Insulation for cold places.

[stephanwik]

Originally Posted by Andy_in_Germany

Okay, so from inside to outside:

1: Cotton cover to look nice.
2: reflective silvery cover to reflect heat back into the Yurt.
3: felt or other material to trap ambient warmth.
4: "Damp Proof" (Plastic?) cover so the felt doesn't go mouldy.
5: Canvas outer cover.

This is getting complex. Can the reflective cover be between the felt and canvas to form the dampproofing?

It does get complex. To be honest I'm not convinced that felt is ever going to work in a Western European (read: damp) climate. Mongolia is much drier.

The foil works fine, and some other non-organic insulation such as rock/glass wool will work. But as you add each layer it starts to get heavy, bulky and difficult to hang it all into place without thermal bridges (i.e. leaks) and possibilities for water ingress.

The simplest solution is the foil in my experience. It doesn't rot, is light and works reasonably well. If you really want to have more insulation you're probably better off putting in rafter supports (also known as snow and wind kits) on the inside of the khana and then insulating between them. You're well on your way to creating a cottage if you do this and will start to lose some of the benefits / charm of the yurt IMHO.