An easy guide to wood burning sauna stoves updated 2023 sun valley saunas
Your Easy Guide to Wood Burning Sauna Stoves
The Narvi NC wood burning sauna stove is a traditional stove from one of the oldest sauna companies in Finland. Narvi simply makes some of the highest-quality wood-burning sauna stoves on the market. The Narvi NC wood-burning sauna stoves are regarded as a beefier version of the Harvia M3.Your Easy Guide to Wood Burning Sauna Stoves
If you're a traditionalist or admire the original way things were done with saunas, then you will know that a sauna wood stove is still the best way to enjoy the wonderful effects that a sauna can give you.
In traditional saunas, it was the natural heat source from within the sauna that enabled the high temperatures for the whole room.
That differs somewhat from modern approaches like the use of lights in infrared saunas which are designed to heat your body directly. Other more modern innovations like electric sauna heaters heat the room, but they're a modern invention.
For us purists, however, to reach room temperature up to 200 Fahrenheit, a wood-burning sauna stove is how we want to do it.
Our Top Choices for Wood Burning Sauna Stoves
- Small outdoor saunas
- Barrel saunas
- Cost-conscious sauna lovers
- Medium-sized outdoor saunas
- Aesthetics
- Clean wood loading
- Large outdoor saunas
- Excellent wood burning efficiency
- Long warranty
Using a wood-burning stove in your sauna is for people who appreciate the entire sensory experience from the smell of the fire through to the waves of heat it produces as opposed to the more constant heat of modern units.
People who appreciate a more traditional experience also often point to the quality of the heat that an outdoor sauna wood burning stove produces compared to that of more modern infrared or electric units.
In this article, we are going to take a closer look at some of our top wood burning sauna stoves and why you would choose one over another as well as a few ideas on how to really get the most out of your traditional sauna experience.
To jump straight in, here is what we will go over:
- Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna Stove
- Huum Hive Wood Burning Sauna Stove
- Narvi Wood Burning Sauna Stoves
- How to Use Your Wood Burning Sauna Stove
- The Best Wood for a Wood Burning Sauna Stove
These are the key takeaways from this article:
- The best small, medium and large wood-burning sauna stoves are the Harvia M3, Huum Hive and Narvi NC respectively.
- Wood-burning sauna stoves are best for those traditionalists who appreciate the complete and authentic experience of a classic sauna
- To build a great fire in a sauna wood stove, you will want to build it out using hardwood (softwoods are used in construction as they retain heat more effectively)
- When choosing a hardwood to burn, efficiency of burning, moisture content, resin content, cost and sustainability will be the main concerns. (Birch, Fir and Oak are great as are Apple Wood or Maple)
Top 3 Wood Burning Sauna Stoves
1. Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna Stove
The Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna stove is great for smaller outdoor saunas (up to 460 cubic feet).
An efficient and practical sauna stove, the Harvia M3 features a tempered glass window to highlight the crackling fire. The rest of the heater is built with cast iron and stainless steel. A durable wood-burning sauna stove, the Harvia M3 is a classic heater with an updated modern look.
The stone capacity is 66 lbs which enables the heater to emit the intense heat more evenly and consistently, a process made even more efficient by the graphite black and cast iron construction of the unit.
Those materials also ensure the durability of the heater in harsh conditions and the soot opening and ash box makes cleaning quite easy.
This heater is one that people who still appreciate traditional things will love, even if they are on a tighter budget.
2. Huum Hive Wood Burning Sauna Stove
Huum offers an amazing wood-burning sauna stove - the Hive. Featuring a "basket" design, the Hive Wood Burning Sauna Stove is made up of a large stainless steel basket (kind of like a cage) that holds between 200 and 286 pounds of stones.
The stones are heated by the cast iron firebox, which gets your sauna up to over 200 degrees and means you can keep that heat and steam in your sauna longer.
With a unique and upscale look, the Hive wood-burning sauna stove is an absolute showstopper — we really love the look of the Hive, although some people might be looking for something slightly more conventional. We think it's gorgeous.
The Hive's efficient design also allows for less wood to be used in your sauna sessions. That's great for the environment and also means you spend less of your sauna session filling or refilling the stove.
For traditionalists, the wood-burning Hive will be a solid alternative to the Huum electric sauna heaters, which are Red Dot Award-winning and perhaps a more modern alternative to the wood-burning models like The Hive that we really love.
One add-on that is well worth considering is the external firebox extension which allows more convenient and cleaner wood loading from outside the sauna. If you want to just pile up a bunch of wood outside close to the firebox, and don't want to lug it into the sauna, or risk getting small pieces of wood on the floor of your sauna, the "extended throat" wood burning sauna stove is an awesome feature.
3. The Narvi NC Wood Burning Sauna Stove
The Narvi NC wood burning sauna stove is a traditional stove from one of the oldest sauna companies in Finland. Narvi simply makes some of the highest-quality wood-burning sauna stoves on the market. The Narvi NC wood-burning sauna stoves are regarded as a beefier version of the Harvia M3.
The tempered glass window allows for that beautiful natural fire atmosphere in your sauna adding to your all-round traditional sauna experience. The cast iron construction retains heat ensuring even and continuous flow through the sauna ensuring a lasting intensity which is ensured by the solid 100lb capacity for the stones.
The other thing to know about Narvi is that their stoves will last longer than just about any other wood-burning sauna stove meaning that you can be confident that you are buying among the highest quality available. Available in either black or stainless steel.
Saunas from this incredible company are a relative newcomer to the USA market and they are sure to become the leaders in sauna wood stoves (among other sauna products) as they are back in Finland.
The Three Best Wood Burning Sauna Stoves Compared
Let's take a look at how these three titans of the wood-burning sauna stove world compare to each other and see which is best for your own needs.
| Sauna Stove | Dimensions | Casing Material | Price |
| Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna Stove | For saunas up to 460 cubic feet, typically small 1–2-person saunas | Graphite black stainless steel, which resists rust and corrosion | From $761 |
| Huum Hive Wood Burning Sauna Stove | For saunas up to 565 cubic feet, typically medium-sized | Brushed stainless steel for a sleek look that also withstands corrosion | From $1,678 |
| Narvi Wood Burning Sauna Stoves | For saunas up to 847 cubic feet, usually large 6–8-person saunas | Black painted cast iron or stainless steel for durability and rust resistance | From $1,795 |
These three wood sauna stove options are all very solid choices that are built well to help avoid corrosion and rust. But it will probably come down to the size of your sauna as to your ultimate decision.
Sun Valley Saunas boasts 100+ 5-star reviews on Trustpilot. Find out why other buyers love our traditional wood-fired sauna stoves.
How to Use Your Wood Burning Sauna Stove
At their core, wood burning sauna stoves are pretty self explanatory to use. You put wood in the firebox, you light it on fire, wait around for 45 minutes and you've got yourself a nice hot sauna.
While the basics are pretty simple, there are some pro tips that can help get your sauna running nice and over and over.
- Always start with a clean firebox. Pull the ash tray out of the firebox and empty it and clean it before every use. This will help keep the logs you put into the firebox burning cleanly.
- Firewood. Load your logs into the firebox. I like to use 5 or 6 logs when I start, and, using a version of the upside down fire method, I place the largest logs on the bottom, and the smallest on top, with very small fire starters, paper and kindling at the very top. As the kindling and paper burn they trickle down and get the larger pieces going.
- Wait! Once you have your fire going in your wood-burning sauna stove, let it do its thing for 45 minutes to an hour, with the damper open. This should be enough time for the wood to burn nice and hot, and for your coals to form. At this time you can throw another log on the coals, if need be, but your sauna should be around 150 to 175 degrees by this point.
- Damper Closed. At this point you can experiment with the damper on your wood-burning sauna stove, but your fire should be burning hot and closing the damper will let less oxygen into the firebox and increase the temperature in the firebox.
A few other tips to make sure the temperature is consistent.
- keeping the size of your wood pieces roughly the same gives a predictable burn rate
- keep the door to the fire closed as much as possible
- use the air intakes to adjust the air flow to your fire
Finally, when you're done with your sauna and the firebox has cooled down, rinse and repeat by cleaning out your firebox for the next sauna session.
Quick Tip - Good quality wood is more important than you might think. Dry firewood and kindling is a must to ensure a clean burn and avoid smoke. You want a sauna, not a smoker!
The Best Wood for a Wood Burning Sauna Stove
Not all wood is created equally, and that is certainly true when we're talking about heating up your wood-fired sauna. Let's first talk about the quality of the wood you should look for and then the types of wood that best fit that criteria.
- Moisture Content - When you're looking for wood that burns efficiently, moisture content in the realm of 15% to 20% is about right.
- Energy Efficiency - Some wood contains more burnable energy than others and in general, hardwoods are a better option for this than softwoods. For example, Birch and Oak are great!
- Resin Content - Resin tends to smoke so if your wood has a lot of it, it can be a problem for use in a sauna stove.
- Environmental Sustainability - Locally sourced wood from regrowth forests is a better choice for this.
- Cost - Some woods are more expensive than others. A good compromise between cost and burn quality is Birch or Fir.
All hardwoods, some of the woods we like to use in our best wood burning sauna stoves are:
- Birch - Smells great and burns really hot. Downside is that it can burn quickly.
- Fir - Easy to split, and burning hot, Douglas Fir is an underrated wood for your wood-burning sauna heater.
- Oak - Everyone loves oak. A hardwood that burns long and hot, you can't go wrong with oak in your sauna stove.
- Apple Wood - Producing very little smoke, Apple Wood burns long and hot. The downside is it's always available everywhere, but if you can find it it's a great option to use in your sauna stove.
- Maple - Easy to find, this is another hardwood that burns long and hot. An easy choice for your wood-burning sauna stove.
These are also the options I'd go with if I were looking to heat a wood fired hot tub too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a wood sauna stove last?
Typically wood sauna stoves have a warranty of around 1-5 years. If longevity is important to you then choosing a reputable manufacturer is important. Of the three stoves we like, the Narvi has the longest warrant and they are a very well-regarded manufacturer from Finland.
What is the best wood to burn in a sauna stove?
We recommend Birch, Fir, Oak, Apple Wood or Maple for burning in your sauna stove as they are known to be more efficient than other woods, however, any wood that burns will theoretically work (we just don't recommend it).
How far should a sauna wood stove be from the wall?
Leave a minimum of 48 inches in front of your wood-fired sauna, then 8 inches on each side, and 8 inches to the fire shield. If in doubt, add a few more inches, but don't have less space than we have just advised.
When you receive your sauna wood stove, check the instructions in the box. Your specific model will have accurate information about the required clearance distances. Safety first.
Does a wood fired sauna need electricity?
Wood-fired saunas do not require electricity for heating but may require an electricity source for lighting if that is important to you.
These saunas are wood-fired with an old-fashioned fire in a stove. They need a chimney or vent to get rid of the smoke, but they most definitely don't need electricity for heating.
If the stove has a glass hatch, the fire will usually give you enough light for the sauna. Many people also use simple candles or storm lanterns if they want more light (be careful with open flames obviously!).
However, some wood-fired saunas use fiber-optic lighting or specialist sauna LEDs which do require a source of electricity. Some people use a battery source for this.
Embrace Tradition With a Sauna Wood Stove!
Wood-burning sauna stoves are best suited to people who want to embrace the classic essence of the traditional sauna experience as it has been practiced for thousands of years.
The rich smell of a well-built fire with the pulsating intense heat and steam of a quality sauna is difficult to replicate with modern electric or infrared saunas.
While our favourite three selections are above, you might like to also take a look at our best wood-burning sauna stoves as there are a lot of options.
With an A- BBB rating since 2021, join over a hundred buyers and explore all our best selling sauna wood stoves.
It takes more effort to run a wood-burning sauna, but the payoff is worth it in every possible way. Enjoy and sauna on!
Wes McMahon, is the founder of Sun Valley Saunas and a seasoned ski town sauna enthusiast. In early 2021, Wes transitioned from being an attorney and sauna aficionado in Sun Valley, Idaho, to founding Sun Valley Saunas. His deep appreciation for the Finnish sauna tradition has helped him understand and select high-quality, hand-built saunas for customers throughout North America. Combined with his understanding of the therapeutic and communal benefits of sauna culture, he advocates for the wellness practices that saunas can bring to your overall health. Got questions? Get in touch by calling 1-855-963-5665 or [email protected]
Important: The information provided in our articles about saunas and related topics is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare practitioner before using saunas, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions or are pregnant. Individual health needs vary, and what benefits one person may not be suitable for another.
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