The bath on wheels is not much inferior to the stationary version. On the contrary, this design has its own positive aspects. How to build a mobile bath on wheels with your own hands - see our article. Content:
- Choosing a base
- Design and layout
- Assembling the frame
- Bath thermal insulation
- Interior decoration
- Furnace installation
- External finishing
A bath on wheels is a godsend for families who often move and lovers to take a steam bath during a vacation trip outside the city. At the same time, we are not talking about an uncomfortable tent with a pile of hot stones inside. A full-fledged mobile bath is equipped with everything you need: steam room, shower, relaxation area, etc. Often, such a design is not inferior to small stationary buildings in terms of comfort and practicality. In addition, you can make it yourself in a short period of time.
Choosing a base for a bath on wheels
A mobile bath on wheels can be not only a great place to relax, but also a great idea for starting your own business that brings considerable income. In contrast to the field simulation with a steam generator, the atmosphere of a traditional wooden building is fully preserved in it.
With your own hands, you can create both a small bath on wheels for 2-3 people, and a huge bath, suitable for visiting 10 people at a time. One of the important points is the choice of the basis for a mobile bath, which can be self-propelled or trailed.
As a rule, a mobile bath is equipped on one of the following platforms:
- Platform-platform tracked or on wheels … The base on which the bath can be loaded as needed.
- Car trailer … With such a base, the weight of the finished bath should not exceed the weight of the tractor. It is also necessary to exclude the swinging of the bath with the help of complementary supports.
- Minibus and bus … The best option for a fixed bath, which allows you to equip a large-scale recreation area that can accommodate up to 15 people.
- Off-road vehicle and truck … The most popular in this category are Soviet army all-terrain vehicles. Despite the high fuel consumption, they are considered successful for such purposes: the capacity is sufficient, the cross-country ability is high.
Design and layout of a bath on wheels
The first important stage in the construction of a bath on wheels with your own hands is the creation of a project. You can draw a sketch by hand or use a special program that makes it easier to estimate the dimensions of the structure and the amount of material required. When creating a project, it is important to take into account all the nuances: the weight of the structure, the load on the wheel arches, the type and power of a suitable furnace.
Since the bath is swinging during movement, the centers of gravity in it must be correctly located. That is, it is necessary to carefully design the ceiling and think over the placement of the stove. It is these two components that will prevent the structure from falling on its side. They are counterbalanced by the steps and the grate from the floor.
The optimal layout of the bath in the presence of a sufficient amount of space should include the following zones: steam room, dressing room, shower room. The design of a bath on wheels must be supplemented with a boiler for hot and a tank for cold water, a drain pan under the bottom and a dry closet. In this case, the mobile steam room can be used in any convenient place.
Thinking over the layout, it is worth either abandoning window openings altogether, or reducing their size to a minimum. First, windows are considered to be a significant source of heat loss. Secondly, they can lower the level of comfort, since the bathhouse is a rather secluded place for relaxation and clearly does not tolerate prying eyes.
Doors in baths of any design should only open outward, in accordance with safety regulations.
Arrangement of stiffeners and assembly of the frame for a bath on wheels
The technical part of arranging a bath should begin with the dismantling of all unnecessary elements. It is also worth taking care of the power frame, because the structure will regularly experience a tangible load. On the basis of the power frame, metal profiles are welded and stiffeners are fixed.
If a mobile bath is installed in a car trailer, it is more convenient to assemble the frame from ready-made elements, they can be ordered or made with your own hands.
During the assembly of the frame for the transportable bath, you must:
- Assemble the floor from boards and support logs;
- Attach the floor components to the base (trailer);
- Install the timber under the wall elements;
- Assemble the walls;
- Install the roof support beams and rafter system;
- Complete the roof assembly.
The roof is covered only at the end of the installation of the stove. The same goes for full interior and exterior decoration. With the help of heat-resistant wiring, they equip electric lighting, for which waterproof and heat-resistant lighting devices are used.
Thermal insulation of a bath on wheels
To successfully build a bath on wheels, you should not ignore high-quality thermal insulation. For mobile complexes, a cake is created that will occupy 15 cm from all sides.
Step by step, the insulation of a mobile bath is as follows:
- Installation of lathing from a bar with a section of 6 cm;
- Laying of the porous membrane;
- Laying mineral wool;
- Heat-reflective foil flooring;
- Bonding foil joints with tape;
- Installation of a counter-lattice.
As a rule, in army trucks, thermal insulation is mounted on the walls, in all other cases - on a metal frame, sheathed with wood.
Interior finishing of a bath on wheels
Inside, any mobile bath should be sheathed in no way worse than a stationary one: after high-quality insulation, a finishing finish and full decoration are performed. The best material for interior decoration is lining, preferably from natural linden. But the choice is always up to the owner.
For such a design, you can also apply: lining made of aspen, alder, etc., planed boards, block house, grooved boards (for floors), non-slip tiles (for a shower room), coniferous wood (for a dressing room).
To organize a complete interior of the Russian bath, it is recommended to place in the inner room:
- Wide folding or pull-out shelves;
- Wooden bench for rest and procedures;
- Hot water tank and cold water barrel;
- Shower room and dry closet;
- Plasma TV or radio tape recorder;
- Small folding table;
- A small built-in chest of drawers with plastic dishes, towels and bath cosmetics;
- Additional accessories: wooden buckets, brooms, hourglass, etc.
When decorating a bath on wheels, special attention should be paid to fasteners. During the movement, the bath will be subject to shaking - which means that poorly fixed products may fall off.
During treatment, the wood of benches and seats may be stained with herbs, honey, salt, etc. In this case, after visiting the bath, it is better to rinse the interior with water from a hose and leave the door open to dry the room.
Installation of the stove in a bath on wheels
The most successful version of a stove for a bath on wheels is a stove with a welded side, adapted for heating water, and a platform for a heater. Considering safety and comfort during use, the furnace of the stove must certainly be located outside. Thus, firewood will not take up space inside the room, and smoke will freely escape outside. Usually, the bath is heated up to +60 degrees, after which the procedures are already started.
Many questions arise about stones for dry steam. During the movement of the bath, they can roll and fall. But even this problem is easy to solve. All flat stones must be drilled through and strung on strong metal wire. In this form, they can be transported even in the cabin or completely separately.
Recently, ceramic insulators are gaining popularity instead of the usual filling of the heater. They are easier to put on wire, while giving no less steam than red-hot cobblestones.
External finishing of the bath on wheels
After looking at the photos of baths on wheels, you can see how varied their external decoration is. The use of wood siding will make the structure as close to stationary as possible. In the same way, you can create the appearance of a real barrel bath on wheels. Other commonly used materials include natural wood lining, plastic advertising banners, boards (for roofing), block house, and various types of siding.
As practice shows, it is not enough to correctly create a project for a bath on wheels and rebuild it correctly. It is necessary to be able to install a mobile structure at a temporary location, observing all conditions. If the steam room is organized on a car trailer, it is disconnected from the car after arriving at a temporary location. For this, it is important to have a support-leg at hand. It is on it that the structure is supported at once, and then several more supports are added. In order to avoid swinging the trailer, there must be at least four of them.
After installation, you can fold the side and get out the pre-equipped ladder, which acts as a ladder. In most cases, the process of complete installation of the bath at the place of temporary residence takes from 15 to 25 minutes.
Upon completion of the arrangement of the mobile bath, it would not be superfluous to focus on safety during its operation. Such constructions require special care and a serious attitude to the rules. For example, it is strictly forbidden to take a steam bath while driving. During the transportation of a mobile bath, you can only make a firebox, so that by arrival at the planned place, the room is ready to receive visitors.
Watch a video about a bath on wheels:
Arranging a bath on wheels with your own hands is rarely associated with problem situations and unforeseen moments. The construction process of such a structure will go smoothly if high-quality material is selected for this, a well-thought-out project is prepared and the sequence of actions is observed.
