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I have a cedar AH barrel sauna with a Harvia 6kw heater that has not been connected yet. I am looking to add a "rain jacket" / waterproof tarp but am concerned about flammability of tarps. From my understanding, the AH rain jacket can be left on when the sauna is in use and it is water-resistant but not waterproof. It also costs a lot more than buying a $15-$30 tarp and securing it yourself with eye-hooks. I have looked into flame retardant poly tarps which are waterproof.

I would like to know from barrel sauna owners or other that have experience with them, what is the max exterior temperature of the wood on the top half of the sauna?

jpQuick
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  • shouldn't you be more concerned about the occupants of the sauna? – jsotola Aug 14 '23 at 16:02
  • If using plastic/poly type tarps it will be the melting temperature, some plastics are quite low ~200F. 3D printer plastic/poly. – crip659 Aug 14 '23 at 16:37
  • @crip659 Yes, it's possible for the interior to reach that temp but how likely is it that the top part of the wood would be a similar temp? – jpQuick Aug 14 '23 at 16:46
  • The outside wood should be much cooler for the amount of time the sauna is on. I am guessing half an hour or less. My brain just getting in gear, I was thinking of the inside temps, but outside should be okay. The air temps will cool the tarp/wood. Wood is not good insulator but good enough for short time. – crip659 Aug 14 '23 at 16:59

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After my sauna heater was wired up by an electrician, I was able to test this to get an answer. There was no noticeable difference in temperature on the exterior wood of the barrel. The heater has been on max for 2 hours and the wood was no hotter than the temperature outside.

For anyone else wondering, any tarp made out of any fabric should be theoretically safe to use if the concern is heat from the heater.

jpQuick
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