Putting a yurt in storage for winter

[rangeroad]

Hello folks,

My first post! Just want to mention what a great site this is.

I'm considering purchasing a fixer upper yurt that has not been well maintained. There are a few logistics involved here. I intend to store the yurt indoors for the winter until the spring. The yurt is currently very wet, and has mold and mildew in numerous areas, has not been washed in years. There is no water supply to give it a quick wash to remove the mold, nor is there time as it needs to be off-site asap. My storage is very small (basically a single garage), and there will not be enough room to lay out the pieces to dry.

I'm not sure what to do on this. It's a 30' yurt with snow kit..lots of timber. One thought was building a long crate, hand dying the sections as best I can with towels, and applying desiccant in the crate. Has anyone out there experienced a similar situation?

[Jafo]

Wow, this is a tough one. Will there be any heat source in the garage like a wood stove? Not sure how much that would help, but it would help some at least.

I would try not to compact the pieces together and keep the wood away from the fabric. As much as you can keep it all uncompressed, the better.

A dehumidifier might help, but it depends on the garage.

What part of the world/country are you doing this in? What's the climate?

I am not sure what drying agents you could use. Some may say rice, but I fear that would hold

moisture

close to the materials and perhaps invite critters.

Definitely should be an interesting thread though. Can't wait to see what Bob and Heirony have to say on this one.

[rangeroad]

Thanks for the quick reply, Jafo! And thx for your agreement on my dilemma. Located in upper NE Maine, currently very wet and cold with no chance of drying in the next week. It won't be a problem keeping material separated from timber, I planned on stacking it all on one side and timber on the other. No heat source in garage, theres a slight chance I could have a friends space in an indoor heated area, but very slight. Also have a lead on a barn that would give more space, but same damp factor and no heat.

One thing that I can't seem to find a photo of is how the liners,

insulation

and roof looks when its disassembled and folded in a pile etc? That would be helpful to gauge how much space I'll need.

I fear the rice would bring the critters as well, although if I go the crate route I could build it tight.

[Jafo]

Hmm, well if you could keep all the wood in your garage and just find a large airy place to loosely hang the fabric, that would help. As long as you aren't folding or layering the fabric, I think the mold issue would at least stop progressing until Spring where you could figure out how to remove it.

A 30 foot yurt will have a 30' diameter roof, roof

insulation

and possibly a small thin liner. The walls will be about 95 feet, with insulation and liner. It is quite a bit and the roof is VERY heavy if it is vinyl. Think 300-400 pounds.

[rangeroad]

Do you know approx how many sections the walls come in? Would the liner under the roof also be in sections, or would it be one piece like the roof?

[Bob Rowlands]

I live in Colorado which is extremely dry. However we had record rains last May and into June. My yurt cover is treated canvas and molded big time regardless due to constantly being wet for many weeks. So my info isn't based on experience of wet climate. Consider that as you see fit.

Put the yurt in the garage and keep as much air space between parts as possible. Without supplemental heat air dry under cover is gonna be it. I suggest painting all the yurt frame parts once dried. Paint is WAY better than any clear finish. Also when it comes to paint I used rustoleum industrial enamel on my yurt. IMO that is 'the' coating of choice for heavy duty coverage. Wish I had more experienced advice on this. Good luck.

[Bob Rowlands]

oh and welcome to the forum too. lol

[Jafo]

Originally Posted by rangeroad

Do you know approx how many sections the walls come in? Would the liner under the roof also be in sections, or would it be one piece like the roof?

Do you know the manufacturer? Mine did not come in sections.

[rangeroad]

Its a 30' Pacific. My mistake, I was looking at the closed windows thinking they were sections. Still getting up to speed on all this : ).

[hierony]

When you say you're looking at a 30 ft yurt with a snow kit, I assume you have something like a modern yurt (pacific or rainier or colorado yurt company). From what I've seen of those, the roof is in a single section and the walls are made of panels (6' by 7' or so). The cover material is vinyl or some synthetic material. Insulation is aluminumized bubble wrap.

Before or as you're taking it down, you could quickly wipe/spray a weak bleach+water or vinegar+water solution on the moldy/mildewy spots. Take something like a 5 gallon bucket mixed up beforehand and a spray bottle/tank out to the yurt location. This would help prevent further mold growth.

In the case where the ground is wet but it isn't raining: If you can get some big enough, you could spread out some dry tarps and dry off the sections of the canvas as you take them off.

If you're garage is clear enough, you could probably dry out one or two wall sections at a time--set them with a fan blowing air all around them. You'd be amazed how well just air flow can remove

moisture

.

You say this would be a fixer upper yurt--are you planning on replacing some parts of it?