Hammam ventilation: features, technical standards, installation tips

What is a hammam and where did this phenomenon come into our lives?

The origin of this bath is not Turkish, but ancient Roman - from the Roman thermal baths. Steam from boiling water outside the room was supplied to holes in the walls, and the stove heated the underground floor on poles. But in Turkey, baths became truly widespread because the Prophet Mohammed declared that the cleanliness of a Muslim’s body is half of his faith, and declared regular visits to the hammam obligatory. The first Russian hammam was incredibly luxuriously built in Tsarskoe Selo according to the design of Ippolit Monighetti.

Sketch by architect Ippolit Monighetti “Turkish Bath”

In Europe, hammams originated in the 19th century and were considered a panacea even for asthma and cholera. They are traditionally spacious and luxurious; marble and mosaics are used for decoration. They have certain architectural principles, in particular - a domed vault, so that water does not collect in the corners and does not drip on vacationers.

Hammam dome in mosaic

Manufacturers of panels for hamam construction

If you build it as expected, then there are 5 main manufacturers of hammam panels.

-panels for hamam wedi . They specialize specifically in extruded polystyrene panels; they are the standard for all other manufacturers, and as a result, they are the most expensive in their class and in principle. They are made in Germany, so we add customs clearance and delivery to the euro exchange rate. It is worth saying that they are mainly designed for standard solutions, so they will not make a dome for a hammam or a sun lounger to order. You will still have to look for those who will make the kit separately.

— Ruspanel panels for hammam. They also specialize in wet areas, production in Moscow. Prices are lower than Vedi's due to the production location in Russia. The main emphasis is on soundproofing panels and thermal insulation of buildings. The quality is no worse than Vedi’s, but they don’t make domes and sunbeds - they also order from other manufacturers and pass them off as their own, with a premium, of course.

— panels for hamam doit. Produced in Poland. They make sun loungers and standard forms of domes for the hammam, so you will have to adjust them to the size of the hammam, or look for a custom-made dome from other manufacturers. The quality is slightly worse than “Vedi”; we were noticed several times using low-quality polystyrene, which released formaldehyde when heated above 65 degrees. It turned out to be simple, people used panels in the construction of a Finnish sauna, and at high temperatures they began to get headaches every time they visited this sauna. The scandal was hushed up, but the sediment remained. Therefore, they are bought for a hammam only if there is a very large discount and the client does not understand the materials or the construction company does not need to give guarantees, as is the case with private teams.

- panels for Listar hamam. Few people know them and that’s good. They specialize specifically in panels for hammam; in addition to all of the above, they are engaged in the production of turnkey domes and sun loungers for hammam in individual sizes. Of course, the range also includes standard solutions for panels, sun loungers and domes. The production is not large, the quality is excellent, almost like Vedi. They cost 2-3 times less than Vedi and are made from the same raw materials. For the construction of hammam, their panels are most often used; a non-standard Ruspanel project is often given to them, then they put their own label. This is one of the few high-quality manufacturers that can cover all the needs for hamam materials within one company. Basically, those who build hammams order all materials from them, since the one-window principle works. It is most convenient to order all components from one manufacturer. Some people order components immediately with installation supervision, as we usually do).

- panels for hammam termite and a-panel. Just like Ruspanel, they specialize in thermal insulation panels. Termite is located in Siberia, so if the boors need to build in Siberia, it is best to order panels from them, you will have to take a standard dome, or order a dome from Listar or from local manufacturers, if applicable. A-panel, these are dealers, each time they sell panels from small manufacturers, we won’t talk about quality or capabilities, we haven’t used them - there are a lot of risks plus questions if there is a complaint about the product.

Now that the panels are selected, we select the equipment. Everything is simple here, according to the project, from the total volume of the room we know what power of the steam generator is needed for a particular hammam, what hood to install, with or without a filter, the shape of the lamps, the kurna for the hammam and the taps for the kurna - it’s not difficult to choose, it’s a matter of taste. The main thing is not to skimp on the steam generator. I won’t go into detail about the device, but from experience, anything cheaper than 60 thousand is usually rubbish. If you choose a cheap one, it is better to take into account the option and the possibility of replacement at the design stage. Often the steam generator is barricaded and if it breaks, you have to remove the tiles, remove the panels, remove the steam generator, repair it and then in the reverse order. At best, the manufacturer will repair it for you under warranty; replacement work will have to be paid for yourself or done with your own hands. Consider whether the savings are worth such risks.

Design and differences from a steam bath and sauna

Hammam is a very special pleasure. Despite the fact that it, like any bathhouse, uses the influence of temperature on a person, the principles of this influence are very different.

Sauna

In the sauna, the temperature can reach up to 1200 with almost very low air humidity. This is a huge burden on the heart, sweating is difficult, but the most important thing in any bath is cleansing the body of waste and toxins through the skin through sweating. But a sauna requires the least space, it does not require a swimming pool and can be installed even in a city apartment.

Sauna in the apartment

Russian steam bath

Much better parameters for health - a combination of temperature and humidity - are maintained in a Russian bath. But even there there are extreme values. At such temperatures and humidity, the heart and blood vessels also do not feel the best. Instant cooling in the font saves. But if you do not have a very hardy heart, it is also better to avoid a steam bath.

Russian steam bath with shelf, heater and fragrant herbs

Turkish hammam

In a Turkish bath there is almost one hundred percent humidity, and the temperature of the air, stone floors and benches does not exceed the very 400 to which the human body temperature rises to the maximum in the bath. It lasts much longer and is better tolerated and is accessible even to children, heart patients and hypertensive patients. You will lose no less fluid and cleanse your body no worse than in other types of baths. You will put in less effort for this - you don’t have to wave a broom, endure the heat, run out and dive into an icy plunge pool. You can easily communicate while steaming, which is practically impossible in a sauna and steam bath. In addition, there is an advantage purely for women: the hammam is much healthier for the face, since it does not cause such a blow to the facial vessels and saturates the face with moisture.

A huge public hammam awaits visitors

But building a hammam is a rather labor-intensive undertaking. It is lined with quite expensive materials - up to marble, mosaic and smalt, it is necessary to provide heating for beds and floors, it requires complex electrical equipment and consumes a lot of electricity for heating. In order to build a hammam at a reasonable cost, you must have a number of special knowledge. In addition, many modern materials are good substitutes for traditional and expensive ones. So building a hammam with your own hands is quite possible.

Examples of private small hammams (photo gallery)

Tiny hammam with a drain in the center of the floor

Hammam illuminated in the form of a “starry sky”

Luxurious marble hammam

Hammam with one bench and a kurna

Stepped mosaic benches

Hammam of a floor structure to save space

Mosaic hammam with corner benches

Hammam with lighting and rounded lines

Oriental hammam with gilding and dome

Hammam in blue glass mosaic

Hammam in simple tiles

Hammam design

Usually the hammam is made in two colors: pastel (different shades of brown) or blue (different shades of blue). They don’t make a red hammam, because the red color does not allow you to relax and, as practice shows, people who chose red tones in the hammam already at the stage of choosing tiles refuse this decision. Therefore, we do not step on this rake and do it without mistakes.

They also try not to use green colors due to associations with moss and algae, it is humid in the hammam and, as practice shows, after 3-6 months people usually change the green color of the tiles to pastel or heavenly. But in any case, it's up to you to decide. Tiles are the final stage, and ultimately, which tile to choose for the hammam is up to you! You can make any shape of sunbeds, floors, domes, kurnas, but you need to understand that if you want to build a hammam cheaply, you will have to abandon individual solutions. Creating a custom-made sunbed is possible and is not expensive, but it takes time and in any case will be more expensive than a standard solution. Let's return to the stages of installing a hammam in an apartment or house.

Preparing for construction

If you build a Turkish bath as a separate building, then the costs of its operation will be prohibitively high. To warm up a stone building, even a well-insulated one, before visiting in winter, you need to warm it up for several days. Therefore, we use one of the premises of our country house or even a large apartment to equip a Turkish bath. It will only need to be rebuilt taking into account the bathing requirements. The sequence of preparatory steps will be as follows.

Summation of requirements

This includes making a preliminary decision: what kind of benches you want and how many, what ceiling height, what kind of scent system, music accompaniment, and so on.

Choosing a room for the future hammam

The number of benches, the presence of a massage table, and the height of the ceilings depend on the room. You need to decide how many people your hammam will accommodate at the same time. The hammam must have a domed ceiling, so the top point of the ceiling should be about 2.7 meters high.

Scheme of a small hammam in 3DMax

At least one full bench for lying 0.6x2 meters is required. If it is possible to squeeze a massage table into the hammam, which is called “chebek” in Turkish, with a free area around it for the massage therapist, then it will be absolutely wonderful; but this is optional. Instead of a massage table, it is better to place another bench.

Optimal hydro- and thermal insulation materials

An excellent modern choice is elements-panels made of Wedi or Lux Element's rigid foam polystyrene made in Germany - lightweight, durable, reinforced with fiberglass mesh, with cement-based waterproofing on both sides.

Sectional view of Lux Element's panel

They are fire resistant, can withstand high temperatures, do not emit harmful substances and are extremely durable. In addition, they hold heavy finishing materials very well: stone, porcelain tiles, tiles, mosaics. No plaster or drywall can compare. The dome can be formed from ready-made dome-shaped panels.

Scheme for insulating a hammam with Lux Element's panels

From the same material you can select ready-made benches and massage tables of almost any configuration.

Choosing finishing materials

The design and price of your hammam largely depend on them. There are quite a few options, they differ in installation complexity and price.

Important! The hammam is always finished with moisture-resistant and heat-resistant material with high structural strength. The tree is inappropriate in it.

Marble is an ideal material for a hammam. But it is very expensive and difficult to install yourself.

Marble bench, marble type – CREMA VALENCIA

Onyx is a very beautiful semi-precious and translucent stone that creates an amber atmosphere. Even more expensive than marble.

Onyx with mosaic

Porcelain tile is an amazingly beautiful and durable material; it perfectly imitates marble and semi-precious onyx.

Finishing the hammam with onyx porcelain stoneware, onyx mosaic

A very interesting, but labor-intensive option is loose mosaic made of smalt. You can show your artistic talents and lay out a lot of panels on the walls and benches, but the construction time for the hammam will be very long.

Loose smalt mosaic

We chose adhesive-based mosaics - this is a quite reasonable compromise in terms of price and quality, besides, it is beautiful and allows you to create smoothly curved surfaces. such a mosaic can be made of natural stone, glass, ceramics. We liked the glass one better.

Finishing mosaic Caramelle mosaic naturelle

Which lamps are better?

This is done in advance for the same reason: it determines the design features. Lamps can be ceiling and wall, on the ceiling - low-voltage halogen or LED spotlights, on the walls - special sconces. LED strips are available. The safest fiber optic lighting is most welcome. With its help, for example, you can create a “starry sky” on the ceiling of the hammam.

Hammam lamp W-071C (brass)

Choosing a heating method for sun loungers, floors and walls. You can choose either electric or water, but the second will be more economical and safer.

Heating of the lounger, walls and floor with hot water pipes

Selecting or designing an equipment room

The technical room will contain an external steam generator, a heating device (for example, an electric or gas boiler for heating water or thermostats for “warm floors” in seats, floors and walls) and lighting system transformers. It’s good if this room is above the ceiling or under the floor of the hammam.

Layout of the steam generator for the hammam in the adjacent room

Steam generator power calculation

The power of the steam generator also depends on the size of the hammam. At your dacha, you are usually limited by the power of your electrical connection. There is a dependence: for a 2x3 meter hammam you need a steam generator with a capacity of at least 9 kilowatts, and if the hammam on the metro is longer and wider, then there are already two steam generators with a total capacity of at least 18 kilowatts. That's a lot. It is also necessary to calculate - if this particular heating method is chosen - the power of electric heating devices. For hard water, the steam generator is connected through a special filter, or a water softening unit is installed in the system before it.

Helo steam generator for hammam

Identifying and resolving power supply issues

The hammam will require higher power supply than the power supply at home; you need to take care of this in advance.

Identifying and resolving water supply issues

It is necessary to think over the water supply and sewage system of the hammam. Under no circumstances should its drain be connected to a common septic tank; it will simply choke due to burst bath discharges. You need to dig a separate drain hole.

Thinking through the ventilation system

If necessary, it must be forced, using fans, to remove excess steam so that it does not fall into condensation on the walls. If desired, you can also design an aromatization system if you do not like the smell of pure water vapor.

Fan for hammam

Drawing up a drawing

And only after all this can you begin to draw up or adjust a drawing that satisfies the room and the desired qualities of the future hammam, drawn up taking into account SNIPs and GOSTs, with visualization and specifications.

Drawing of our future hammam with visualization and specifications

Then we draw up a specification of materials and check the construction estimate. Considering that we already have the premises, there will be no costs for building a foundation, walls and roof.

Examples of drawings of small home hammams built into existing premises (photo gallery)

Scheme of a free-standing hammam with two sunbeds

Diagram of the Malsi hammam, side view

Diagram of the Malsi hammam, top view

Diagram of the Millennium hammam, side view

Diagram of the Millennium hammam, top view

Drawing of a large hammam with a relaxation room

Drawing of a small hammam with an angular outline

Detailed drawing of the hammam

Diagram of a hammam with sunbeds at an angle

Approximate estimate (based on the cost of a real triangular hammam measuring 2.81 by 2.42 m, height 2.5 m) for self-building

Thermal insulation and other materials:

Purchase of equipment:

Finishing and facing materials:

The total amount is about two hundred thousand rubles, which is not that much for such an ambitious project as a home hammam.

What materials should the hammam be assembled from?

Since in a residential building we have limited resources of heat and water, and there is no point in endlessly heating a hammam, especially a stone one, it will be expensive and ineffective. Therefore, now when installing any hammam they use the principle of a thermos, when there is a layer of insulation under the tiles and then black walls under the insulation. In the case of a Hamam in an apartment or house, you need to understand that in addition to thermal insulation, we also need waterproofing, preferably in the same material and so that fungus does not form, otherwise the Hammam will smell musty, and breathing air with fungus is harmful!

Turks, Germans and decent hammam builders have been using hammam panels for these purposes for a long time. Those who like to save money are still coming up with options with mineral wool and pouring antiseptics into the cavities, or constructing everything from concrete (it’s ugly and you won’t get warm, you have to install more powerful heating - which will ultimately result in increased costs for light and heat - that’s the point as far as you know how to count your money. There are craftsmen who build a hammam for half a year - a year, from Gyprock, it usually costs very cheap and the crew number is suspiciously mobile and the builders themselves speak Russian poorly, but “there will be agon.”

Optimal temperature indicators

The human body temperature in any environment is no more than 400. This is achieved by the fact that when the ambient temperature rises, a person sweats and releases excess heat with moisture into the surrounding air. This is the basis for the effect of any bath; they differ in the ratio of temperature and air humidity.

The best state of health at a certain combination of humidity and temperature is graphically expressed by homeothermal curves: below the first curve is the optimal combination of temperature up to 900 and humidity up to 80%. It is the combination of temperature of about 40% and almost one hundred percent humidity that gives hammams.

Homeothermal curves - theoretical dependences of relative humidity on temperature

Equipment installation

This process depends only on the selected steam generator model. However, most of these devices have the same operating principle. Therefore, the unit itself is installed in a utility room, and the output from it is connected to nozzles mounted under benches or a sunbed. In ancient times, this room took a very long time to heat. However, in our time, mats or pipe routing are used for heating, which are used in heated floors. The fact is that 50 degrees is quite enough for a hammam, and such systems can easily create the desired temperature. Installation of equipment may also require special knowledge and skills. However, their area is significantly different from those used previously. And even after watching a special video, you will not be able to acquire the necessary skills in this area.

Features of using the hammam

• After completing all the work, you need to let your hammam stand for a couple of weeks, slightly maintaining the heating of the surfaces. This is done to ensure that all solutions and adhesives dry completely.
• The first start-up should be long and gradual, with a slow increase in heating temperature. This is done to prevent thermal expansion from causing the surfaces to crack. This is especially dangerous for all-stone and all-marble surfaces.
• During short breaks in the hammam operation, all heating should not be turned off. If the break is expected to be long, you need to leave the heating on the benches and massage table.
• It is necessary to keep the hammam clean and frequently clean it with special detergents for marble, tiles, and glass.
• If the water is hard, you need to remove scale from the steam generator tank on heating elements using a solvent according to the instructions, depending on the hardness at certain intervals: the harder the water, the more often. In addition, the steam generator must self-clean every few hours: drain water from the tank and add new water.
• During steaming, the ventilation hole should be kept slightly open, since the air exchange you need is equal to 4-6 volumes of your hammam per hour.

If you follow these simple rules, your hammam will serve you for a long time and will not cause any problems.

How long does it take to install a hammam?

The construction of a turnkey hammam in an apartment, excluding the design stage, design and waiting for tiles (if not in stock), takes up to 4 weeks. The work will also be greatly delayed by comments from unqualified customers and “economists”. In the first case, you have to spend time explaining the stages of hammam construction and the difference in material, while at the same time killing the customer’s “toad” in favor of common sense. In the second case, the hammam has to be remade, and although remodeling is not a rewarding task, the customer usually does not have enough budget for the second hammam, which we have already made according to our minds. Unfortunately, no matter how we understand the client’s situation and the desire to build an excellent Hammam cheaply, quality work costs its money.

Be vigilant, respect yourself, your time and your money. Remember that in established markets there cannot be low prices. All prices for the Construction or installation of Hammam for those who are actually able to complete the Construction with high quality are approximately the same. If you see the price for hammam below the market, then perhaps it is you who will be left in the fool, and not the Company of green Youths who decided, after the next business training, to “break the market”.

I wish that your budget always falls within the estimate. Install the hammam correctly and do not hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear.

Insulation

Wedi panels are usually used to perform this operation. This modern material is specially designed to create thermal insulation in difficult conditions. It is fixed to the surface using cement or planting plaster, while leveling the walls themselves. Hamam heating elements are usually placed in special grooves or grooves, which are made in the insulation in accordance with the design. After this, the surface can be puttied or a topcoat applied to it. This material allows you to reduce installation time, and in some cases even reduce its cost.

INTERIOR ELEMENTS

Sun lounger. Needed for complete relaxation. There is no way to install it in a personal hammam, but in a compact one it is quite possible to combine it with a regular or anatomical bench.

Anatomical shop. Much more convenient than usual. Has an anatomically shaped bench. If you want to sit comfortably, choose this option. If you want to save money, don’t check the box.

A massage table. Doesn’t fit into a personal hammam at all (skip the option). And it takes up quite a lot of space in a compact one. But, if you really love massage and are willing to sacrifice convenience and one seat, choose this option.

Kurna. In classical oriental traditions, it is a stone bowl. Usually 2 kurnas are installed (with warm and cool water). But in small hammams, where every centimeter is worth its weight in gold, it is quite possible to get by with one sink, with two taps installed above it and a drain into a pipe. Or even replace the kurna with a shower hose for comfortable water procedures.