Second-hand sauna
Buying a second-hand sauna: what to check.
The checklist
Six things to check before you pay.
The stove
Look for cracks and rusted-through spots in the firebox, burnt grates and the door. With an electric heater: does the control work and are all the elements intact? Ask how old it is. A new stove quickly costs €350 to €1,200.
The wood
Rot is usually at the bottom, where moisture stays. Press the lowest planks with a screwdriver, look for mould and, on a barrel sauna, check whether the staves still sit tight together. A leaking roof shows as dark stains inside.
The electrics
What power does the heater have, and do you have a connection for it? Many heaters need heavy-duty power. A cable to the garden on its own circuit costs €400 to €1,200, and that work belongs with a certified installer.
The transport
An outdoor sauna or barrel sauna easily weighs 700 to 1,000 kilos. Collecting it means a trailer or crane, and taking it apart can damage the wood. Ask beforehand how the seller put it up.
The parts
Sauna stones weather and need replacing after a few years, allow €25 to €60. Also look at the benches, the chimney and the spark arrestor. If something is missing, add it to the price.
Warranty and cooling-off
From a private seller you buy without a warranty and usually without the option to send it back. That does not have to be a problem, but weigh it up if something is wrong with the stove or the wood.
The maths
What a second-hand sauna really costs
The asking price on a classifieds site is rarely what you end up paying. With a used outdoor sauna or barrel sauna there is almost always transport on top, often new ground work, and with an electric heater a cable to the garden. A €1,500 sauna quickly becomes €2,500 or more before you have sat in it once.
Also look at outlet and showroom models from sauna shops, often found under outdoor sauna outlet. You pay less than new, but usually still get a warranty and delivery. For many people that is the sensible middle.
If you first want to know what a new fixed sauna costs, including all the extras, read what an outdoor sauna really costs.
New
New, for less than many second-hand ones.
A new MOOSSE sauna tent costs less than many used outdoor saunas once you count transport and connection. It arrives at your door in two boxes within 5 working days, you set it up yourself in five minutes, and the RVS 430 stove is new.
It is a different product from a fixed sauna, though. How that difference works out is in barrel sauna or sauna tent.
- Complete from €1,349, free shipping in NL and BE
- 2-year warranty on the stove, 1 year on the tent
- 30 days to change your mind
- No transport, no ground work, no electrics
Fair is fair
When second-hand is smart after all
If you have a trailer, are handy and want a fixed sauna that always stands in the garden, a good second-hand barrel sauna or outdoor sauna can be an excellent buy. Especially if you find it nearby and the seller can show how it was maintained.
If you are looking at a used sauna tent, mainly check the place where the chimney goes through the fabric. Hot metal meets textile there, and a worn or badly fitting pass-through is the biggest risk. If it is not in order, leave it.
One more thing
Questions about a second-hand sauna
Rather new, with a warranty?
Wood-fired, up to 100°C, complete from €1,349. 30 days to change your mind and a 2-year warranty on the stove.