KIP Heater Installation & Owner's Manual

Important Safety Information

WARNING: REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRES

• Do not operate without rocks.
• Do not operate without guard in place.

Heater Instructions

Your Almost Heaven Sauna is paired with a genuine Finnish heater manufactured by Harvia Oy. This guide provides installation and operation instructions. All electrical work should be performed by a licensed electrician.

Information for your electrician:

4.5kW and 6.0kW KIP Heaters

• 30-amp double pole breaker
• 240 volts
• 1 Phase
• 10/2 wire. For 6.0kW heaters, an 8/2 wire is recommended for distances greater than 30' from power source.
• Do not use GFCI with this heater.
• Use copper wire with 90°C insulation.

8.0kW KIP Heaters

• 40-amp double pole breaker
• 240 volts
• 1 Phase
• 8/2 wire
• Do not use GFCI with this heater.
• Use copper wire with 90°C insulation.

Positioning Your Heater

Unpack your heater, setting aside the trim pieces and bag with placards and screws.

Step 1: Remove the hardware bag containing safety placards. Select two longer lag screws (1.5 inches). Secure these into the sauna wall so that ¼ inch of the screw protrudes from the wall.

Textual description for Image 1: Shows the Harvia KIP heater unit.

Textual description for Image 2: Depicts safety placards with warning symbols and text.

Textual description for Image 3: Illustrates a hand holding a drill, screwing into a wooden wall surface.

Textual description for Image 4: Shows screws protruding from a sauna wall, ready for mounting.

Mounting for Barrel Saunas: The heater mounting holes are pre-drilled.

Textual description for Image 5: Highlights pre-drilled mounting holes on a barrel sauna wall.

Mounting for Indoor Saunas: Mount screws 22 inches off the floor and spaced 15.25 inches apart, approximately centered above any existing vent holes. The heater can cover these holes as ventilation will still occur.

Textual description for Image 6: A diagram indicating the recommended mounting height of 22 inches and spacing of 15.25 inches for indoor saunas.

Hang the heater on the mounting screws, ensuring it is level and its base sits 5-7 inches off the floor.

Step 2: Mark the wall directly behind one of the rubber gaskets on the lower back of the heater. This is where the power will enter. Remove the heater from the wall and take off the rubber gasket to expose the cutout. It does not matter which gasket is removed.

Textual description for Image 7: Shows a mark made on the sauna wall behind the heater's location.

Textual description for Image 8: Illustrates a rubber gasket being removed from the back of the heater.

Note: While this is a common location, power can enter at any point. It is not recommended to use pre-drilled vent holes for conduit entry.

Removing the Stone Guard and Bottom Cover

Remove the two screws holding the stone guard. Pry the guard back and lift it off. Clip the ziptie holding the metal sensor housing from the elements and set it aside for later installation.

Textual description for Image 9: Shows screws being removed from the heater's stone guard.

Textual description for Image 10: Depicts the stone guard being gently pried away from the heater.

Textual description for Image 11: Shows a ziptie being clipped to secure the metal sensor housing.

Connecting to Power

All wiring must be done by a licensed electrician.

Step 3: Bore a hole at the marked location, ensuring it is wide enough for the wire. Feed the wire through this hole and then through the cutout at the base of the heater.

Textual description for Image 12: The heater is shown flipped over, with its bottom cover removed.

Textual description for Image 13: Highlights the temperature sensor and its attached wiring.

Textual description for Image 14: Shows internal wiring connections within the heater unit.

Textual description for Image 15: Illustrates a hole being drilled into the sauna wall for the power cable.

Textual description for Image 16: Shows the power wire being fed through the wall hole and into the heater's base cutout.

With the breaker off, connect your heater to power according to the diagram. Connect two hot lines to L1 and L2, and the ground line to the ground screw.

Textual description for Image 17: Close-up view of the L1, L2, and GND electrical terminals for connection.

Replace the bottom cover once wiring is complete, and rehang the heater on the screws.

Textual description for Image 18: The heater is shown rehung on the wall mounting screws.

Electrical Diagram: A schematic shows the heater's internal wiring, including connections for the contactor, thermostat, heating elements, timer, and limit control. It illustrates the flow of power from LINE 1, LINE 2, and GROUND to these components.

Note: The power wire should not enter through the bottom cover's cutout; this cutout is for accessing the high-limit reset button.

Textual description for Image 19: A warning symbol indicating potential fire risk and advising against placing combustible materials near the heater.

Operating the Heater

This heater is operated using two dials: the thermostat and the timer.

• Thermostat (left dial): Controls the sauna temperature. Set to your preference.
• Timer (right dial): Turns the heater on/off and allows for delayed start.

When the heater has power, a loud "clunk" sound will be heard at the '0' and '1' positions on the timer dial. The time between these "clunks" represents one hour of heat time.

To start immediately: Turn the timer dial past the '1' position to '2'. Then, turn the timer back until you hear one loud "clunk," stopping the turn. This initiates the one-hour heat cycle.

The heater will automatically shut off after one hour. You may need to restart it for longer sessions.

The numbers 1-8 on the timer refer to hours for a delayed start. For example, setting the timer to '5' will begin heating in five hours.

Initial Burn-off: With the sauna door open, turn on the heater for five minutes. This allows the non-toxic protective coating on the heating elements to burn off. Some light smoke is normal during this process.

Placing the Stones

While the heater cools, rinse the sauna stones.

Place smaller stones between and around the three heating elements, ensuring the elements do not touch each other. The stones should touch the elements but not bend them. Use larger stones to cover the heating elements completely. Replace the stone guard.

Textual description for Image 21: Shows smaller sauna stones being placed around heating elements.

Textual description for Image 22: Shows larger sauna stones being placed on top of the heating elements.

Note: Packing stones too tightly restricts airflow and reduces heater efficiency. Position stones loosely around and above the elements. It is normal to have 5-10 stones left over.

Temperature Sensor Placement

Mount the sensor housing (metal component zip-tied to elements) vertically, at least 18 inches to the side of the heater and 18 inches below the highest point of the sauna. Incorrect placement (too high or too close to the heater) can cause premature shut-off.

Textual description for Image 23: A diagram illustrating the recommended placement of the temperature sensor, showing 18-inch clearance from the side and 18-inch clearance from the top.

Place the sensor pin in the housing with the bulb upright. Close the housing wings over the sensor pin. Conceal the sensor housing and pin with the sensor cover and provided screw.

Textual description for Image 24: Shows the sensor pin being placed into the housing.

Textual description for Image 25: Shows the sensor housing wings being closed over the sensor pin.

Textual description for Image 26: Shows the sensor cover being attached.

Conceal the sensor wire using the grooved trim pieces. You may need to cut trim pieces to fit the distance between the heater and the sensor. Mount the trim pieces with the provided screws.

Textual description for Image 27: Shows grooved trim pieces being used to hide the sensor wire.

Installing the Heater Guard

Your KIP heater includes a cedar heater guard. Assemble the fence components using the provided hardware. Secure the guard to the wall so it evenly surrounds the heater. Position it no higher than the exposed sauna stones.

Textual description for Image 28: Shows cedar guard components laid out.

Textual description for Image 29: Shows assembly of the guard components.

Textual description for Image 30: Shows further assembly of the guard.

Textual description for Image 31: Shows tools (e.g., drill) used for assembly.

Textual description for Image 32: Shows the assembled heater guard mounted around the heater on the sauna wall.

Using Your Sauna Heater

Your sauna heater is designed to achieve temperatures of 180°-195°F. Expect the sauna to reach a usable temperature in 45-60 minutes.

You can pour water onto the stones to create steam. Use water sparingly; a ladleful is usually sufficient. Excessive water may drip from the heater's base and should be wiped up after the session.

To continue a sauna session after the automatic one-hour shutoff, simply restart the heater.

Consult your specific sauna manual for typical sauna routines.

Troubleshooting

If the sauna heater does not operate after initial installation:

• Check that the circuit breaker is on.
• Verify with your electrician that 240 volts are reaching the heater.
• Confirm the timer is being operated correctly (refer to Operating the Heater section).

If the sauna heater operates but the sauna room does not reach temperature:

• Verify the timer has not timed out; restart if necessary.
• Check stone placement: If packed too tightly, airflow is restricted, affecting efficiency. Reposition stones as needed.
• Check temperature sensor placement (refer to Temperature Sensor Placement section). If too high or too close to the heater, it may cause premature shutoff.
• Press the high-limit reset button located below the heater; it may need resetting.

If troubleshooting does not resolve the issue, please contact Almost Heaven Saunas at 888-355-3050 for assistance.