Harvia’s KIP-60-B1 Sauna Heater from Almost Heaven Saunas

My Review of Harvia’s KIP-60-B1 Sauna Heater from Almost Heaven Saunas.

As a first generation Finn, I take my saunas very seriously. I’ve been around saunas all my life and built several from scratch. None have been from a kit. I had an old Sears’s sauna heater where the heating elements had gone out after about forty years of service. It too was a replacement from an earlier heater that had an external control rather than one on the unit. It was impossible to replace all three elements as only two were available so I had to replace the entire unit with the same size; 6kw, 240v single phase heater. I’m retired and living on a fixed income, so I had to follow my budget and decided to go with the KIP-60-B1. According to the info on Almost Heaven Saunas web site it seemed to be a perfect replacement so I purchased it November 6, 2016. I received it within a few days and had it hooked up by the 12^th. Nothing really matched my old set up as it was originally mounted to a concrete wall, not even the electrical hook up was in the same location but it was no big deal for me as a retired kitchen and bath re-modeler always expecting the unexpected during a job. Keep in mind that warranties begin on the date of purchase and not on the date of installation. So if it takes two weeks to get to your house and then another two weeks before you install it, you already lost four weeks of your warranty.

I had replaced some of my old igneous stones earlier in the year which I had purchased specifically for saunas. You can’t use just any old stones because the heat and water will make soft stones explode. It’s very important to make sure that you have the right hard stones suitable for sauna heaters whether electric or otherwise. That being said, I didn’t need to purchase stones for the heater and used the new ones I had recently acquired. I also had some which I had picked up from Lake Superior shores on a earlier trip. They were perfect size and just the right kind of stones that works well with sauna heaters. I installed the purchased stones loosely in place as directed in the installation booklet and had plenty of stones left over.

The capacity for stones was smaller than what I had. The entire unit was actually smaller than my original. I figured that it was more efficient and as long as the kw size was the same, there shouldn’t be a problem. After getting the heater all set up it was time to fire it up for the first time and burn off the protective coating off the elements as per directions. Things went well and after about a half hour or so the unit shut off. It was now ready for use. The next day which was my normal day for a sauna, I fired it up and within about an hour it was already up to 140° F. I like my saunas between 180° -190° F so I fired it up again for another hour but the heater shuts down around 170°F. My original heater would have gotten it up to the 190° F mark according to my new thermostat purchased last summer, running with 1 elements (2 were burned out) in about an hour and a half.

I use my sauna once a week. Today’s date is, December 5, 2016 and have only used it a few times. It still won’t heat my sauna to the temp I want. The maximum I get out of it after running it for two hours is about 170° F. My sauna room is only 194 cubic feet and a 6 kw heater is more than enough to heat up that size considering the max for the unit is about 300 cu.ft. Theoretically it should have heated it up to 190°F within an hour. To get it higher, I need to turn the unit on again. After doing some study of the unit running time, I find that the elements are on for only a short while and not the full hour as one would expect. All other heaters I’ve installed have worked for an entire hour. Yes, the heat control thermostat is set to max and the timer has been tried several different ways making sure that it is on and working for an entire hour. If the timer is running at 60hz, it should run for an entire hour however, if it's only a 50 hz timer, about 45 minutes is all one is to expect even though it has a 60 minute timer. I find the quality of the rock guard less than satisfactory as it is already showing areas of wear even though the unit has only been used a few times. If I take some very fine steel wool and rub the spots on the guard, it will look new again.

As a serous sauna user, I cannot recommend this heater for other experienced users. It's Harvia's low end unit and as far as I'm concerned a piece of junk not worth the money they ask for. As for beginners not looking for the usual Finnish quality one would expect with other heaters, it may work out for you, after all the price is at the low end of all the heaters I've researched.

 Up date: December 20, 2016

I've contacted Almost Heaven Saunas where they have been trying to resolve the issue and have been co-operative. Apparently I'm not the only one with the same problem. I've been having to move the sensor probe in different spots on my wood wall making more holes than Swiss cheese. I even talked with the tech guy at the factory and the conclusion was made that the timer was faulty. A new one would be sent out once they get some in stock, however, I don't think that it's going to happen. As of yet, I've received nothing from them.

My recent problem has been that the high limit control kicks off the unit and trips the breaker at the sub panel once it gets to about 170°F. I contacted Almost Heaven Saunas to tell them about the new issue and once again I've been asked to move the sensor probe leaving it exposed contradicting their installation manual, another joke leaving out some important details. When I get more issues or results, I will post them right here until this thing gets resolved. In the meantime, if you are looking for a heater spend a few extra bucks if you can afford it and don't buy a Harvia, it's not worth the head aches!

KIP-60-B1 installed

KIP-60-B1 installed in my sauna

KIP-60-B1

new sauna thermometer

a sauna door I built from cedar

my old Sears 6Kw heater I had to replace

Update: Dec.24,2016

Finally after 6 weeks of nonsense, I got the sauna to the temperature I was seeking, 190°F. I ended up moving sensor over another 12", leaving the cover off, exposing the sensor and installing it horizontally instead of vertically. The timer made by Hanko is garbage and used by just about all other sauna heater companies here in North America. Apparently, the timers work off an electric motor and is not accurate. Their hour is just under 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes stated on the timer and the manual. A timer running off a 60Hz motor runs for 60 minutes while only 50 minutes on a 50Hz. With that being said, these timers, at least the one on mine, is the wrong one used here in the US. Since the timer is off approx 10 minutes each hour and you pre set the timer to turn on the sauna 8 hours in advance, the heater will kick on a lot earlier (1:20) before you anticipated and therefore, well, you figure it out.

new position of the sensor

I moved the sensor so that it is 24" from the heater and 20" from the ceiling horizontal and left off the cover. The sensor above is an old one from an external control unit from the very first heater...it was easier just to leave it.

For more on the Kip B1 Sauna heater can be found here: More on the Kip B-1

Delta Ventilation Fan 70F by breez

My Review of Delta Ventilation Fan 70F by breez.

I needed a ventilation fan for my art studio to clear out some of the non toxic odors caused by non toxic paints. I stopped in at my local Menards to see what they had available. There were only two that were just fans; others had lights and heaters which I did not need. I was familiar with Broan as I had installed hundreds of them as a kitchen and bath remodeler but not with the breez by Delta. I wanted something fairly quiet and instead of the twelve/thirteen dollar Broan which I knew was going to be loud, I decided to spend the fifty bucks for the 70F by breez since the Sones were at the lower level 2. 0. The height was also only four inches which fit into a tight space perfectly. I already had an electric whip which I had used for a track light and disconnected it because of the heat output of the lamps. It didn’t take me long to mount the unit, connect the power and run the vent to an existing unused outlet and then test it. Well it ran and it seemed to be okay but since the ceiling was still open, I couldn’t hear whether it was noisy or not until I closed it up. In the past you could never tell exactly how loud fans are until they are set and closed up where ever they may be installed.

I closed up the ceiling and turned on the fan. I expected to hear a little normal hum but I did not expect a high whining sound coming from the motor. As time went on, it got louder along with the hum. It was driving me nuts. My first thought was to check the output outside to see if the damper was working. It was. There was plenty of air coming out. I took the ceiling apart to inspect the ducting and to make sure that the unit was mounted securely. Everything checked out and was as it was supposed to be. My only conclusion was that the fan is a piece of crap just like most of Delta products I’ve used in the past. I’m taking it back to Menards and getting me a Broan from elsewhere. Broan has a 70cfm fan comparable to this one for a few more bucks. At least I know what I’m getting.

My review on Turpenoid Natural.

Yes I know, there are hundreds of reviews about this stuff but if you’re like me, a skeptic I wouldn’t believe everything that’s out there. I've been lied to too many times from not only manufacturers but by shops pushing their products only to find they are toxic or don't do what they are supposed to do. The only way you’re going to know if this is right for you is to try it. The art industry is as bad as the drug industry here in the U.S as they gouge the public needing their meds. Even though it costs pennies to make, the manufacturers want to make as high profit as they can due to greed. I see no difference in the manufacturers and sellers of art supplies. I have been a musician for about six decades and I have never encountered the greed there is in the art industry. I was always able to afford whatever I needed in the way of supplies for my music. Whether it was a cleaner, strings, tuners, reeds manuscript paper, books or whatever, they were always affordable and readily available. In the art world, I have to jump thru several hoops just to get the oil paints and other supplies I need at an affordable price. I’m retired and living on a fixed income so I always have to budget and only get what is absolutely necessary for the moment.

I’ve been wanting to try Turpenoid Natural for a while but it’s just too damn expensive. A 32 ounce bottle goes for $1.25 an ounce or $40 at Michael's. Comparatively, the same amount of Walnut oil which does a great job cleaning brushes as well goes for $0.50 an ounce or about $16. So to go with Walnut oil is no brainer. The only problem with Walnut oil is that unless you wash your brushes in soap and water at the end of the session, a sticky residue will develop on the brushes and will eventually dry them out rendering them useless. I received one of those coupons from Michael’s for fifty percent off any one regular priced item. I know the scam involved with these coupon deals. The prices are inflated making you think that you are actually getting a deal using the coupons where in fact the price is pretty close to where it is supposed to be. Even at $0.62 an ounce is outrages for what the stuff really is….a citrus cleaner, and their profit is still up there. Since I had the urge to try some, I went ahead and put down my twenty bucks for the stuff and tried it.

It did what it was supposed to do without toxic chemicals so they say and the odor was tolerable for the time being. It had a strong odor of citrus. How the odor will affect me in the future, considering strong odors whether toxic or not bother me, is in limbo for now. I personally don't believe that Turpenoid Natural is non toxic and won't create harmful effects. History has proven itself that what may be a good idea today may kill you tomorrow. The cleaner hasn't been out there used by millions yet and who knows how it may affect your health.

In reading some other reviews claiming to clean dried out paint off vinyl floors and other amazing things, I found it a bit exaggerated. I have plenty of dried out paint areas on the floor and tested a couple of spots; one with turpenoid natural and another just using a scraper. The scraper won. I didn’t see much significance wasting something that’s almost as expensive as some pain killers on some paint on the floor.

I had some dried out paint brushes and soaked them in turpenoid natural for about an hour or so, rinsed them in water and they worked like new. Turpenoid Natural did ease my cleaning of dried out oil paints on my palette fairly quick. I simply brushed some on the dried out paint, let it sit for ten fifteen minutes and wiped it clean with a paper towel. What was left if any, I was able to scrape off easily with a scraper or a palette knife. A 32 ounce bottle won’t go too far unlike Odorless Turpenoid which can be used over and over again by simply removing the settled paint at the bottom of you cleaning bucket. Turpenoid Natural is a little more viscous and although oil particles settle to the bottom, after a while the stuff becomes cloudy with particles floating from top to bottom. Now it’s time to replace the stuff. One thing I might add is I had an aluminum screen at the bottom of my cleaning bucket where I scrape my brushes on had disintegrated while sitting in Turpenoid Natural. I thought that was a bit odd.

In wanting to try more of Turpenoid Natural, I wanted to see whether the stuff came in larger quantities so I did some research. Yes it does. It comes in gallons and half gallons. The best bet, cost wise, is a gallon. Recently I found it on sale at Jerry’s Art O Rama for under $0.40 an ounce or little over $50. Once again comparatively speaking, Walnut oil for the same amount would cost $64. I know that in the future I will be looking for the best price I can possibly find. Just keep your eyes open and when you see a deal on it go for it. But remember, the bigger the quantity, the cheaper it will cost by the ounce.

Those of you using Bob Ross paint brushes or similar where the hairs end up flaring out when coming in contact with water, there is a solution and the hairs can be brought back to normal. Don’t wash your brushes as often as one might with O.P.T. I wash mine once at the end of my paint session and then wrap the bristles tightly with a paper towel and apply masking tape around the edges to keep the paper towel taught. Once the brush dries out, it should be ready for use once again. I have to admit though that sometimes I will have to use a damp paper towel and wrap that around the bristles a second time which works like a charm.

In using the wet on wet technique, since there is an abundant amount of paint on the brushes, I needed to clean as much off as I could before cleaning them in the solution. If I don't, the stuff won't last more than a painting or two. Turpenoid Natural is a bit more viscous than the Odorless Turpenoid and the oil particles take a while for them to drop to the bottom of the bucket. Once the solution becomes totally cloudy and thicker, it's time to replace it.

For more art stuff visit me here:Markku-artist