Building my first yurt

[Bob Rowlands]

You need advice from a professional electrician that is familiar with your plan and your site. This is a yurt forum. Screw something up and 'I got my service advice from a yurt forum' is gonna make for a few good laffs at the water cooler down at regional.

[ljamies1]

ryankal, your platform looks great so far! I was just picking up a bunch on used pallets and had the idea to connect them and build some kind of frame around the outside of them to make the platform but now im seeing your pic and am likin' it!

As far as a stove goes for a 12ft. yurt....



....where are you located again? I have a box stove rated to 900 sq ft. which works quite will in mine (no

insulation

beyone reflextix) but a major downside is the of the 900 sq. ft stove is 32. once you space it out another 32 in. min. from the wall fabric the end of the stove sits nearly in the middle of the yurts/ taking up a huge amt. space. Wish I had known this before hand...and you are correct once you cut your hole you are comitted. Im honestly considering putting a vented propane heater in it for next winter/ it would sit right flush with the wall and I would reclaim some much needed sq. ft.

...I am also router-less. Bought a case of beer and over a weekend sanded all the khana edges with an orbital sander = you should find a friend with a router and buy them the case of beer

[Bob Rowlands]

Since this is a 'build yurt' thread, I want to make a side comment. I'm all for folks doing things themselves. I've been like that my entire life. If you are winging a build, constructing your yurt off grid out in the boonies, that's one thing, as you are likely the only person that will live there.

If family members, friends, and aquaintances will be using what you have built, thoughtful consideration should be put into what you are doing. The safety of others is key in making decisions financial and structural, especially nowdays. Building a yurt with full power, water supply and DWV system, and septic, takes good planning.

[ryankal]

ljamies: I am in Maryland. Its been cold here. Really cold. I can't imagine Ithaca a couple weeks back during that arctic cold front! My stove is 11x11x18 and I believe (but will definitely confirm) that I need 24 in of clearance from the wall. So it wouldn't be too much space, though I will definitely remove it come spring. I also have thought about a small propane heater to get me through this winter, or at least a few weeks. Just one of those that attach to the propane tank. Would I need to vent it or could I just crack the window a bit?

I think I am going to take yours and Bob's recommendation and do some extra sanding. I took a break from construction today, so I am feeling a bit refreshed. Maybe Ill hit up some pawn shops and find a used router for cheap.

Ryan

[ryankal]

Ohh! and thanks for the compliment on my platform, and drilling jig!!

[ryankal]

Could I run double/triple wall pipe through my wall then switch back to single wall outside the yurt?

I put my decking/flooring down today. I have some small gaps off the bat. I figured that would happen. They aren't terrible though. I plan on cutting the circle tomorrow. I was tracing my circle today and realized I incorrectly measured when I made my compass... Glad I caught that mistake.

Ryan

[Bob Rowlands]

The deck is looking great.

I need to keep my wood stove and stove pipe a minimum of 21" away from combustibles, according to the 'distance to combustibles' installation plate riveted to the side of my wood stove. The ONLY way I can safely install the stove, or a single wall pipe, closer than 21" to a combustible surface, is to shield the combustible surface from the stove or single wall pipe.

Therefore, I advise you to err on the side of safety. Make it a double wall pipe inside AND outside, until at least 21" away from any combustible surface. Fire is nothing to mess with. Bite the bullet. Spend the money and get good pipe. You'll sleep easier.

Lastly, if you exit the pipe through the yurt wall horizontally, and then make a 90 degree bend to vertical, the pipe should extend above the apex of your yurt by 2', minimum. And make CERTAIN the stove pipe is secured to a non flammable support capable of withstanding wind, so the pipe doesn't fail in a storm.

[Bob Rowlands]

Make that, 8" seperation for a rated double wall pipe. 21" is for single wall pipe.

[Bob Rowlands]

Sorry for being so long winded. Fire safety is a very important issue, for protection of you AND the general public.

I just spent some time online googling several sites for wood stove and stove pipe clearances for you and other do it yourselfers reading this. The minimum clearance I found was 18" from a flammable material to a rated single wall pipe/or wood stove.

For a 'rated' factory made double wall pipe, the clearance can be as little as 6". For a 6" single wall pipe secured within a larger 8" pipe, with 1" air gap clearance all around, the minimum distance to combustibles is 8".

No stove should ever be installed closer than 18" to a combustible surface, UNLESS there is a non flammable 'shield' securely installed between the two. The shield needs to be secured a minimum of an inch from the combustible surface.

Also, the floor below the stove needs protection, 18" beyond the footprint of the stove, if the stove is less than 18" from the combustible flooring.

Any stovepipe within 10' of an adjacent taller part of the structure needs to be at least 24" above that high point. If secured to a combustible support, the above clearances apply.

Your new stovepipe will have a clearance rating clearly specified on the box, in the instructions, stamped on the pipe, or on a tag adhered to the pipe. Your woodstove will have the same. In addition, some municipalities have codes that DOUBLE some of these clearance distances.

That's just the way it is. Fire safety is a BIG deal. You need to know and obey all this stuff BEFORE you light your first fire. If you start a fire, and you have done ANTYHING out of code, or illegal, or they find you had nothing inspected that SHOULD have been inspected, it'll be your keester. Just sayin.

[ryankal]

I really do agree with you, Bob and Jafo, regarding fire safety. Its just one of those things you don't mess with, like electricity. That said, I just can't fit $600+ into my budget right now. So, I am going to exit the stove pipe through the roof ring. I can likely get by with just 4-5 ft of double wall pipe. I will fasten the pipe to the inside of the roof ring with a standard pipe bracket. I think I can do this for about $200. I just need to come up with a temporary ring dome/cover to help keep some heat in and weather out.

Bob, I think you said you bought some flashing and cut it into shape. What are your thoughts on your design? Ways to improve?

I finished my platform today. I think it looks great and I feel so accomplished. The circle just looks so cool with the 2x flooring. You really don't know what you are capable of until you finish something. My rafters are essentially finished. Im gonna sand my khana a little bit more then start assembly.

Thanks for all the help!

Ryan