Combined water heater and sauna room heater device

Claim 1

In combination with a sauna room, a combined domestic hot water and sauna room heater device mounted in said sauna room, said device comprising a domestic hot water heating unit including a water tank having a top, sides and a bottom and leg means supporting the tank with its bottom at a predetermined distance above a supporting surface in said sauna room, said tank having a cold water inlet means and a hot water outlet for connection to a domestic hot water system of a building, said tank including thermostatically controlled heating means for heating the water therein to a predetermined temperature; a split jacket of substantially rigid thermal insulation movably mounted about the tank and selectively covering the top and sides of the tank and extending to the supporting surface, said jacket being selectively movable between a closed position completely enclosing and insulating the tank and an open position exposing part of the top, sides and bottom of the tank and part of the area between the supporting surface and the bottom of the tank, the exposed part of the tank serving as a heat exchange surface for radiating heat from the hot water in the tank to the sauna room; a separate perforated housing mounted within said jacket in the area between the supporting surface and the bottom of the tank; sauna rocks in the perforated housing; electric heating means in the perforated housing for heating the sauna rocks; electric fan means mounted in said area for directing heated air via forced draft from the housing upward past the exposed part of said tank to pick up additional heat therefrom and thence into the sauna room; circuit means including switch means and a thermostat means responsive to sauna room temperature, said switch means and thermostat means being electrically connected to the heating means and the fan means to energize the heating means and fan means when the switch means is closed and when said sauna room is below the desired temperature for maintaining desired sauna room temperature under the control of said thermostat means, said switch means being coupled to the jacket in a manner whereby when the jacket is moved to its open position said switch means is automatically closed to energize the electric heating means and fan means, said switch means being open when said jacket is in its closed position; and selectively operable means associated with said tank for supplying water from the tank to the heated rocks in the perforated housing for generating steam in the sauna room.