How thick of insulation between Lattice

[Bob Rowlands]

Jake, just make your own felt

insulation

, like the Mongolians. lol

[Jake]

You know Bob I have seriously considered that, its doable except the time involved wouldnot be cost effective. Considering the alternatives of felt carpet padding and those manufacturers here who sell felt batts.

I have made felt from both wool , and cats hair, the wool for the fun of it in Israel, it wond up as a tractor seat cover, and the cats hair just playing around with it after brushing out the mother cat. This week in fact.

But as I said, right now the carpet pad felt is the cheapest buy I see, so far. Check it out at Home Depot.

I have several videos showing Mongolian ger, in winter, and a couple of them look like they have at least 10" under the roof cover and 6" inside the wall cover. Or more.

Check out amazon video section for Mongolian ger life, a lot of insight as to what these marvels survive in their winter. About the only part of the US that has consistently the same winter weather as the Mongolian Ger is put through is interior and northern Alaska. The west coast has the temps plus the gale force winds, although the Interior and North Slope get it also, just not as constant.

Where I am thinking of living in ID gets it but not as long at a time. I really think the wool felt, inside Tyvek on the walls and under the Tyvek on the roof is the way I will go. I have experienced -34 inside a cabin upon waking, I dont care to do that again.

Anyone who hasnt seen it I highly recommend 'Muujaan' on Amazon. It means craftsman, it might be spelled wrong, on Amazon under DVDs look for Mongolian Yurts, it will come right up, spelled right. Several others there worth getting too.

[Bob Rowlands]

Jake, thanks for the tip about felt at HDep. Felt is my first choice in ger

insulation

, simply because that is what Mongolians traditionally use. After many centuries of living in gers, I think they have what works for them figured out.

[Jake]

Exactly !!

To me Felt comes well within the Kiss Principle, the design and proving time of felt insulation has gone on for many centuries.

Otoh, the addition of operable windows completes the Kiss design. They make the difference between suriviving in a warm cave, or living in an affordable home. And, having the windows open as needed enhances security, like dealing with a predator trying to get into my goat pen. Or the ger. And a cool spring or summer breeze as wanted, without bugs.

We can buy excellent thermal windows affordably if we shop. Shopping is the key. But I want light where I live, natural light.

I put ads in Craigslist this week , looking for places/land in ID, we shall see what can be.

The site on a slope looks much more logical now when considering a goat pen and mini barn under the platform, ala Swiss Mountain homes/barns. A marriage of ghenghis and heidi, sorta. Life goes on.

[ijenn]

Hey all,
Thanks for this informative thread - I just saw Jafo's note in this thread (I think... starting to run together!) about the astro-insulation being mostly for radiant heat, not ambient. Is this going to be sufficient if we're not planning on putting in a heat source but will have probably several (>5 people) sleeping in there? It's a 16' yurt so smaller space.

We're also looking at floor insulation, perhaps rigid foam packed into the existing platform; it's filled with pink fiberglass insulation right now but it's been pretty ravaged by rodents. Others in the forum have made the suggestion of recycled foambard (Welcome to Insulation Depot - Rigid Foam Insulation, Used Insulation, Roofing Supplies, Roofing Material) but I'd love to hear any other ideas to reinsulate an existing platform.

Thank you for any thoughts!

[Jake]

Why no heat source? Are you in the deep south? I seriously doubt that body heat is going to make you comfortable. If nothing else a simple coleman propane for coffee/tea will take the chill off. Better yet a small kindling wood stove will take the chill off fast plus make coffee.

[ijenn]

Unfortunately, no. We're an outing club in NH, and for a variety of reasons (mostly liability), we would prefer to leave the yurt without a heat source. It makes it more accessible to the entire club.

Our previous yurt didn't have a heat source either, but it did have significant amounts (2"?) of pink fiberglass insulation in the walls and beneath the floor. People only use this dwelling for sleeping and, depending on the weather, use -20 to -40˚F sleeping bags (for example, I slept in one of these sleeping bags in a snow shelter this past winter). It would be nice if it got a little warmer/blocked wind, though...

[stephanwik]

Originally Posted by Jake

To me Felt comes well within the Kiss Principle, the design and proving time of felt insulation has gone on for many centuries.

We used 100% wool carpet pad in Scotland. It rotted within 3 months despite having no direct contact with the rain, so if you've got a maritime climate you may want to reconsider.

[Bob Rowlands]

I wouldn't spend the money or the labor insulating a 16' yurt that isn't heated. I have a 16' uninsulated yurt sitting on an uninsulated wood deck. I caulked the floor joints, and tighten up the lowest wall tension rope to snug the cover to the lattice, and eliminate floor drafts as much as possible. I made a cover for the

dome

to cut heat loss out the smoke hole. Beyond that, insulating a 16' yurt to retain the body heat of a few occupants, without a woodstove or other heat source, in real cold conditions is pointless.

[Jake]

i agree Bob, a simple kindling stove would take the chill out fast, and then the heavy sleeping bags, or quilts as used in Mongolia. Many of them donot keep a fire going all night, just enough coals in the stove to get a fire going in the morning. They depend on their bedding to get through the frigid nights, but have coals for a quicker fire in the morning to heat tea water. They expect to find ice on the waters tops when they get up,

the video Mujaanh (sp?) I posted about elsewhere here has an interesting part on how they make felt in Mongolia, the felt for the yurt being filmed in its building.

Myself, I am still looking for a place to put mine up. I want to build as much of it myself as I can, but also want to get the cover, and

dome

from Yves of

Surely Yurts

. Maybe more, I like his doors too. I need to start making lathes for the wall, 3/4" thick by 1.5" to 2" wide. Whether I locate it in Idaho or here in MI it needs to withstand wind and snow.

I am still hoping to make a trip to Mongolia to see the archery shoot in the Naadam Festival, maybe shoot myself, it sure looks like fun. If so I might well go to Yves contractor and see how they do some of the operations.

Anyhow, not to hijack the thread, I would come up with a way to heat it when its occupied, even if just with a kindling stove, frostbite could be a higher liability item then an accidental fire. Severe frostbite can be something that you have to live with for decades. Its been longer then that for me, I get six mos checkups on an open ulcer on my big toe. I almost lost the foot, inside an unheated cabin in the Yukon near Whitehorse.

Seriously reconsider about the stove. Appoint a fire warden for the stove.