Message: Hi there, I've started to think about getting an infrared sauna and was wondering about the physical differences between your 120V and 220V carbon fiber sauna heaters. I have both kinds of circuit available, but was wondering why I would choose one over the other. I live in North America, where the standard AC voltage is 110/120 V. Kind regards, Ed
Dated on : 10-16-2012
Replies :
There is no difference other than the amount of current a 110 VAC line can handle. If you need 6 IR sauna heaters (300 Watts each), that will require an 18 Amp breaker and most house holds only have 15 Amp service for most circuits. As you require more amperage the 220 VAC becomes cheaper as the cost of wire is less for higher amps than on a 110 VAC. Almost all regular saunas use 220 VAC because they are dealing in amperage of 30-100 amps depending on the size of heater. As an example a 3 Kw sauna heater requires a 30 amp minimum draw. So the short answer to your question depends on how many heaters you need. Dan
Post By : Dan Jung Dated On : 10-16-2012
Hi Dan,Thanks for your reply.I would use a 20 amp circuit for the sauna, but I have seen some product listings for 120 V and 220 V sauna heaters. �I know that baseboard heaters require 220 V circuits because they draw more current, but I wouldn't expect a carbon panel heater to require that much current, so I was confused. �I would imagine the heater itself would be the same, but maybe they are assigned different product codes in case there are buyers from Europe who expect to see 220 V in the product specs. �I understand it's all about the power because watts = amps x volts, so, like you said, it wouldn't make a difference. Thanks again for your help,Ed
Post By : Ed Dated On : 10-17-2012
We are located in Canada and we offer the 300W IR panel in both 120 v version and in 230 v version. For a simple electrical hook up, that doesn't use too many panels, 120 volt panels are probably best. If you have a large number of panels and especially if a controller gets involved, that requires 230 volt service, I would then recommend 230 volt panels. Dieter
Post By : Dieter Jung Dated On : 10-17-2012
