Nippa will switch to winter hours on October 23rd!

There are Visitors at Nippa® right now!

A warm Welcome to Everyone and Thank You for your time!

10/11/09

We have been very busy on our phones! If you call and get our voicemail, please leave us a message.

4/01/09

Seems the April Fool is on us! We had an electrical problem and have lost our phone system and several other electrical equipment throughout the shop. Please give us a few days to get things back to normal.

1/09/09

We are celebrating our 80th Anniversary next year, and to make this event special, we have created a very special, custom WB-18 that one lucky person will win! Click here for details!

1/05/09

Now you can order a gift certificate for that hard to shop for person! Look for the link at the top of our website and in the shopping area's!

1/01/09

Nippa 79th Anniversary Special!
Get $79.00 off any wood or gas stove (does not include stove accessories!) all throughout the month of January! The $79.00 discount will NOT show up in your shopping cart, but will be applied on orders received January 1st - January 31st!

10/31/08
We just got a great buy on steel, and will be passing the savings on to you! Until November 20th, you will recieve 10% off any of our wood or gas stoves!

10/19/08
Nippa now has a Forum for everyone to discuss questions, problems or offer helpful advise!

10/01/08
Get-A-Gift!
Send us a comment about our website using the comment form on the Home Page or by sending us a testimonial on our Testimonial Page and you could win a free gift! One winner per month!

09/24/08
You can now chat "LIVE" with us Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM Eastern Standard Time. In real time, you can get your questions answered without making a phone call! Just click on the "Chat Live Now" button located at the top of most of our pages. It works great with our dial-up and highspeed customers!
The only restriction is that you can not place an order via Chat, orders must be made over the phone, in person or via the website shopping cart.

09/18/08

click to enlarge

Stove Surprise!

Beginning September 20th, 2008 until November 1st, 2008!
When you order any wood or gas stove, we will choose one of our sauna accessories for you, and pack it inside your new stove!

09/17/06
Read what our customers say and see their sauna's!

08/14/07
Download our simple but FREE sauna plans by clicking here.

04/22/07
Each of our wood and gas NIPPA® stoves are still hand-crafted, so please expect 1-4 weeks before your stove arrives. Yes, it does take a little longer to make a Nippa® stove, but then... a Nippa® stove lasts longer than others! As with all good things in life, everything balances out in the end.

07/08/06
NEW for 2006! Color choices! Click to learn more!

03/31/06
Available NOW!

This Window option will only be available on WB and WC models that also have the Extension option.

12/20/05
On December 20, 2005, NIPPA® Sauna Stoves of Beulah, Michigan purchased the Nippa stove line from Bruce Enterprises of Bruce Crossing, Michigan. The complete NIPPA® line will now be manufactured by NIPPA® Sauna Stoves in our Beulah, Michigan location. NIPPA® Sauna Stoves assumes no liability for stoves manufactured by Bruce Enterprises, or any stoves manufactured prior to 12/20/2005.

The "new" Sauna Specialist crew:

General Manager - Tina
(with her sled dog, Storm)
Click here to see the rest of the Team!

Office Manager - Pat

Let us assist you in making your purchase a pleasurable one! Call us today at
1-866-427-7707!

Q. What makes a Nippa® wood heater better than others on the market?
A. Leo Nippa® (formerly Leo Niippa) began making Nippa® sauna heaters over 78 years ago in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, using a technique which promoted strength and lasting quality that even in today's high tech world remains unmatched. By rolling the firebox (to prevent the ever-so-common warping found in cheaper made heaters), fewer welds were needed during manufacture which created the strength of his stove. He also use a baffle system so you didn't lose your precious heat up your chimney. Although newer innovations have been incorporated in the heaters throughout the years, the uncompromised original techniques are still used today.

Q. How is Nippa® correctly prounounced?
A. NEE-pa. Leo Nippa changed the spelling of his last name when he moved to the United States, from Niippa to Nippa, but the pronounciation remaines the same.

Q. Does Rob Roy, the author of The Sauna: A Complete Guide to the Construction, Use, and Benefits of the Finnish Bath, really have a Nippa® Stove?
A. YES! His testimonial and a view of his sauna can be seen by clicking
here.
You can also read a review of his book and an overview of what the book is about at SaunaSoul.com.

Q. The glass on my wood stove is really dirty. How can I clean it and keep this from happening?
A. Your glass gets a film on it from the gases that are released during burning of your wood. It is actually creosote build-up. The mistake most folks make when building a fire is that they load up the stove, close the dampers and let it sort of smolder all day and night. The best way to use your stove is to burn it hot during the daytime, and close it up only at night, when you need to keep the fire going for long periods of time. To build a proper fire and get the best use and cleanliness of your stove, which will bake off the build-up not only on the glass but your stove pipe as well, is to load your stove and leave the dampers opened either fully or partially. You will be creating a very hot fire, which will remove the film. Short, hot fires are much better for your stove and chimney than long, smoldering ones. The other way of cleaning the glass is to make a paste out of ashes and white vinegar, just rub it on the glass and it will clean off most if not all the residue.

Q. Where can I find more information on fire and building safety?
A. Click below to visit the NFPA website:
National Fire Protection Association

Q. How do I "season" my wood or gas Nippa® stove and why should I do this?
A. Seasoning your stove does two things, it cures the paint to the steel and seals the pores of the steel, providing a much longer life for your stove. To season a stove is quite simple. The first time you build a fire in your stove, just build a very small fire and burn it at a low temperature for 4-6 hours. For a gas stove keep the flame low and burn for 2-4 hours. This should also be done if you re-paint your stove!

Q. Where can I find rocks for my stove?
A. We offer rocks for sale with all our gas and wood heaters, and we include them at no additional cost with our electric heaters. Yes, rocks are expensive to ship, but there are alternatives. You can find rocks at home centers, landscaping centers and at most construction/building centers. Make sure you ask for "hard" non-porous rocks if you are going for a decorative look. Do not use lime or slate. Volcanic rock is readily available.

Q. Why do I have to use rocks in my stove?
A. Rocks are needed to store heat and to create steam when water is poured over them. Place your rocks all around the heater elements making sure to cover completely. If done correctly the stones will filter the heat from the heater elements for a softer more comfortable bathing experience and provide better steam. If you just place rocks on top of a grill or basket they will not get hot enough to produce a good steam and you will notice a much harsher heat.

Q. How high should my sauna ceiling be?
A. Seven Feet - maximum. To heat your sauna quickly and allow the sauna to retain the heat, the ceiling height should be no higher than seven feet. Remember... heat rises. You want the heat you create with your stove to stay near the floor, where you are sitting comfortably on your bench.

Q. How is a Sauna different from other baths?
A. A Sauna must have a special, insulated room built of softwood; a heater which is capable of heating the room to about 180° F; and stones which get hot enough to produce a good steam when water is poured over them. Anything else is not a Sauna. Also, a Sauna is not a steam bath. Steam is 100% humidity while a Sauna is relatively dry at about 20-25% average humidity (when water is used).

Q. Should a Sauna have a waterproof floor? Is a floor drain necessary?
A. A Sauna must have a waterproof floor so that it can be easily washed and kept clean and sanitary, and free of odor. We recommend washable floors such as tile, sealed cement/concrete, or heavy duty vinyl. Commercial Saunas should have a floor drain to remove excess water by bathers and for cleaning purposes. Most residential Saunas do not need a floor drain, unless a water hose is used for cleaning. Wooden flooring is not hygienic in a Sauna as it absorbs perspiration, facilitates odor causing bacteria, and it cannot be thoroughly cleaned unless bleach is used.

Q. Should a Sauna be insulated?
A. Yes, insulation prevents heat loss. We recommend R-11 or R-13 fiberglass insulation, standard paper faced. All the walls and the ceiling should be insulated. Vapor-proof barrier insulation is not recommended, as a sauna room needs to "breathe".

Q. Why must a Sauna be built of softwood?
A. The humidity must be absorbed into the wood to keep the atmosphere relatively dry, which also allows the wood to "breathe". Softwoods have this property and are cool to the touch. Hardwoods absorb heat and become too hot to sit or lean against. The wood must be kiln dried to within 9-11% moisture content to prevent shrinkage and warping.

Q. Is an infrared or far infrared a Sauna?
A. No. The only similarity to the Sauna is the wood lined room. An infrared cabin uses exposed heated elements to produce "infrared" heat. These elements are located on the back wall, front wall, and usually under the benches. Only the parts of the body that are closest to the elements get hot enough to perspire, similar to a spot heater. Saunas, on the other hand, are meant to heat the entire body via the heated air from a single heater filled with stones. Infrared rooms average about 125° F, whereas Saunas average 175-185° F. Infrareds have no means to create soothing steam or humidity because they do not have heated stones. Use of water is not an option. Some infrared companies claim that their infrared heat penetrates up to 3" into your body. Even if this claim was true, one should be worried about anything penetrating that far into the body. Saunas safely heat the outside of the body and do not penetrate into it. Are infrareds better for you or do you sweat more in an infrared room? No. Saunas are known to provide the deepest cleansing of any bath in the world. Much of the information being provided by infrared companies is misleading and not factual.

Give more than just a passing thought to the wood you burn. Different types have different heat values. The heavier or more dense, the higher the heating value. Always burn dry, well-seasoned hardwood. If you buy green wood, it's essential you season it before using. Green wood has too high moisture content for satisfactory results. Dry wood also helps decrease the amount of creosote build-up.

If you purchase your firewood, you'll normally not have a choice of tree species. However, you should pay less for wood having a low heating value. Being a knowledgeable firewood buyer will help you get the most for your money.

Seasoned dense wood will burn long and steady, and one cord of such wood is equal to many gallons of fuel oil. A cord of hickory, for example, is equal to 177 gallons, while a cord of soft balsam fir is only equal to burning 96 gallons.

Wood is usually sold by the cord or rick. A standard cord stacked measures four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long. A rick is defined as eight feet long, four feet high, but only two feet wide (half a cord). A face cord is generally accepted to be four by eight by one or two feet, or as wide as the lengths of the wood cut.

If someone wants to sell you a "truck load," it depends on the size of the truck bed. A pick-up truck with a basic four by eight foot bed, 19 inches deep, will only hold a third of a standard cord. If they claim they are selling "about" a cord of wood, and will deliver it in a pick-up, just explain you'll pay after stacking it, but only for the actual volume you're receiving.

There are long, long lists of dos and don'ts for wood burning stoves, but some of the more important ones are:

• Use seasoned, dry hard wood.
• Burn short, hot fires, rather than long, smoldering ones.
• Install smoke/heat detectors, and have a good hand fire extinguisher nearby.
• Empty ashes into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep the container off a combustible floor.
• Don't burn trash, papers, or small twigs.
• Never use a flammable liquid of any kind to start a fire.
• Never use chemical or starter logs.
• Do not store dry wood near or under the stove.
• Don't leave the stove burning unattended overnight, or when children are in the house.
• Never vent your stove into a flue already used to vent another heating system.
• Do not leave the stove doors open except to fuel the fire.

On a pound-for-pound basis all wood contains just about the same amount of energy. However, on a volume basis there is a great difference in the heat given off by different woods. As a general rule, so-called "hardwoods" are more dense than "softwoods". They burn longer and give off more heat than softwoods. The following table should help you in choosing which woods to burn:

Species Having High Heat Value
(1 cord = 21,000,000 - 24,000,000 BTU = 200-250 gal. of fuel oil or 250-300 cu. ft. of natural gas)