Insulation

[SeverTheTether]

We have been having quite a few condensation/frost issues in our yurt with the cold weather spell that has hit the country. The past week or so we have been dealing with temps as low as -30F (Not a windchill!). We have been able to keep the yurt warm, but if I open the

dome

up, it draws out too much of the warm air making it cold inside.

I installed a small fan up in the rafters that points at the

dome

opening from the opposite side of the dome, and we blow air all day on it to keep the

moisture

from building up (and subsequently raining down on us). This

moisture

also drips down the dome to the edge, where it freezes (ice dam style), making the dome not open and close correctly.

We are hoping that the arctic freeze will pass by soon and allow us to dry up in here. I do open the dome most of the day when the sun is out to try to vent out some of the moisture.

We are also dealing with frost down on the bender boards, which hasn't been fun to deal with either.

But we have gone through about a week of nights were the lows have been between -10 and -30 and seem to be staying warm.

I've got some major ice dams on the edges of the roof (right before it got cold we got 20" of snow), but I think those will melt and slide off once we get some temps above 10 degrees.

[Jafo]

Are you

heating

with wood?

[SeverTheTether]

Yep! Quite a bit when it hits -25F too!

[Jafo]

One thing you might try doing is every once in a while, firing up that wood stove as high as you safely can. Heat the room right up, and then crack the dome enough where it can stay comfortable, but vent out moisture at the same time. I would refrain from adding moisture to the air whenever possible. For example, don't leave that pot of water on top of the wood stove.

Are you cooking with propane or NG? That adds a lot of moisture to the air. Can you get by cooking on the wood stove on these really cold days?

It is basic science though that when moist warm air comes in contact with a cold surface, condensation will happen. You see that on a bottle of cold water in the summer. Traditional structures vent out moisture from their roofs or via HVC. Unless this is done, I see no way to get around it.

[SeverTheTether]

I do fire it up hot during the day and try to dry it out, but even then, on the icy cold days, that ice buildup on the edges of the dome start to get worrisome. I may try a de-humidifier as well. We do cook with gas, and there is a bathroom in the yurt, so there is moisture from that as well. We try to open the dome when cooking is being done or ample humidity is being added to the air.

When we got the yurt we got a screen option for the dome (we have quite the bug problem in the summer here in MN), but I think I may order a ceiling fan kit so we can install one of those right under the dome, this would allow me to blow warm air on the dome to keep it from icing up. This would also give us a large vent to vent out moisture during the day quickly.

[Chris Pickens]

Insulation

..........I have been a proud yurt owner now for about 10 years...It's held up well and have been very happy with it....However, on the subject of

insulation

. Companies who sell yurts should find a way to just include the insulation in with the basic package. There is no way....no how that anyone should own a yurt without it being properly insulated. In any climate, it just doesn't work.

With that said, if it gets up close to 80 degrees, then an noninsulated yurt will get to over 100 degrees......Unbearable!!!!......I keep going back to the websites and looking at the insulation packages. Besides the unbelievable cost $3,000....I keep looking at the roof and remember how heavy the actual roof is.....removing the roof to put up the insulation, I'd have to once again call in all my favors and fork out the time and the labor to get this done...

It's driving me crazy!!!!!.....There has to be a better way....I'm thinking of foaming the rafters in the roof and under the floor....then cutting foam board between the rafters on the walls.....

I did notice that you can get a roll of reflective insulation for $150.00....It'd probably take about 4 rolls....On the sides...I could take out the screws at the bottom and staple it around...cutting out the window.....

Anyways....I'm lost and at this point a bit $@^$^, and frustrated. Any help with the insulation issue would be appreciated by many....
Sincerely,
Yurtin for Certain

[homesweetyurt]

We tried a dehumidifier and reducing all moisture and everything. I helped a bit, but it did not solve our dripping problem and made living in the yurt unpleasant - extremely dry air is not nice to breathe all the time. It also created issues trying to live, we need to cook and clean.

Leaving the dome open also helps, but it doesn't fix the issues, nor is it practical all the time - it just gets too cold, heat rises right out.

We heat with wood, we have insulation under the floor, in the walls, and thick foam insulation in the ceiling.

Our current thought is to try a moisture barrier on the inside of the ceiling, though I would imagine air/moisture could still get in there from where the roof fabric meets the dome.

I'm really at a loss and rather frustrated that yurt companies say this can be done, when my experience is saying no it can't/

Any ideas? Any at all?

[Bob Rowlands]

Moisture is being trapped inside your yurt by the insulation and covering material. Open the windows and open the roof vent. Roll up the side cover, and get a draft going.

Aside from that there is no easy solution if your yurt is covered with impermeable materials. All small tightly constructed tents have condensation problems unless the coverings are permeable. Todays new skool nylon tents have large panels of breathable mesh directly under the fly to alleviate condensation. I still find nylon tents nasty, regardless of how well they breathe.


I covered my yurt with 17oz. double fill cotton canvas with sunforger treatment. It is a superb material for tents. Not only does it breathe great, but it doesn't leak in heavy rain, or with a snow load.

I know zilch about yurt wall insulation. I DO know wool insulation breathes. If I insulated my yurt, I'd pay strong attention to installing a permeable insulation.

Wish I could give you better advice. Good luck.

[addicted56]

I need to stop by the local HF and pick up a cheap infrared sensor but I will let you know how my testing goes. It was 97 and 90% humidity here the other day. Probably well over 110 in the yurt and that is with 1.5 tons worth of AC going and the insulation package. Given I am not fully sealed up yet and I was opening the door constantly for construction, but I hear what you are saying. The AC can keep up when the sun is not hitting it, but when it is forget about it.

I can purchase the reflective backed 1/2" foam insulation for 6 bucks a 4x8 sheet at the local Lowes. I would love to give it the required air gap but cutting it is time consuming. I just slipped it in behind the rafters in about 1 minute per panel. But I have a feeling without the air gap the radiant heat will make the insulation a moot point all together. I'll let you know.

Also doing some research on insulation, with that many rafters in the roof there is almost no way to stop the heat transferring thru the wood into the house. In hot climates yurts are a battle between the AC and the elements. We will see who is stronger in our situation.

[Marshall Eppley]

hAS ANYONE CONSIDERED THE STYRAFOAM BAFFLES PLACED BETWEEN THE ROOF AND INSULATION TO PROVIDE SPACE FOR AIR FLOW?