New 18ft Yurt Owner: Weathering, Damp, and What to Expect

[PHXCC]

Hello, everyone!

I'm an 18ft yurt owner for the first time. While the company that sold me the yurt is very nice, they weren't particularly helpful with the practicalities of ownership, especially the weathering process. I'm hoping some experienced yurt owners can offer some advice.

I've had the Yurt for a couple of weeks now. I live in the UK (Cornwall), we've not had torrential rain but have had days of constant mizzle, showers - during these times I noticed small trails of water on the inside walls - not a lot.
I noticed that the floorboards are wet around the circumference, not soaking wet, but definitely damp. I'm assuming this is part of the weathering process for a brand-new canvas.

I have a 5kW wood-burning stove going, and I've attached pictures of the canvas, which is in two parts: a roof and wall section. I haven't experienced any rain dripping from the roof yet, but I'm sure that's to be expected.

I understand that a brand-new canvas needs to be drenched and allowed to dry completely to be fully weathered, but I don't know how many times it needs to do this before I can be assured it is all good.

The yurt is to be an all-season yurt. I have a 100% sheeps wool liner that will go on in the autumn.

One other question, although I have the wood-burning stove, I also have electricity running to the Yurt. What other heating alternatives are good? I heard the wood stove is the best because it provides dry heat, whereas other sources can create damp issues over time.

The Yurt is going to be used a lot, daily, probably. It is to become a support hub for those affected by cancer. I want to make sure it's a comfortable place to visit with no issues, so being prepared and having an idea of what to expect would be an advantage for me.

Any advice and insights from the community would be greatly appreciated! Not just related to weathering, I'm open to learning as much as I can.

Thanks
Tanya

 

[Jafo]

Welcome aboard Tanya!

Is the wood wet all the way around the yurt or just in one place?

I have never had anything like this happen in my yurt and am concerned that you are getting trails of water INSIDE the yurt walls. This is NOT normal. At first I was thinking maybe this was some kind of condensation, but I have to say, I have never had that happen in my yurt, no matter how wet the weather has been.

My yurt has a vinyl roof with polyester walls, not canvas. I have read that there is a break-in period for cotton or polycotton so this perhaps could be what your material is made of. I guess you will find out once that weathering period has ended. From what I have read, that does not take long.

If it does not stop doing this, I would definitely work with the manufacturer to get it fixed if it were me. You absolutely do not want to put up any insulation in there if it is going to leak as you will likely end up with mold.

Wood is generally the best, but many people also like mini-splits (heat pumps) because they both heat and cool and also dehumidify, which in your position, might be a good thing.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Bob Rowlands]

Beats me since I'm not there looking things over. But I will ditto what Jafo said.

How about consider doing a livestream walk and talk with your yurt manufacturer? Have a list of concerns and detailed pics/video of problem areas in your phone when talking to them. The rep needs to see up close what is going on while talking with you, to get an idea of what's what.

Keep that wood stove fired in the meantime. Wood heat is key to comfort and drying damp. Good luck.

 

[Jafo]

Tanya, any luck?