Will Water Accumulate on the Square Sauna Roof?

Outdoor saunas are becoming more and more popular with families and outdoor enthusiasts. As a manufacturer with more than 10 years of experience in sauna manufacturing, we analyze the problems of water accumulation on the roof of square saunas, including the flat roof design, the lack of asphalt tiles, aluminum sheets and waterproof cloth on the roof, the design of different saunas and their drainage conditions, the impact of water accumulation on the roof, etc., and propose corresponding improvement methods.

Common Causes of Water Accumulation on the Roof of a Square Sauna Room

The reasons for water accumulation on the roof of the square sauna room include the roof design of the square sauna room, waterproof materials, and the environment in which it is located. Let’s discuss it in detail below.

Insufficient Sauna Roof Slope

If the square sauna room is a flat-roof design, the roof slope is not large enough, and rainwater cannot flow out quickly, and water easily accumulates on the roof. To address this problem, Alphasauna changed the square sauna room with a flat roof design into a curved sauna room, which is more conducive to drainage and effectively prevents the problem of water accumulation on the roof.

No Waterproofing

Outdoor saunas need to be covered with asphalt tiles or aluminum sheets, and a layer of tarpaulin can also be placed on the sauna roof. If the sauna is not covered with asphalt tiles or aluminum sheets and a tarpaulin, it is easy to cause water to accumulate on the roof of the square sauna. Alphasauna equips outdoor saunas with asphalt tiles, and also tarpaulins for standard sloping roof square saunas.

Excessive Rainfall

When encountering bad weather, a large amount of rainwater gathers on the roof of the sauna room and cannot be quickly drained, which will also cause water accumulation on the sauna roof.

High Air Humidity

During the rainy season in relatively humid areas, the air humidity is high, and water vapor easily forms water droplets on the sauna roof. When the water droplets accumulate to a certain level, water will accumulate.
©Photo by Pngtree

The Impact of Water Accumulation on the Roof of the Square Sauna Room

People usually use saunas to relieve fatigue and relax. Water accumulation on the roof of a square sauna will have a certain impact on the sauna and its users. Let’s analyze it below.

Water Infiltration

When the sauna room is in a rainy and snowy climate, or is exposed to ultraviolet rays, sun exposure, rain erosion, etc. for a long time outdoors, it may cause rainwater infiltration and water accumulation on the roof, which may infiltrate the roof structure or even the interior, causing the structure and performance of the sauna room to be damaged to varying degrees, affecting the service life of the sauna room.

Impact on Temperature and Humidity Control

Water accumulation on the sauna roof will make it difficult for the temperature in the sauna room to stay within the set range, affecting the sauna experience. In addition, high temperature will cause water vapor to evaporate and increase the humidity of the air, which is not conducive to users sweating and relaxing during the sauna process.

How to Improve the Water Proofing of the Square Sauna Roof?

In view of the roof design, waterproof materials and environment of the square sauna room, the following suggestions are put forward to improve the problem of water accumulation on the roof of the square sauna room.

Roof Slope Design

If the customer customizes a square sauna room with a flat roof design, in order to improve its drainage capacity in rainy and snowy environments, it is recommended to change the sauna roof to a slightly inclined arc design. This design is not easily noticeable in appearance, but can effectively guide rainwater to flow out, which is conducive to drainage, thereby avoiding the risk of water accumulation and seepage on the roof.

Alphasauna has various designs of square saunas. To improve drainage efficiency, we have made adjustments and innovations to the slope design of the roof and the eaves design. Changing the flat-roof square sauna that is not conducive to drainage into a slightly curved square sauna can effectively solve the drainage problem. Reasonable slope design helps to extend the service life of the sauna and improve its safety.

Waterproof Layer Materials

For areas with rainy and snowy climates, you can choose asphalt tiles, aluminum sheets and other sauna waterproofing membranes, and you can also use waterproof cloth, waterproof covers and other sealing treatments.
If the outdoor sauna is not covered with asphalt tiles, it is easy to cause rainwater leakage and water accumulation on the sauna roof when used outdoors for a long time. Therefore, Alphasauna will equip our outdoor saunas with asphalt tiles for customers, and the square saunas with sloping roofs will also be equipped with asphalt tiles and waterproof cloth.
Steps for Laying Asphalt Shingles
First, check whether the roof is flat and free of foreign objects. If the area is often rainy and snowy, you can also lay a layer of waterproof membrane before laying asphalt shingles to enhance its waterproofness. Find a horizontal line in the middle of the sauna room and use wooden strips as the starting line for laying asphalt shingles at both ends. Cut the asphalt shingles into equal sizes, lay the bottom layer upside down, and lay the second layer overlapping the bottom layer, and then lay them horizontally from bottom to sauna roof, from left to right or right to left. Each tile needs to be fixed firmly with nails, and half a tile is staggered between each row to enhance its aesthetics and waterproof effect.
Waterproof cloth/covers are generally used for outdoor saunas to prevent them from being affected by bad weather and climate for a long time. When laying asphalt shingles, the roof of the used sauna room can be covered with waterproof cloth/cover to prevent water accumulation when the sauna room is idle.

Maintenance and Inspection

Regular Inspection:Check the roof surface, asphalt shingles or aluminum sheets and other waterproof layers 2-3 times a year to check whether there is water accumulation on the roof.
Sanitary Cleaning:Clean the fallen leaves and debris on the sauna roof to prevent drainage and blockage.
Maintenance Treatment:Arrange technicians to maintain the sauna room, check whether the sauna room is damaged, and repair it in time.

Alphasauna’s Sauna Roof Design and Drainage

Alphasauna has many different designs of saunas, such as sloping roof square saunas, flat roof square saunas, olive-shaped saunas and barrel saunas. The following is a detailed analysis of their sauna roof design and drainage.

Sloped-Roof Square Sauna Room

Sloped-roof square sauna rooms include single-slope sauna rooms and double-slope sauna rooms. From the front, the roof of a single-slope sauna room is high on one side and low on the other side. It is a single slope, and the high end drains water to the lower side, which has a good drainage effect. The roof of a double-slope sauna room is similar to a traditional roof, with a triangular structure. The roof serves as a higher fulcrum, and drains water inclining to both sides, which has strong drainage.
For sloping-roof square sauna rooms, Alphasauna will not only equip them with asphalt tiles, but also with waterproof cloth, which provides double protection and helps to avoid rainwater leakage and water accumulation on the sauna roof.

Flat-Roof Square Sauna Room

The roof of a flat-roof square sauna is a nearly horizontal rectangular surface of roof structure. Compared with the curved design, the flat-roof square sauna is prone to water accumulation due to its small slope. Alphasauna changed the flat-roof square sauna into a curved square sauna, and equipped it with asphalt shingles waterproofing membrane that can be installed by customers. Laying asphalt shingles can help prevent water seepage. From the front, it looks like a slightly curved bridge with a higher roof and water flowing out from the roof to both sides, effectively solving the problem of easy water accumulation due to the small slope of the flat-roof design.

Olive Sauna Room

The olive sauna has a semi-elliptical cross-section. When viewed from the front, it looks like an olive fruit. Its roof is made of curved surfaces, and rainwater is discharged from the sauna roof to both sides, which has a good drainage effect. Alphasauna also equips the outdoor olive-shaped sauna with asphalt tiles, which customers can install according to their needs.

Barrel Sauna Room

The barrel sauna is cylindrical in shape, with a curved roof that drains water along the curved sides. Since it does not have a horizontal surface, rainwater does not collect on the sauna roof, and drainage is efficient. Alphasauna also equips the outdoor barrel sauna with asphalt shingles.

Summary

By analyzing the different roof designs and drainage conditions of Alphasauna sauna rooms, and the three factors that cause water accumulation on the roof of the square sauna room, namely, the sauna roof design, materials, and environment, the influence of water accumulation on the roof of the square sauna room is analyzed, and measures such as laying asphalt tiles on the roof of the sauna room and covering with waterproof cloth/cover are proposed to improve the water proofing of the roof of the square sauna room.

Alphasauna is a company with more than 10 years of manufacturing experience, dedicated to providing customers with a variety of styles of sauna rooms and sauna accessories, as well as ice bath products such as cold plunge chillers, hot/cold water bathtubs, etc. For sauna rooms and ice bath equipment, we have a variety of styles for customers to choose from, both raw materials and room/bathtub design can be customized according to your needs. We also provide professional after-sales service and logistics follow-up. You can rest assured that we will give you the best products and the best quality service when choosing Alphasauna.