I recently acquired a very well built ice house that i am converting into a sauna. It was built by a guy who was a wizard at tin bending so the whole thing is a airtight galvanized metal box 4x8 outside. He used metal tape to air tight it
He made it with 1 inch solid foam insulation and 1/4 inch hobby board/plywood inside and a single 3x4 double window.
I was gifted a large amount of aluminum backed 1.75 inch hard foam insulation and a bunch of scrap 2x4s as well as a bunch of red cedar tongue and groove. I split the 2x4s on a table saw and used them to make a frame so i could nail the tongue and groove to the insides as well as stick the 1.75 hard foam insulation in. I'm putting 1-2 inch cedar cut off on the outside.
It will have insulation consisting of: Air tight sheet steel, 1 inch hard foam, 1/4 plywood, 1.75 hard foam, .75 inch cedar in a roughly 7x3.5 foot area.
Would the heat of a human body or a gas light keep this at room temperature at 0 to -15 degree outside? I know it works for sauna level insulation, i'm just wondering it it works enough to keep someone alive without heat in a place like northern Maine in a emergency.
oxygen
let's worry about that after determining the temperature issue
OP here, i am quite aware of the oxygen issue. the thing is TOO airtight and needs a vent.
Thanks.
>keep someone alive
Ask an Eskimo.
Combined human output at rest can be estimated at 100 Watts, this can go up a factor 10 for short periods during activity and the thermal efficiency about 25%. So if you produce 200 Watts on a home trainer, there’s also 600 Watts of thermal energy released.
Check the wiki page on R-value. It has a table with materials and values, from there you can calculate. At 3sqm per side with R1.5 and a 40K temp difference you’re looking at some 400 Watts ballpark figure.
Post pics of your death trap
Death trap in progress, the missing window is getting covered over and the panel is going on the inside to make the other one a double window. They are sealed with clear silicone.
R value seems to be around 40. Planning a tent stove as a heat source so a vent is needed, even without the stove when it's done it will be a massive co2 hazard if it doesn't have one.
Pretty sure it would be just fine without heat if not for the ventalation issue, wonder how to calculate vent size?
More doom box:
Aww. Fishies!
That thing is an illegal pile of shit. If I knew where you lived I would call the county about it. Shame on you.
>Ice shack laws
Only law round here is get it off the ice B4 it falls through
Unincorporated townships in Maine don't even require building permits for anything with a footprint below 750 sq feet, anything with a wood or timber frame doesn't even need to meet code if you make it yourself reguardless of size. .