Buying a Second-Hand Barrel Sauna: Is It Worth It?

Used garden saunas are advertised, and sometimes it is a good deal, for instance when the owner is moving. But some defects rule out a purchase completely, and you have to spot them yourself, because the seller will not point them out.

How much you really save

Depending on age and condition, the saving on the new price can be substantial, but it varies widely from one sale to the next.

On top come transport and rebuilding. With a bulky barrel that can eat up a large part of the difference. Work it out before you drive to a viewing: sometimes a new sauna with a warranty costs hardly more.

What to check first

The underside of the structure where it rests on its supports. Moisture collects there, rot starts there, and it is the hardest place to see because you have to lie down and look.

The tightening bands: can they be tightened, or have they rusted through? Loose bands are normal; rusted-through ones are the end of it.

The door: does it close on its own and sit snug all the way round? If not, either the seal is worn (cheap) or the sauna has settled crooked (expensive).

The roof and its covering, especially at the overhang and around the flue.

Defects that rule out the purchase

Rot at the floor or the supports. The only fix is new staves, work comparable to building a new sauna.

Cracks that go right through, so that you can see light.

Staves that stand apart even though the bands have been tightened. The wood has been permanently deformed.

Dark patches and a musty smell inside. That moisture is lodged permanently in the wood and can no longer be got out.

What is cheap to repair

Door seal, sauna stones, lighting, benches, outside treatment: together a manageable sum.

If the sauna has only such faults and the structure is sound, it is a good buy.

About the stove

Wood stove: check the body and grate for burn-through and cracks. If possible, have it lit.

Electric stove: have it switched on at the viewing and check that all the elements heat. With an older stove a repair is often hardly worthwhile, so count a faulty electric stove as no stove at all.

Transport and rebuilding

Ask whether the sauna has been moved before and how. A barrel that has been badly taken apart and rebuilt never seals as well as it did from the factory.

Clarify who dismantles and who loads. This is not a job for two people and a van: a 3 m barrel weighs close to a tonne.

Check whether the seller has the paperwork for the stove and for the sauna. Without it, any remaining warranty is hard to use.

If you would rather not take this on, a new kit with delivery included and a 12-month warranty on the structure may well be the calmer choice.