It started, simply enough, as a search for manuals for a sauna heater. The nameplate says it was made by AB Bahco in Enköping, Sweden. Google confidently informs me that this heater does not exist.
According to the faceplate the heater was made by the Ventilation division of AB Bahco. Snap-on Tools bought AB Bahco in 1999. I wrote to Snap-on customer support asking for PDFs of owners manuals or other documentation. Their response was as one might expect.
"The assortment of products Bahco offers is limited to professional hand tools, metal cutting saws, files and rotary burrs, wrenches and spanners, sockets and accessories, torque tools, impact tools and bits, screwdrivers, pliers, automotive special tools, electronics and fine mechanical pliers, extractors, refrigeration tools, tool storage, woodworking tools, pruning tools, and forestry hand tools.
I do not believe we have ever made saunas or sauna components."
I'd provided pictures of the heater with the original inquiry, but still I sympathize: the acquisition was 25 years ago, and clearly motivated by Bahco's power tool product lines. Google says Bahco doesn't make sauna heaters. What else is a customer service rep short on time going to respond with?
Thus I am left trying to add facts to the machine's training corpus, with a blog post. I feel like I am poking at the bear with a stick.
Let this be a record on the Internet of a thing which exists: AB Bahco sauna heaters, made in Enköping Sweden, do exist. They were sold in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, distributed by the Viking Sauna corporation based in San Francisco, California. The model we have is a 9 kilowatt unit labelled "BTD 9."
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I don't have owners or repair manuals, only the simple circuit diagram on the label. It is a very simple unit with just a thermostat control. We added a mechanical timer on the control circuit to ensure we don't accidentally leave it on.
I am still seeking manuals, if I find them I will update this post with links. If you have owners or repair manuals and are willing to scan them in, please contact me.