Gas and Propane Sauna Heaters

Gas and propane heater prices

Torch prices appear as a range on the retailer's pages ($3,359 to $4,199 on one page and $3,699 to $4,499 on another). Scandia prices vary by dealer, fuel and vent direction: we saw the 40K BTU at $3,600, $3,800 and $4,100, and the 80K BTU at $5,200 and $6,500.

What sizes mean

Gas heaters are rated in BTU per hour. The makers above rate their smallest units for rooms of about 140 to 150 cubic feet and their 80K to 90K BTU units for big rooms up to 950 to 1,680 cubic feet. Measure the inside of your sauna (length x width x height in feet) and pick a heater whose range covers it.

Installation requirements

• Venting: the Titan SL1 listing calls for a low air intake of at least 54 sq in and a high exhaust of at least 39 sq in on the wall opposite the heater, venting straight outdoors, with natural rather than fan ventilation.
• Floor: the same heater needs a non-combustible surface underneath.
• Fuel outside: propane cylinders and regulators stay outside the sauna room.
• Installer: one Scandia dealer states the heater must be installed only by a licensed HVAC professional.
• Barrel saunas: one dealer warns that the curved walls of a barrel often make it impossible to meet residential codes for a gas install.

Natural gas or propane

Most heaters here come set up for one fuel. Scandia sells a pilot conversion kit from natural gas to propane for $119.50. Natural gas suits homes that already have a line nearby. Propane suits remote sites, where a tank sits outside the sauna.

Gas, electric or wood

Most backyard saunas use electric heat because the heater is cheaper and the install is simpler. See sauna heater prices and the size calculator.

Worked example: sizing a gas heater

Take a 6 x 7 x 7 ft room. That is 294 cubic feet. It sits inside the Titan SL1 range (140 to 425 cu ft insulated), the Torch TS-65F range (150 to 450 cu ft) and the Scandia 40K range (up to about 616 cu ft). It is below the Torch TS-85F, which starts at 450 cu ft. Glass doors and walls lose heat faster, so stay toward the middle of a range rather than at the top.

Published specs

Questions to ask before you buy

• Is there a gas line within reach of the sauna, or will you use a propane tank?
• Will your local code official allow a gas heater in your sauna design?
• Who will install it? Get a written quote from a licensed gas or HVAC contractor first.
• Does the heater need a power supply for its controls or ignition? Standing pilot and piezo ignition both appear on Scandia listings.
• Which way will it vent? Scandia sells horizontal and vertical vent versions, and prices differ.

Where gas makes sense

• Remote cabins or lake lots without 240V service.
• Large commercial or club saunas, where Scandia gas heaters are common.
• Homes with a gas line already near the sauna site.

For a typical backyard barrel, an electric heater costs less to buy and to install. A wood stove is the other no-electric choice. Compare all three on sauna heater prices.