Get in the mood for autumn with sauna light!

The busy and hot “Indian summer” is now behind us and the calendar has turned to September. In autumn, the amount of natural light starts to gradually decrease and the days get shorter. In September and October, I find that speciality shop advertisements are full of different lighting solutions.

What is the right type of lighting for a sauna?

So what kind of lighting solutions will create a better atmosphere in the sauna and washroom areas as the dark autumn approaches? In the summer, there is understandably little need for modern or fancy sauna lighting in a cottage sauna; the light from the sauna window that shines through the night is, for many people, just enough illumination for bathing. As people move from summer cottages back to the home sauna, the importance of lighting becomes more important.

The incandescent light bulb protected by a wood shade is starting to become a winter wonderland in sauna lighting. Of course, such a lamp can also be used as a cleaning light, for example. However, the most popular solutions today are fibre optic or LED sauna lighting.

LED lighting is a cheaper solution as a one-off investment. However, we have encountered a problem with LEDs (also tested in the “laboratory”) that with current technology the light output in hot & humid conditions in the sauna can deteriorate too quickly. Apart from maintaining light output, another advantage of fibre lighting over LED lighting is ease of maintenance. After all, a fibre light has only one light source (the bulb inside the projector) and the fibres themselves guide the light to the desired location in the sauna. If the bulb catches fire, it is easy to open the projector’s protective housing and replace the light source, the whole project takes only a few minutes.

How should the fibres be placed in the sauna?

Sun Sauna offers three different types of sauna fibre lights: a ceiling fibre light, a ceiling fibre light with a fibre lens and a ceiling fibre light. In the ECO model, the fibres are usually placed on the front edge of the seat, pointing down towards the footboard, and on the back of the seat, pointing up towards the wall panels. The distance between the fibres should be about 20 to 30 centimetres, this calculation rule helps to determine the right set of fibres for each table: there should not be too few fibres, but on the other hand, too much light will spoil the atmosphere. Our sauna lamps have fibre counts ranging from 10 to 44 fibres. The smallest sets are naturally straight for the seat, medium sets for the L-shaped seat and large sets for the U-shaped and opposite seats.

In addition to the ceiling, the sauna lighting can come either entirely or partially from the ceiling. The ECO sauna light is available with a heater lens placed above the heater on the ceiling as an additional light. It is important to remember that the fibres on the ceiling must always be glass-coated, as plastic fibres cannot withstand the high temperatures at the ceiling’s boundary during continuous use!

If you are not comfortable with the idea of having a sauna light integrated into the ceiling tiles, then you should choose a ceiling light instead of a ceiling tile set. With such a luminaire, the number of variations is almost unlimited, with the number and thickness of fibres varying wildly according to your preferences. The ceiling fibre luminaire is also a handy solution if you want to emphasise the decorative stone wall behind the stove in addition to the fibreglass luminaire, as the plastic fibres must not be placed too close to the stove either. Ceiling fibres can be used not only in the sauna but also in the washroom, by choosing a generous amount of small fibres you can create a handsome “starry sky” in the bathroom.

Well planned is half done

If you wish, you can always request a quote from us and get a proposal and an opinion from our experts, also with regard to lighting. Finally, here is a small list of tips for you who are currently thinking about purchasing a sauna light:

• For the sauna, I prefer a fibre-optic rather than an LED lamp. You can use LEDs for example in the bathroom where temperatures are not so high!
• Always choose a slightly too large rather than a small amount of fibres. Our designer will be happy to help you choose the right set.
• A modern sauna fibre light projector and transformer can be installed (at least our product!) inside the sauna room. If the fixture comes from another supplier, be sure to check if it is a dry room projector that needs to be placed outside the sauna, for example in the technical room.
• Take into account the location of the projector and transformer already in the planning phase of the electrical work, we can give you additional tips here too!
• Installing the fibres themselves is quite easy. If our table comes with a fibre lamp, the front edge of the seat has a pre-cut groove for the fibre, you just need to define the holes for the fibre outlets during the installation phase.
• Always use a qualified and licensed electrician to connect the luminaire to the mains!

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