Can an Outdoor Sauna Be Used in a Canadian Winter?
by Procraft
Yes. Winter is when most people want a sauna most, and a properly built
outdoor sauna is made for it. What matters is that the room is well insulated, the
heater is sized with cold weather in mind, and you allow a longer warm-up on a cold
day. Our 8kW and 9kW heaters exist for exactly this.
What changes in the cold
Longer warm-up. Starting from well below freezing takes longer
than starting from a mild day. Use the built-in 3-hour timer and start it earlier.
The heater works harder. More heat escapes to the cold outside, so
the heater cycles more to hold temperature.
Sizing matters more. A heater that is fine for a mild autumn
evening can struggle in February. This is why we point outdoor and cold-climate
installs at the 8kW or
the 9kW.
Building for winter
A sauna that performs through a Canadian winter comes down to the build.
Insulation. The single biggest factor in whether a winter sauna is
a pleasure or a fight.
A tight room. Well-fitted boards and a good door seal keep the heat
where you want it. This is one of the practical arguments for cedar, which stays
dimensionally stable so joints stay tight.
A solid, drained base. Ground that heaves or holds water is a
winter problem. See sauna
foundations.
Cedar on the outside. Western red cedar resists rot naturally and
takes snow, rain and sun without chemical treatment.
Using it in winter
Keep the path to the door clear and safe, since you will be walking it barefoot.
Start the heater early rather than opening the door repeatedly to check.
Let the room dry out afterwards, same as any other time of year. See
cedar sauna maintenance.
The cold plunge into snow afterwards is entirely up to you.
The short version
A well-insulated cedar sauna with a correctly sized heater is a genuine winter
pleasure in this country. Build it right and size the heater for the cold, and the
weather stops being a problem.
Procraft builds Western red cedar saunas and makes four CSA-approved electric sauna heaters from 4.5kW to 9kW. See the heaters, read about Western red cedar, or see how installation works.