There are many methods for building water supply in a bathhouse, from a simple rubber pipe (temporary pipe), which is laid along a wire stretched between the buildings, to a serious self-regulating system with heating and automatic draining. The water supply scheme is traditionally selected according to the operating conditions, the distance of the water source and the frequency of use of the steam room. The main thing is that in winter the pipes and shut-off valves of the water supply system do not break the frozen water inside. Let's look at how to install plumbing in a bathhouse in winter.
Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter?
In the summer, the days are much longer, the sun sets later, so many consider this time to be the most profitable for building baths.
The warm sun allows you to slowly carry out your construction work, installing all the elements according to the established scheme. But if there is a need for construction during cold weather, is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter?
The answer for some lovers of light steam may be unexpected, because such a process is also considered possible, and even has some advantages over working in the warm season.
Features of frosty construction
If the building is located away from busy highways, then the snow-covered path will always have a hard surface, unlike a broken summer highway or impassable mud. Groundwater typical for the spring-summer period will also not be able to interfere with the construction of the foundation.
Warehouses become noticeably empty by February, and sellers have to purchase new lots of fresh timber.
Wood harvested in winter also has a lot of positive qualities:
- due to low sap flow, wood has minimal moisture content;
- Winter wood practically does not split when working with it;
- minimal shrinkage of the building occurs.
In winter, it is easier to choose good helpers for construction, since the main seasonal work has not yet begun.
Before building a bathhouse in winter, select the most current construction scheme. The materials for it are:
- brick;
- natural stone;
- block slabs;
- wooden logs.
The annual rings of winter wood are significantly closer to each other, which provides it with maximum strength. The reduced temperature regime does not allow the development of rotting processes and the development of parasites inside wooden structural elements, because various molds or fungi, algae prefer warm, cozy places for development and reproduction.
VIDEO: How to determine wood moisture content without instruments
Restrictions for winter
It is worth noting that building a bathhouse in winter has its limitations. It is necessary to use wood, store it or work with it until the ambient temperature reaches -20 0 C. A decrease in this level causes the wood to become relatively fragile, which prevents its quality use.
For plastic roofing materials, the threshold level is limited to a negative value of -15 0 C. For metal tiles, this limitation is not relevant. It can also be used at lower threshold temperatures. Given that there are not so many significant frosts in mid-latitudes in winter, it is possible to conduct your activities for a long period.
A waterproofing layer is laid between the roof and the tiles. Most often, rolled roofing felt acts in this capacity.
Preliminary operations
In order for a Russian bathhouse to be as stable as possible in winter, it is necessary to make a reliable foundation for it. You will have to dig a pit for it in frozen ground. It will be possible to partially warm it up with the help of a fire pre-lit over the work site. Special heat guns also help warm the soil.
Using simple cement will be ineffective, so they use a special material that includes anti-frost components. The concrete will need to be preheated to a temperature of 40-60 0 C. Electric current helps with this. The whole process takes 20-30 minutes.
In frosty conditions, special cement hardens in about 4 weeks; only after this time has passed, the foundation for a bathhouse in winter can be used for further work.
Pile-screw structures have proven their effectiveness. This foundation for a bathhouse in winter will be appropriate for a small one-story structure made of timber. The foundation is based on screw piles.
A screw pile is a pipe with a pointed tip and blades, which, when screwed into the ground, compacts the layers, resulting in a strong and stable base. The piles are screwed into the ground according to a certain pattern, fastened with a grillage, after which the house itself is installed on it, in this case, a bathhouse.
There are no restrictions on construction time. The pile foundation can be erected very quickly - a field of 100 sq.m. 2 people will do it in 2-3 days. At the same time, the absence of excavation work not only generally speeds up the process, but also eliminates the need to find solutions for what to do with the earth dug for the pit.
Installation of piles, although it seems simple, is recommended to be done by an experienced specialist. An error of even 5-7 degrees can lead to instability of the entire structure. It is strictly forbidden to unscrew the piles.
Wall installation
When the foundation for the bathhouse in winter is completely prepared, you can begin to build the walls. They are formed with the same comfort from brick or wooden beams.
For work in severe frosts, the most advantageous option is to use a constructor made of laminated veneer lumber. The delivered elements are assembled at the installation site. A small strip foundation will be sufficient, because the tree will not overload its support. The strip foundation itself can be pre-filled in summer or autumn.
After significant frosts have subsided, construction and logging can be done. This is the time to select logs with minimal sap flow.
Roof formation
One of the final stages of construction is the formation of the roof. For roofing materials based on a significant amount of cellulose, the temperature of use and storage is limited to -15 0 C. The same value is for bitumen-based tiles. For those who use traditional slate or galvanized roofing, such restrictions are not relevant. These materials are used at any outdoor temperature.
Pay special attention to insulating the roof of the bathhouse from the inside. To do this, you can use various materials - mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, damask (mats made of dry seaweed) and even clay and sand. Each method is justified from the point of view of thermal insulation, but is chosen taking into account the characteristics of the region and the availability of materials. You will learn how to properly insulate from the article “How to insulate a bathhouse ceiling” from the outside.
Since we are talking about a bathhouse, and not about a residential building or premises, a layer of vapor barrier must be laid. This is necessary to remove condensation and prevent the appearance of harmful microorganisms.
Well insulation
At depth, water always has a positive temperature, and preventing liquids from freezing on the surface is not as difficult as it might seem at first.
All that is required of you is to prevent cold air from entering from the outside.
How to insulate a well?
- The first thing is to insulate the mine.
- The second is to build a simple structure on the surface in the form of a protective house.
Concrete structures are insulated with a material that does not absorb water. It can be polystyrene or foam.
These materials should not be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. This problem can be solved very, very easily - you can build a house around the well.
The well is also insulated with polyurethane foam.
Regardless of the degree of complexity of the bathhouse water supply system , the well must be equipped with a warm house or at least an insulated cover, which must consist of at least two layers of thick boards.
In this case, the lid will be heavy. Only a strong person can open it and lower it every time.
To make your work easier, you need to make a hinged door in the lid.
If you have a wooden storehouse on your property, you don’t need to insulate it, but concrete rings will.
If you use the bathhouse only in the summer , it is best to completely “mothball” the system for the winter.
Before moving to the city for the winter, you need to make sure that there is no water in the pipes.
If this is not done, the hollow objects will become unusable and in the spring the entire line will have to be completely replaced.
Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter - installation features
Traditionally, construction is carried out in warm weather. Readers often ask: Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter? When it comes to a wooden bathhouse, you can assemble the box in winter. How to properly build a bathhouse in winter, we will consider the pros and cons in the article. Readers will learn why a winter forest is better than another and why it is more profitable to build from wood.
Construction of a wooden bathhouse in winter is more profitable.
What material is suitable for building a bathhouse in winter?
You can build a bathhouse in winter from wood; bricks and cinder blocks must be fastened with cement mortar or a special adhesive composition, which will not set at sub-zero temperatures. Wood, on the contrary, quickly freezes in winter and acquires lightness and less humidity.
Our grandfathers especially noticed suitable trees for a personal bath in the summer. They were cut down in winter, at sub-zero temperatures. The fact is that the winter forest has a humidity of no higher than 10%, which corresponds to chamber drying.
The same applies to timber, rounded logs. When producing winter forest lumber, high-quality material with low humidity is obtained. The bathhouse will not shrink much, and the snow and clean air will prevent individual links from getting dirty.
Building a bathhouse in winter from timber and logs has a number of advantages:
- The price of construction work is lower, since the demand for crews is less. Thus, the construction of a turnkey bathhouse from timber in winter is 20% cheaper.
- Discounts on all building materials, as they are less in demand in winter.
- Holiday discounts on material (New Year or Christmas).
- Holidays last a long time in winter, so you can find free time for construction.
- The material gets dirty less, the walls do not have to be sanded deeply.
- Fungi and mold will not develop on wood in winter; the material can safely lie directly in the open air.
But despite all the advantages, the disadvantages can interfere with work:
- Difficult to work at too low temperatures.
- Workers must have extensive experience and high qualifications, since wood becomes fragile in winter.
- Most antiseptic compositions freeze at sub-zero temperatures and are difficult to process.
- On sale there are mainly timber made from summer types of wood.
The right material and low price for the work will allow you to build a bathhouse in winter at a discount.
Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter - Features
You can build a bathhouse in winter from rounded logs, timber or simple chopped material. You can prepare logs in advance, but it is better to use winter forest. The main stages of building a bathhouse in winter include:
- Waterproofing a finished foundation or installing a new one.
- Assembling the box and roof.
You can do finishing and insulation after installing the finished roof; in winter it is better to do a rough one. Let's look at the features of each stage in more detail.
Foundation for a winter bath
To build a wooden bathhouse in winter, you need to think through and prepare the foundation in advance. Installation work will be easier in the warm season. You can make a foundation in winter, for example, with a pile-screw foundation. Some craftsmen make tape, the price will be higher. Various additives are used to harden cement at sub-zero temperatures. It is difficult to predict how a strip foundation assembled in winter during the warm season will behave. In addition to all of the above, the ground will be frozen, making it difficult to do it yourself.
You can see more details on how to install a screw foundation in winter in the video:
Box assembly
You can assemble a bathhouse box in winter with your own hands. The installation process is no different from the usual:
- The foundation is waterproofed by laying two layers of roofing felt.
- Rows of thin slats are laid, which will enable the lower crown to better stand on the foundation.
- A lower crown of larger cross-section made of moisture-resistant aspen or larch is mounted.
- A box is made of timber or logs. The links are connected to each other using wooden dowels.
- Jute insulation is laid between the links.
- The roof is going to be rough, because in the spring the soil will begin to move and the bathhouse will shrink.
Despite the similarities with conventional construction, winter construction has its own characteristics:
- At temperatures below -25 °C, wood becomes brittle, so all work is carried out to the required level.
- The weather can change at any time so you need to be prepared to stop the assembly at any time.
- You cannot leave the bathhouse box open, as it will be covered with snow and in the spring it will turn into water, and this will lead to rapid rotting of the walls.
- It is better to buy timber or logs that have already been treated with antiseptic compounds.
- It is better to purchase material from the winter forest since the trees “sleep” and the movement of sap in the trunk has stopped. The barrel is filled with a special paraffin-like substance. Wood has lower humidity and greater moisture resistance.
What is the best material to make a box from?
Using timber in winter is not as advisable as rounded or chopped logs. The fact is that the production of materials in winter is reduced and the manufacturer tries to sell the remainder from the warehouse. It is difficult to say with certainty whether they will be made from winter wood or summer wood.
The most win-win option is to purchase the material from a small manufacturer who simply does not have large enough areas to store the goods.
You can prepare logs for the bath yourself, so you can be 100% sure that the wood was used for winter. Logs from the winter forest do not crack and the bathhouse will not warp when shrinking and drying. You can install a bathhouse in winter with your own hands, and specialists will hire it inexpensively and you can use their services without high costs. A bathhouse built in the winter season will serve the owner longer, and shrinkage will be more uniform. The discount on material can reach 50%. Save on construction, and the bathhouse will not only delight you with its light steam, but will also help save your family’s money. And the question: Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter will no longer be relevant.
Wood
If necessary, treat all fresh wooden surfaces with a special sauna antiseptic. These products are absorbed into the wood and protect it from the destructive effects of microorganisms and mold, and also preserve the natural appearance of the wood. There are also fire retardants designed for wooden surfaces in the bathhouse.
You can purchase antiseptics and protective equipment at any hardware store. It is better to choose quality products produced by companies specializing in wood protection.
Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter - Features
You can build a bathhouse in winter from wood; bricks and cinder blocks must be fastened with cement mortar or a special adhesive composition, which will not set at sub-zero temperatures. Wood, on the contrary, quickly freezes in winter and acquires lightness and less humidity.
Our grandfathers especially noticed suitable trees for a personal bath in the summer. They were cut down in winter, at sub-zero temperatures. The fact is that the winter forest has a humidity of no higher than 10%, which corresponds to chamber drying.
The same applies to timber, rounded logs. When producing winter forest lumber, high-quality material with low humidity is obtained. The bathhouse will not shrink much, and the snow and clean air will prevent individual links from getting dirty.
Building a bathhouse in winter from timber and logs has a number of advantages:
- The price of construction work is lower, since the demand for crews is less. Thus, the construction of a turnkey bathhouse from timber in winter is 20% cheaper.
- Discounts on all building materials, as they are less in demand in winter.
- Holiday discounts on material (New Year or Christmas).
- Holidays last a long time in winter, so you can find free time for construction.
- The material gets dirty less, the walls do not have to be sanded deeply.
- Fungi and mold will not develop on wood in winter; the material can safely lie directly in the open air.
But despite all the advantages, the disadvantages can interfere with work:
- Difficult to work at too low temperatures.
- Workers must have extensive experience and high qualifications, since wood becomes fragile in winter.
- Most antiseptic compositions freeze at sub-zero temperatures and are difficult to process.
- On sale there are mainly timber made from summer types of wood.
The right material and low price for the work will allow you to build a bathhouse in winter at a discount.
You can build a bathhouse in winter from rounded logs, timber or simple chopped material. You can prepare logs in advance, but it is better to use winter forest. The main stages of building a bathhouse in winter include:
- Waterproofing a finished foundation or installing a new one.
- Assembling the box and roof.
You can do finishing and insulation after installing the finished roof; in winter it is better to do a rough one. Let's look at the features of each stage in more detail.
The log house is placed on a pile foundation.
To build a wooden bathhouse in winter, you need to think through and prepare the foundation in advance. Installation work will be easier in the warm season. You can make a foundation in winter, for example, with a pile-screw foundation. Some craftsmen make tape, the price will be higher. Various additives are used to harden cement at sub-zero temperatures.
What is the best material to make a box from?
Using timber in winter is not as advisable as rounded or chopped logs. The fact is that the production of materials in winter is reduced and the manufacturer tries to sell the remainder from the warehouse. It is difficult to say with certainty whether they will be made from winter wood or summer wood.
The most win-win option is to purchase the material from a small manufacturer who simply does not have large enough areas to store the goods.
You can prepare logs for the bath yourself, so you can be 100% sure that the wood was used for winter. Logs from the winter forest do not crack and the bathhouse will not warp when it shrinks and dries. You can install a bathhouse in winter with your own hands, and specialists will buy it inexpensively and you can use their services without high costs.
A bathhouse built in the winter season will serve the owner longer, and shrinkage will be more uniform. The discount on material can reach 50%. Save on construction, and the bathhouse will not only delight you with its light steam, but will also help save your family’s money. And the question: Is it possible to build a bathhouse in winter will no longer be relevant.
Brooms
An indispensable attribute of the bath procedure is brooms. Hang them in a dry, ventilated area, but do not place them near stove pipes or other heat sources as they are extremely flammable. A small number of brooms can be easily wrapped in paper or film and placed in a dry place. Bathing professionals recommend storing brooms indoors without access to moisture. You can arrange them in a woodpile or stack, and then cover them tightly with thoroughly dried hay or straw. This way, your favorite brooms will retain their freshness, aroma and healing properties.
A carefully prepared sauna will survive the winter without any problems, and it will be easy for you to open a new healing sauna season next spring.
"Underwater rocks"
Firstly, at ambient temperatures below -20°C, lumber becomes very fragile. This significantly complicates their processing. In particular, during the manufacture of connectors, you may encounter excessive cracking of the material, chipping and other damage.
Secondly, the bathhouse must be built on a foundation, the arrangement of which becomes significantly more difficult in winter. If it is a monolithic strip, then pouring it requires concrete with modifiers and individual heating. And this always costs a pretty penny. In an area with frozen soil, even preparing a trench can cause considerable difficulties.
Thirdly, not every construction team will agree to work in such harsh conditions. The process may be repeatedly interrupted due to bad weather, which will result in loss of time and other resources.
Recommended types of pipes that can be used
It is very important to choose the right pipes.
They must meet the following requirements.
- Long service life .
Since the main part of the pipes must be laid below the freezing point of the soil, replacing them will be difficult and not economically profitable. - Ability to withstand large temperature changes.
- They should be easy to install and dismantle.
Until recently, only metal pipes were used. At the moment, the situation has changed.
For these purposes, products made of polypropylene and polyethylene are now used.
Nuances
To partially mitigate the possible problems of winter construction of a log bathhouse, you should use the following simple recommendations.
- The first thing you need to pay attention to is the choice of the main building material. It really should be prepared in winter. If the timber has lain all autumn and is now sold at a discount as winter timber, then it automatically loses all the advantages described above.
- The second nuance concerns the foundation. If there is such a possibility, then it is better to form a strip monolith in the autumn. This way, the budget for building a bathhouse will be significantly reduced, and the process will take less time. As an alternative, preference can be given to a pile-screw foundation. However, this approach will require proper floor insulation.
- And the last thing is treating lumber with antiseptics. At negative temperatures this process is difficult, so it is better to buy timber that has already been processed.
To ensure that the construction of a log bathhouse in winter ends in success, the best option would be to contact a specialized company engaged in the implementation of such turnkey projects. This is the only way to avoid mistakes, as well as save money and get all the benefits from winter construction.
Tips for building a bathhouse in winter
Building a bathhouse in winter is not only possible, but also necessary. True, only if it is made of wood. Any building mixtures that are prepared on the basis of water or concrete cannot be used in cold weather. Therefore, the construction of a bathhouse made of brick or stone will have to be postponed until the warm season. You can build from logs, timber or wood boards at any time of the year; this is especially profitable and convenient to do in winter.
You can read about all the nuances of building wooden bathhouses on a specialized resource for building bathhouses with your own hands - baniaisauna.ru. Using the information from this source, we found out that we will only need to prepare the foundation in advance and wait for it to dry completely. The foundation based on the concrete mixture must be poured and dried at temperatures of 15 to 25 ° C. It is worth doing waterproofing before the cold weather sets in.
Bake
Clean the ash from the firebox and vent of the stove, and clear the chimney of soot and debris. Use ash as an excellent fertilizer for feeding your garden. It can be added to the beds when digging the ground and scattered under bushes and trees.
Leave the valve open to prevent it from freezing. Thus, on your first visit to the dacha, it will be easy for you to light the stove.
Sort and rinse the stones in a sauna stove. You can clean them thoroughly if you first soak them for an hour and a half in clean water without adding detergents, and then wash them with a brush.
What are the benefits of building a bathhouse in winter?
- Bathhouses are most often built in country houses, cottage villages or in the private sector, where the roads may even be dirt. In winter it is easier to get there, especially by truck.
- Construction materials will be cheaper.
- Wood harvested in winter is of better quality. Although even a person with extensive experience in repairs cannot accurately determine the preparation time.
- Logs can lie on the site; they will not get as wet under the snow as under heavy rains. The snow will only need to be brushed off with a broom. The tree rots less, fungus and other pests do not grow in it.
- If the work is not carried out independently, then the labor of hired workers or teams will cost less.
- Construction will be completed faster because you won’t have to wait for the crew to become available, unlike in the summer, during the peak of construction work.
There are also disadvantages, but they are not so significant. It is less comfortable to work in winter; heating and hot food and drink must be provided. Although it cannot be said that it is more comfortable to work in 40-degree heat. You also need to think about safety rules more carefully, because the construction site will be slippery.
How to correctly lay the line and compensate for the pressure in the system
It doesn’t matter what types of pipes you decide to lay from the water source on your site to the bathhouse.
The main thing is not to forget to take measures that compensate for the soil pressure on hollow objects.
You should pay particular attention to this issue if there are heaving soils on the territory of your land plot.
In this case, it is best to place the insulated pipe in a large-section corrugated hose.
Firstly, it will be additional thermal insulation, and secondly, protection from excessive pressure.
On the modern market there are special insulation materials for pipes.
Using them, you will simultaneously solve two problems regarding thermal insulation and excess soil pressure.
Summer residents who have a bathhouse on their property and use it all year round are advised to buy all the necessary components for arranging a plumbing system in one store.
And one more condition:
- the retail outlet should be located not far from the building site.
Why? Because during installation work you will most likely forget about some small parts that will need to be purchased, and it is not economically profitable to travel long distances every time.
