Finlandia JM-20, JM-17, JM-30 User Manual

JM-17, JM-20, JM-30

Instructions for installation and use of Electric Sauna Heater

05/2001H

Finlandia Sauna Products. Inc.

14010-B.S.W., 72nd Ave.,

Portland, OR 97224-0088

1-800-354-3342 503-684-8289

Fax: [phone]

Purpose of the electric heater:
The JM heater is designed for the heating of family saunas to bathing temperature. It is forbidden to use the
heater for any other purposes.

The guarantee period of a JM electric heater in family use is one year and in communal use, 3 months.

Please read the user’s instructions carefully before using the heater.

NOTE!
These instructions for installation and use are intended for the owner or the person in charge of the sauna, as well
as for the electrician in charge of the electrical installation of the heater.
After completing the installation, the person in charge of the installation should give these instructions to the
owner of the sauna or to the person in charge of its operation.
Congratulations on your choice!

CONTENTS

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE ....................................................................... 3

1.1. Piling of the Sauna rocks ............................................................... 3

1.2. Heating of the Sauna .................................................................... 3

1.3. Control Unit ................................................................................. 3

1.3.1. Timer ................................................................................ 3

1.3.2. Thermostat ........................................................................ 4

1.3.3. Overheating limiter .............................................................. 4

1.4. Throwing Water on Heated Stones .................................................... 4

1.4.1. Sauna Water ....................................................................... 4

1.4.2. Temperature and Humidity of the Sauna Room ........................... 5

1.5. Instructions for Bathing ................................................................. 5

1.6. Warnings ..................................................................................... 5

1.7. Warning signs ............................................................................... 5

1.8. Malfunctions ................................................................................ 5

2. THE SAUNA ROOM ............................................................................... 6

2.1. Insulation and Wall Materials of the Sauna Room .............................. 6

2.1.1. Room construction – general information ............................... 6

2.2. Sauna Room Floor ........................................................................ 6

2.3. Heater Output .............................................................................. 7

2.4. Ventilation of the Sauna Room ....................................................... 7

2.5. Hygienic Conditions of the Sauna Room .......................................... 7

3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INSTALLATION ................................................ 7

3.1. Prior to Installation ....................................................................... 7

3.2. Fastening the Heater on a Wall.......................................................8

3.3. Installation capillary tubing and bulb ............................................... 8

3.4. Safety Railing .............................................................................. 8

3.5. Electrical Connections ................................................................... 9

3.6. Electric heater insulation resistance ................................................ 9

3.7. Testing of Sauna heater ................................................................ 9

3.8. Troubleshooting ......................................................................... 10

3.9. Caution! Electrician or service person! ........................................... 10

3.10. Maintenance instructions ............................................................. 10

3.11. Guarantee ................................................................................. 11

4. Spare parts ......................................................................................... 12

2

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

This heater shall not be operated unless the rock
compartment in the top of the heater is filled with the
rocks, and the guard is in place.

1.1. Piling of the Sauna rocks

The sauna rocks for an electric heater should be 1 9/16"
– 3 1/8" (4–8 cm) in diameter. The heater rocks should be
solid blocks of rock specially intended for use in the heater.

Neither light, porous ceramic “rocks “ of the same size nor
soft potstones should be used in the heater, because they
may cause the resistance temperature to rise too high as
a result of which the resistance may be broken.

Rocks dust should be washed off before piling the rocks.

The rocks should be piled into the rock compartment over
the grating, between the heating elements (resistances) so
that the rocks support each other. The weight of the rocks
should not lie on the heating elements.

The rocks should not be piled too tightly, so that air
can flow through the heater. See figure 1. The rocks
should be fitted loosely, and not wedged between the
heating elements. Very small rocks should not be put
into the heater at all.

The rocksshouldcompletelycoverthe heating elements.
However, they should not form a high pile on the elements.

The rocks disintegrate with use. Therefore, they should
be rearranged at least once a year or even more often if the
sauna is in frequent use. At the same time, any pieces of
rocks should be removed from the bottom of the heater,
and disintegrated rocks should be replaced with new ones.

The guarantee does not cover any faults caused by the
use of rocks not recommended by the plant. Neither does
the guarantee cover any faults caused by disintegrated or
too small rocks blocking the heater ventilation.

No such objects or devices should be placed inside the
heater rock space or near the heater that could change
the amount or direction of the air flowing through the
heater, thus causing the resistance temperature to rise
too high, which may set the wall surfaces on fire!

Figure 1. Piling of the sauna rocks

1.3. Control Unit

1.3.1. Timer

The heaters JM-17 and JM-20 are switched on by
using the timer switch. The indicator lights will come
on. The timer has two scales: the first one (with larger
figures) is the ”instantly on” section; that is, the
heater is on for a selected period of time (0–1 hours).
The other section is the so called ”pre-set section” (1–
8 hours), which is used to start the heater after a
certain time. The heater starts when the timer has
turned the switch back to the ”instantly on” section,
that is, at number one(1). After this, the heater will be
on for about 1 hour, unless the switch is turned to zero
before that. At zero (0), the supply to the elements is
cut off and the heater is switched off. See fig 2.

The JM-30 heater is equipped with 1 hour timer

without pre-set time function. See fig. 2.

If you wish to use the full 60 min. cycle, turn the
timer knob past the first 1 to number 2 or 3 on the
dial. Then turn backward to the large 1 until a click
is heard. Leave knob at that setting, and Sauna will
operate for 1 hour before shutting off automatically.

1.2. Heating of the Sauna

When the heater is switched on for the first time, both
the heater and the rocks emit smell. To remove the smell,
the sauna room needs to be efficiently ventilated.

The purpose of the heater is to raise the temperature
of the sauna room and the sauna rocks to the required
bathing temperature. If the heater output is suitable
for the sauna room, it will take about an hour for a
properly insulated sauna to reach that temperature.
See item 2.1., ”Insulation and wall materials of the
Sauna Room”. A suitable temperature for the sauna
room is about +150°F–+175°F (+65°C–+80°C).

The sauna rocks normally reach the required bathing
temperature at the same time as the sauna room. If the
heater capacity is too big, the air in the sauna will heat very
quickly, whereas the temperature of the rocks may
remain insufficient; consequently, the water thrown on
the rocks will run through. On the other hand, if the heater
capacity is too low for the sauna room, the room will heat
slowly and, by throwing water on the rocks, the bather
may try to raise the temperature of the sauna. However,
the water will only cool down the rocks quickly, and after
a while the sauna will not be warm enough and the heater
will not be able to provide enough heat.

In order to make bathing enjoyable, the heater capacity
should be carefully chosen to suit the size of the sauna
room. See item 2.3. ”Heater Output”.

Figure 2. Control panel

3

Example 1.

You want to go jogging and have a sauna bath after
that. The estimated duration of your run is 5 hours.
Turn the timer clockwise over the scale 0–1 to the pre­set section (scale 1–8) at number 4.

The timer will start, and after four hours, the heater
will come on. Because it takes about one hour for the
sauna to be heated, it will be warm and ready for
bathing after about 5 hours, that is, when you come
back from your run.

Example 2.

If you want to bathe ”immediately” and thus do not
want to use the pre-set timing, the timer must be set
to the desired point in the section 0–1. Then, the
heater will be switched immediately on and the
sauna will be ready for bathing after about one hour.

Switch the heater off immediately after bathing
and check that the sauna rocks are dry. Sometimes
it may be advisable to leave the heater on for a while
to let the wooden parts of the sauna dry properly.

NOTE! It is absolutely necessary to check that the
timer has cut off the supply of the elements after the
set time.

1.3.2. Thermostat

The temperature is adjusted by the thermostat to a
position between minimum and maximum. See
figure 2. The correct position of the thermostat
switch is found by experimenting.

Begin experimenting at the maximum position (far
right) to find how quickly the sauna room and rocks
can be heated to the desired temperature. If, during
bathing, the temperature seems to be becoming too
high, turn it down a little by turning the switch
counter-clockwise. It must be noted that even a
small difference within the maximum section will
change the temperature of the sauna considerably.

1.3.3. Overheating limiter

Each heater i equipped with a overheating limiter
which is a safety device.

If, for some reason, the temperature of the sauna
room becomes too high, the overheating limiter will
permanently cut off the supply of the resistances.
The overheating limiter cannot be reset to the
position allowing electricity until the heater has
cooled down. The overheating limiter is reset by
pressing the reset button, which is located in bottom
of heater. See figure 3.

To reset the overheating limiter, locate the reset
button and push upward until contactor kicks in. If
reset button continues to trip, contact a qualified
service person.

Do not remove the overheating limiter bulb. See
spare parts no. 2.

Prior to pressing the button, the cause of the fault
must be found:

• are the rocks crumbled and pressed together?

• has the heater been on for a long time while

unused?

• has the heater been banged or shaken?

The humidity of the air in the sauna room is controlled
by the amount of water thrown on the rocks. A correct
level of humidity makes the bather’s skin sweat and
makes breathing easy. By throwing water on the rocks
with a small ladle, the bather should feel the effect of
air humidity on his skin. Both too high a temperature and
air humidity will give an unpleasant feeling.

Staying in the hot sauna for long periods of time
makes the body temperature rise, which may be
dangerous.

The maximum volume of the ladle is 2 decilitres.
The amount of water thrown on the rocks at a time
should not exceed 2 dl, because if an excessive
amount of water is poured on the rocks, only part of
it will evaporate and the rest may splash as boiling
hot water on the bathers.

Never throw water on the rocks when there are
people near the heater, because hot steam may burn
their skin.

1.4.1. Sauna Water
The water to be thrown on the heated rocks should
meet the requirements of clean household water.

The factors essentially affecting the quality of water
include the following:

• humuos content (colour, taste, precipitates);

• recommended content less than 12 mg/litre.

• iron content (colour, smell, taste, precipitates);

• recommended content less than 0,2 mg/litre.

• hardness – the most important substances are

manganese (Mn) and calcium (Ca); recommended

• content of manganese 0.05 mg/litre, calcium

less than 100 mg/litre.

Calcareous water leaves a white, sticky layer on
the rocks and metal surfaces of the heater.
Calcification of the rocks deteriorates the heating
properties.

Ferrous water leaves a rusty layer on the surface
of the heater and elements, and causes corrosion.

The use of humous, chlorinated water and
seawater is forbidden.

Only special perfumes designed for sauna water
may be used. Follow the instructions given on the
package.

1.4.2. Temperature and Humidity of the Sauna Room

1.4. Throwing Water on Heated Stones

The air in the sauna room becomes dry when
warmed up. Therefore, it is necessary to throw
water on the heated rocks to reach a suitable level
of humidity in the sauna.

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Figure 3. Place of the reset button