It's quite normal to only reach temperatures of around 50°C after an hour of warm up time, as it's all about your starting ambient temperature.
Please keep in mind that our infrared saunas are designed to be most therapeutic at temperatures of 45°C to 55°C for a total usage time of 20-45 minutes which differs from the traditional steam sauna. Clearlight® Infrared technology raises your core body temperature within the sauna rather than raising the temperature of the air itself, so it often doesn't feel as hot as what people can be used to even though this heat is actually more effective as it works on a deep cellular level within the body.
The sauna's ability to heat up fast and achieve higher temperatures is limited by the surrounding ambient temperature, which will be affected by the geographical location, climate and positioning in the premises/garden. In a colder climate/season or exposed position, our saunas may only achieve temperatures in the 50’s, whereas in hot climates/summer and sheltered positions, they may achieve high 60’s to high 70’s.
If you wish to reach higher temps we suggest the following:
- Check the air vent in the ceiling is closed - although we do recommend keeping this open to allow circulation of warm air, it can be closed during the initial warm-up to speed up the heating time.
- Set the heaters to the maximum temperature. This way the sauna will always work towards the maximum temperature and will constantly run. Although they won't reach this temp eg: 70 or 80 degrees depending on your keypad, they will work towards maximum capacity and will likely reach somewhere around 60 degrees depending on the ambient temperature.
- Ensure the full spectrum heaters are also set to 100% on the keypad.
- Set the timer to the desired session length, or to the maximum 60 minutes.
- The air gap around the door is an intentional design but if you wish you can place a towel by the bottom of the door to prevent additional airflow.
- Check that the door seal is attached properly.
- Please note that the heaters under the bench will feel much cooler as they are strategically placed to heat your body's core directly with infrared waves.
If you are looking to run your heater for longer than 60 minutes there is a 16 Hour continuous operation mode: With the POWER on, set the temperature to 10°C and press the AUX button for 5 seconds. The sauna will now run for 16 hours. You can continue to adjust the time between 0-60 minutes and it will count down, but the sauna won’t shut off when it reaches 0. To turn off 16-hour mode, press the POWER button.
If you feel as though your sauna still isn't reaching the desired temperatures please try the following steps to check the functionality:
- From cold, turn the sauna on and feel against each heater panel after 30 seconds. If you can feel warmth, the panel is working. Check the sides, back and under bench panels. Please note that the under bench will always feel much cooler due to a safety feature designed to protect the calf muscles which are in close proximity to the heater.
- Check the air vent in the ceiling is closed - although we do recommend keeping this open to allow circulation of warm air, it can be closed during initial warm-up to speed up the heating time.
- Ensure the temperature is set to the desired temperature, or higher. Setting to maximum will force the heaters to run continually, as they will never reach the maximum temperature and therefore never switch off.
- Ensure the timer is set to the desired session length, or to the maximum 60 minutes.
- Is the door seal attached properly? A towel under the door can help keep cold air out (although as with the vent, we advise allowing air to circulate).
Another good option a lot of our customers choose is purchasing an additional Mini Full Spectrum Heater, which is an add on for the door that will help to boost the heat in the sauna.
This is also a great video to help understand Infrared technology;
You can find even more information regarding heat in the Maintenance and Tips PDF attached.