimensions of the trailer are small and are within the requirements of the traffic rules, then both a minibus and a passenger car can act as such.
It is worth taking a closer look at the main building blocks:
- Car chassis or trailer. As a rule, the autobahn is placed on a truck chassis and can be coupled with a tractor unit of various classes, which in itself is not the main structural element, and the moving platform is a trailer;
- Bath module. The heart of the mobile complex. It is he who ensures the creation and preservation of an internal environment suitable for bathing procedures. It consists of many system elements: water tanks, a sewage disposal system, a stove or boiler, a steam room itself and a relaxation department. Must have excellent thermal insulation and sufficient strength and resistance to the destructive effects of domestic off-road conditions, and in many cases, roads;
- Auxiliary and energy supply modules. These include a system for generating and distributing electricity, a lighting system, indoor and outdoor, elements of outdoor advertising, if the medium is used for commercial purposes, and so on.
Mobile sauna on wheels: types
Of course, there are quite a lot of options for a bathhouse in a car or on a trailer, and they are all very different. There are options for industrially manufactured mobile steam rooms.
In addition to expensive factory assembly, you can buy a homemade bathhouse for GAZ 66 from small companies. There are many models of mobile steam baths based on residential trailers, kungs, buses, old repair shops and simply single-axle trailers for a passenger car converted into a bathhouse. Autobaths can vary in price and provide completely different levels of comfort for bathing procedures.
Sauna on a trailer
For the average user, the best choice would be an autobahn on a two-axle carriage. In the simplest version, this can be a version of a mobile bathhouse - a trailer on wheels with a two-axle configuration. It is also called trailer for its low ground clearance and good stability. A trailer-mounted bathhouse rarely exceeds 2.5-2.8 m in length and 180 cm in width.
The maximum weight does not exceed 700 kg. The design of the bathhouse trailer uses a cladding made of metal siding under timber or logs. It is impossible to leave OSB or plywood uncovered from the wind; when moving, the oncoming wind flow, and even with rain, very quickly renders the wooden surface unusable.
The advantages of a bathhouse on a trailer include:
- Compact, a car with a mobile steam room can drive along any routes and roads, without restrictions;
- No permits are needed to convert the carriage into a bathhouse trailer, the main thing is that the axle load and external dimensions do not go beyond the permitted limits;
- Low price and the opportunity to build a mobile sauna with your own hands. The average cost for re-equipping a trailer is 40% of the cost of building a stationary version of the steam room.
For your information! For a mobile steam room, it is recommended to use two-axle trailers, since a mobile steam bath turns out to be unstable on one pair of wheels, even if it is attached to a car tow bar.
The most luxurious bathhouses are made on the basis of a trailer or semi-trailer attached to a truck tractor. In essence, this is an ordinary autobath installed on a car platform. The price of a bathhouse measuring 3.4x8 m on a three-axle trailer is 8-9 thousand dollars.
The best mobile saunas are made from full-size travel trailers - trailers and camper vans. A simple used trailer of the “Hobby Prestige” type will cost 2-2.5 thousand dollars. For the equipment of the steam room and installation of the stove, another 300-400 dollars, and the mobile autobath will be able to serve for another twenty years.
Bathhouse on the bus
Of course, a new mobile home costs twice as much as any bathhouse. For example, a good Mc Louis 2000 made by Fiat Ducato is estimated at 10-12 thousand dollars, but this is no longer a trailer, but rather a full-fledged bus, equipped with everything necessary for living. You can equip it with a steam room, and the mobile autobath will be able to perform three functions at once:
Moreover, unlike a bulky trailer, the bus bathhouse already has a factory-built toilet, shower, refrigerator, and stove with a gas cylinder. All that remains is to separate part of the space and convert it into a steam room.
PAZ 3205 buses are being successfully converted into a bathhouse, photo.
Thanks to the use of a domestic base, such a bathhouse costs even less than a trailer or trailer of a similar class, approximately 5-6 thousand dollars.
There is also an autobath based on Ikarus and LIAZ vehicles, but city buses are not suitable for arranging a comfortable steam room. The carriage proportions and heavy metal frame quickly cool down the room.
Bathhouse based on GAZ 66
Of all the existing auto versions of a mobile sauna, a steam room based on a “lawn” is rightly considered one of the best, especially if room comfort and high vehicle cross-country ability are required.
The GAZ 66 sauna on wheels will go over any off-road terrain; in fact, the “lawn” is best suited for conversion into a mobile steam room:
- The aluminum kung or booth is insulated with foam plastic; the propulsion system has a built-in industrial voltage electric current generator;
- The design of the machine has a built-in diesel heater - a heater that can easily raise it in 10 minutes. steam room temperature to the required 80 o C;
- The powerful machine is capable of transporting a trailer with a residential module, a mobile electrical installation or a refrigerator.
According to reviews from fishermen and hunters, instead of SUVs and UAZs, it is the autobahn equipped on the GAZ 66 base that is increasingly used for outdoor activities, video
Autobath: design
Couple car models have been in production for a long time. The most important details of the layout - the design of the body or trailer, the optimal location of the sauna, shower and washing compartments, heating stove and heater - have long been successfully tested and honed in practice over many years of operation.
When planning car baths, the following rules are used:
- The paired compartment with the stove is located in the “tail” of the car booth or kung, away from the fuel tank;
- A water supply and a shower stall are installed in the center of the room;
- The wooden body of the bathhouse must be sheathed on the outside with sheet metal.
Wooden saunas burn frequently and quickly; a car sauna, regardless of whether the structure is built on a trailer or on the body of a car, is susceptible to fire much more often than stationary options.
For your information! Wood-burning stoves can only be used for a bathhouse assembled on a two-axle trailer with a steam room area of more than 3.5 m2. In all other cases, the autobath is heated with gas heaters.
Below is a layout option for a five-ton two-axle trailer or on a category “C” vehicle chassis
Bathhouse made of tongue-and-groove boards
A special feature of the tongue and groove board is its strong locking connection, which does not let cold into the bathhouse. Assembly of the structure consists of the following steps:
- The frame of the bathhouse base is assembled from timber with a cross-section of 150 mm. A board 50 mm thick is suitable, but it is laid on edge in the amount of 3 pieces. The frame elements are connected at the corners. Additionally, grooves are cut for the vertical posts of the frame.
- The finished frame is installed on a columnar base. A support must be placed at each angle. Two layers of roofing material are laid between the base and the wooden part of the bathhouse. The horizontalness of the frame is measured using a level.
- The racks of the bath frame are installed in the grooves of the frame and secured with mounting angles. The optimal pitch of vertical elements is 600 mm. Additional racks are placed at the locations of windows and doors.
- Each rack is set vertically in level. Stability is ensured by temporary jibs.
- The racks are connected at the top by strapping made of boards 50 mm thick. In the finished bath frame, check the evenness of the corners and all vertical elements.
- On the outside, the tongue and groove board is nailed horizontally, tightly connecting the locks. The horizontal position of the board ensures the stability of the structure. Do not forget to attach waterproofing under the outer cladding to the bath frame.
- On the inside, mineral wool is laid between the frame posts. The thermal insulation is covered with a vapor barrier.
- Covering the walls of the bathhouse from the inside occurs in the reverse order. The boards are nailed vertically. A ventilation gap is provided between the sheathing and the vapor barrier.
The cladding of the bathhouse ceiling is carried out according to a similar scheme. Thermal insulation is used 2 times thicker than on the walls.
Choosing a wood species
The outside of the bathhouse is covered with any board. Pine and larch will do. Inside the bath, wood should have low thermal conductivity. Linden and aspen are ideal.
DIY sauna on wheels
The easiest way to build a small mobile autobath is based on a standard trailer for a passenger car. Building a mobile sauna with your own hands is no more difficult, and in some ways simpler than a regular backyard sauna for two or three people.
Installation of the structure
First of all, you need to choose the right trailer for your future steam room. Of all the models of small trailers, the best autobahn will be made from two-axle designs with 12 or 13-inch wheel sizes.
This choice is dictated by very practical considerations:
- Firstly, the autobahn is reduced in overall height. The higher the structure, the greater its windage. While driving, in strong winds, a car that is too high can overturn the car;
- Secondly, the bathhouse frame is made only using a frame method from a metal or wooden profile, no timber or log frames;
- The sauna stove is used only as a closed type. The firebox doors and chimney pipe must lead to the outer rear wall.
Initially, a bathhouse frame is welded from a corner or square on a trailer. The lower part and floor are reinforced with striped oak boards. The frame of the bathhouse is welded to the trailer side members with a continuous seam.
In the design of the frame, you immediately need to provide a niche for the heater and a cavity for installing a gas cylinder; if the autobath is on an independent trailer, then you will also need a battery.
Typically, a car fuel cylinder is used, suspended from the front wall of the bathhouse so that the gas can be shut off both from the street and indoors.
The frame is covered with OSB boards and mineral wool insulation.
Exterior finishing
After laying the insulation package, the outer surface of the autobath is sheathed with sheet material; you can use waterproof plywood or OSB sheets.
To protect from rain and wind, the box and roof of the bathhouse can be covered with metal profiles in the color of the trailer and the overall building.
If a mobile autobath is used only during the summer season, and is transported along the roads on a trailer no more than two or three times a year, in this case the bathhouse body can be assembled from timber, and after treating with an antiseptic, do not line the box with clapboard or siding.
Interior design
The walls of the steam room and dressing room of the bathhouse are traditionally lined with linden and pine clapboards, respectively. The inside of the autobath can be lined with plastic or plasterboard; it is better to use such material only on the ceiling and floor covering.
In this case, the space around the sauna heater must be lined with vermiculite thermal insulation, and the floor is laid with unpolished porcelain tiles.
Polycarbonate bath
A summer version of a bathhouse can be built from polycarbonate without much expense. Under the sun, energy is accumulated through transparent sheets, it will be warm inside, and the water will warm up faster. The bathhouse is not used in winter due to the lack of a stove. Additional heating is carried out by electricity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU5qCHvGSKI
To build a bathhouse, you need to install a frame and cover it with polycarbonate. The process consists of the following steps:
- On the site, the dimensions of the bathhouse are marked with stakes and a cord. Concrete foundation pillars are dug in at each angle at the location of the piers.
- The base is covered with roofing felt. The frame of the bathhouse is assembled from timber - a rectangular frame. It is fixed to the foundation pillars with anchor pins. The polycarbonate bathhouse is light, with a large windage. Fixation with anchors will prevent the structure from overturning by the wind.
- Vertical posts made of 50 mm thick boards are fixed to the frame. They are tied on top with a similar board. The rafters are attached to the frame at a distance of 600 mm. To prevent the structure from playing, the racks are reinforced with jumpers and jibs. The rafters are connected with lathing.
- The roof of the bathhouse is covered with one layer of polycarbonate. On the walls, the internal and external cladding is made of two sheets, which eliminates translucency. The partitions inside the bathhouse are similarly made of polycarbonate.
- The floor is made in the simplest way - poured from wooden gratings. For a summer bath, a complex drain with sewerage and concrete screed is not needed.
- You can even supply water to the bathhouse from a boiler or install a heated tank similar to a summer shower.
Oven for a mobile sauna
A small-sized mobile autobath is heated using three types of heating devices:
You can make a stove for a mobile sauna with your own hands, but it is better to use industrial models, for example, propane heat generators or a long-burning briquette stove. Any gasoline, diesel, or alcohol homemade burners and heaters mean that a wooden sauna on a trailer will burn out in the first year of operation.
Documentation
Most often, a car bath on a trailer is not documented with any documents indicating that the structure has been altered. Companies that produce mobile steam rooms indicate in the documents for the trailer information about the presence of an easily removable rigid awning of the frame system.
The situation is more complicated if the autobahn is converted from an old bus or car. In this case, the law requires changes to the description of the vehicle. Now, according to the documents, the autobahn is listed as a mobile residential building. If during the alteration the windows were not cut out, the power elements of the body, truck, or chassis were not changed, then perhaps the car will not need to be re-registered.