The number and location of bath windows is determined at the stage of creating the project for the future building. Windows for a bathhouse provide reliable sound and heat insulation, and are also an integral decorative element of the structure. When installing windows, it is important to take into account not only their design features, but also the materials from which the bathhouse itself is built - wood, concrete or brick.
Are there technical standards?
This is what Finns do in a public sauna, by the way.
We studied SNiP II-L.13-62 “Baths. Design Standards (with Changes)” in search of an answer to this question. However, it does not say anything about the size of the window in the bathhouse, only that yes, windows are needed, and they must be made with glazing suitable for winter frosts. If you are suddenly interested, then double glazing up to -40 degrees according to SNiP , and if in winter the temperature drops below -40, then triple glazing.
A couple more tips from the same document:
- It is recommended to install transoms and vents in windows for ventilation (which is why we have a sneaking suspicion that the windows themselves are meant to be blind, that is, without the ability to open).
- It is better not to make wooden window sills in wet rooms at all. Make them out of something else and cover them with glazed tiles.
However, this SNiP talks about the construction of public baths, so its applicability in a private bath is rather conditional.
Heat loss and good sides
Since there are no technical standards, we have to rely on common sense: that’s why, traditionally, small windows are installed in the bathhouse ? Correct answer: to reduce heat loss. But the question is, is the situation with glass still the same as one of the main sources of heat loss? After all, double-glazed windows that cope quite well with retaining heat indoors.
In addition, if desired, you can also make a coating on the glass, which reflects heat into the room . Although this will increase the cost of installing such windows.
CONCLUSION! Nobody cancels the relationship between the area of material without thermal insulation and heat loss. But double-glazed windows have less loss than conventional windows.
By the way, we found a completely scientific description of the heat loss inherent in double-glazed windows. It says they occur either by infiltration or transmission. In the first case, we are talking about the penetration of air into the chambers of the glass unit under the influence of wind and heat pressure. In the second, we are talking about the thermal conductivity of the window materials themselves.
Calculations carried out by engineers say the following (the wooden window taken for comparison means an old-style window):
Below you can see a graph that shows the relationship between the window area and the associated heat loss:
In other words, the more you take care of the protective properties of the window structures you choose, the less reason there is to follow tradition and make small windows in the bathhouse .
However, small windows will cost
less and will not require investment in infrared reflective film.
Well, here everyone will choose for himself what he likes and can afford. We are only clarifying that in our time the old restrictions are no longer relevant.
As for the good sides, everything is simple and obvious:
- firstly, with windows, the bathhouse is ventilated and dried faster, although for drying, the stove will still be even more important.
- secondly, sunlight enters through the windows, which is always better than artificial light.
- thirdly, windows in the bathhouse guarantee that visitors will not experience discomfort from the enclosed space. And if the view outside the window is beautiful, then they will also admire it during the procedures.
Installation of canvases
Installing windows is a rather labor-intensive process. If you have never installed canvases before, entrust the work to specialists.
Installation of a wooden window (stone baths)
The process consists of several stages.
- Measuring openings. The work is performed using a tape measure, plumb lines or level. The area is cleared of any kind of contamination.
- Installation of windows. The canvases are usually attached in three ways - using anchors, dowels and blocks. The most commonly used are dowels. Holes are drilled in the frame, then the structure is inserted into the opening, after which it is leveled, and then the places for the dowel sleeves are marked. The frame is set aside and holes are drilled in the walls using a hammer drill. At this stage, the dowels are driven into the holes, the frame is inserted, nails are driven into the sleeves and all gaps are filled.
Installation of a wooden window (wooden baths)
The work will not cause difficulties if you do it step by step.
- Measurement. The work area is cleared. The height and width are measured.
- Casing (casing). The box protects the canvas from the harmful effects of negative factors. It is made from bars. A small gap is left between it and the wall. The casing is fixed using a tenon or embedded beam. The first method is most often used: a tenon is cut on the side walls of the opening, and a groove is cut on the casing, then the elements are tightly connected.
- Installation of canvas. The frame is inserted, leveled, connected to the frame and secured with fasteners.
In principle, the work is not difficult, but it requires a responsible and painstaking approach.
Installation of plastic sheets (wooden baths)
The work consists of two stages.
Manufacturing of casing. The process looks like this:
- a groove is cut out;
- the work area is cleared;
- a block is cut out;
- insulation is placed in the hole made in the opening;
- the block is fixed;
- attached to the frame of the box post;
- lower and upper jumpers are installed;
- holes near the jumpers are insulated;
- a window structure is inserted into the frame;
- platbands are fixed.
Window installation after shrinkage. The following work is performed:
- the casing is removed;
- cracks are sealed;
- wood is treated with antiseptic compounds;
- foil tape is fixed;
- the window block is attached;
- a window is installed;
- the position of the canvas is checked;
- the frame box is fixed;
- the gaps are filled with foam;
- the hardened polyurethane foam is cut off;
- platbands are tightly fixed;
- the ebb is installed at an angle from the opening and the gap is foamed.
Yes, it’s still a lot of work!
Options
Well, in fact, there are not so many options for windows for a bathhouse, but with sizes there is complete freedom. You can choose from finished products to suit almost any taste or for any design project.
So, you can install either plastic or wooden structures. If you want to get acquainted with the nuances of the construction of both, read our articles on plastic and wood in the bathhouse.
Here we will touch only on the most basic points related to the material from which the frame is made.
Plastic
The wave of popularity of plastic has made it conditionally suitable for installation in bathhouses.
IMPORTANT! The main advantage of plastic in a bathhouse is its indifference to water. The main disadvantage is that it does not respond well to both simply high temperatures and temperature changes.
One conclusion follows from the above:
ON A NOTE! If you want, place plastic where the temperatures are low - in the washing room, in the dressing room, in the rest room. Some people don’t complain about anything, putting it in the steam room of a Russian bath, where I don’t raise the temperature above 65. But don’t put it in a sauna - this is a completely different temperature regime.
small plastic shower window
there are also those who put quite large windows in the steam room
The sizes of plastic windows can vary widely: from a tiny window of 20x30 or 30x30 cm, which is only enough to stick your head out of, to the standard size of a plastic window in an ordinary residential building. Of course, a window of any required size will be made for you, but usually the largest is standard for residential premises. And by the way, it is usually placed in the rest room or dressing room.
Wooden
There are old (Soviet) wooden window structures and new ones. The latter are distinguished by the fact that they have the same double-glazed windows as in plastic, but the frame is made entirely of wood. The old ones suffered from the following disadvantages: they were not airtight and released up to 70% of the heat from the room.
A modern wooden frame with double-glazed windows can be used as a window for a bathhouse; The dimensions are also determined primarily by the project approved by the customer. Because such a frame (like a plastic one) is manufactured based on the results of measurements of the client’s window opening.
In principle, the profile of a wooden window frame can be viewed when choosing from most major manufacturers. It looks like plastic, but it doesn't have internal voids like that one.
If we talk about the advantages and disadvantages, then wood, of course, is preferable due to the fact that it does not emit volatile organic and inorganic compounds like plastic, but this is only if it has not been treated with various impregnations or varnishes that protect it from high humidity and temperature . And if the wood is not treated, then it should not last in the bath - it will rot, develop mold, etc.
ADVICE! Builders advise calculating the size of windows in bathhouses so that they do not exceed the area of the area that occupies 5% of the floor area of the given room. In a 2x3 meter steam room, 5% is 0.3 square meters.
Comparative characteristics of different materials
High-quality wooden panels:
- service life – at least 100 years;
- air permeability coefficient – 15–25 kg/m2/h;
- thermal conductivity coefficient – 0.18 W/m2/s;
- compression deformation coefficient – 10 E N/mm2;
- Impact resistance – high.
Plastic option:
- service life – at least 50 years;
- air permeability coefficient – 3–4 kg/m2/h;
- thermal conductivity coefficient – 0.15–0.2 W/m2/s;
- compression deformation coefficient – 2.7 E N/mm2;
- Impact resistance – average.
Combined fabrics:
- service life – at least 90 years;
- air permeability coefficient – 4.9 kg/m2/h;
- thermal conductivity coefficient – 0.71 W/m2/s;
- compression deformation coefficient – 18–40 E N/mm2;
- Impact resistance – high.
Thus, dear friends, there is plenty to choose from!
In the steam room
Regarding the size of the window in the steam room, there are no agreements between bathhouse lovers, there have not been, and it is unlikely that they will ever be reached.
The trends are as follows: some say that windows are needed for rapid ventilation , so the size needs to be appropriate (not too small).
Others believe that a window is needed to stick your head out through it when your body is steaming with might and main.
Still others care about emergency exits , therefore they believe that the dimensions of the window should be such that in the event of a fire it is possible to leave the bathhouse through it. (Their opponents believe that such a window is also convenient for getting inside.)
For the fourth, a blind window is generally enough, as long as sunlight penetrates through it.
In general, there are no better or worse options here. The minimum size, as mentioned above, is 20x30 or 30x30 cm.
Windows are often placed in the steam room in the following size range: height from 40 to 60 cm, width from 60 to 80 cm. As you can see, there is freedom to vary the degree of elongation of the rectangle.
A window with a length of a meter or more on one side is a rarity in a steam room.
FINISH
Water-based paint, which has proven itself in the production of ordinary wooden windows, unfortunately, is not suitable for windows used in the steam room.
But the Adler company has a special line of paints under the HighRes® brand. This is a highly transparent glaze that is resistant to extremes of temperature and humidity.
In the rest room
But in the bathhouse, in the relaxation room, the size of the windows is more than a meter on the side - quite a normal phenomenon. This room is perceived as a living room, like an ordinary room in an ordinary house, so there is often a full-size window there (but not for everyone, of course), and sometimes upholstered furniture is placed there.
WARNING! Not the topic of the article, but still: high humidity in a bathhouse generally spoils upholstered furniture.
Bathhouse with a large relaxation room
Some people opt for two windows at once in the rest room. Moreover, they can be located either on one wall or on adjacent or opposite ones.
Of course, if there are two windows, then their sizes may be smaller. As for the location, it is especially not recommended to place their friend opposite each other on opposite walls. You will not only get a strong draft, but, under certain circumstances, smoke from the stove may also fly inside.
In the dressing room
Let's start with the fact that not every bathhouse has a separate dressing room. This is something like a hallway in an apartment. A dressing room is needed mainly to cut off frosty air from the street and not let it into the interior of the bathhouse.
At the same time, they try (if possible) to make doors not opposite each other, but on adjacent walls.
If the dressing room is larger than the tiny vestibule between two doors, then there may be enough space in it for a window . In this room, this window is least needed for ventilation, but is quite suitable for improving illumination.
In general, the window in the dressing room can be the size of an ordinary window (if space allows), or even just a window.
GLASS UNIT
When ordering any window, it is important to choose the right glass unit, and for a bathhouse this is even more important.
Firstly, the double-glazed window must be warm - then it will save a lot of energy when heating the steam room.
Secondly, the double-glazed window must be heat-resistant, because ordinary glass is not designed to operate at temperatures below one hundred degrees.
Thirdly, the double-glazed windows should not be afraid of low temperatures - not all baths are heated in winter, and ordinary double-glazed windows are also not designed for this.
Therefore, we suggest using a special double-glazed window: double-chamber with energy saving and argon, and tempered inner glass.
