Heating 2 Joined Yurts

[timkidney]

Hello all

I live in Dorset, UK in our 16 foot Wood Framed bentwood yurt that has been insulated with 15mm wool\felt underlay.

We are in the process of building an 18 footer so we have a bedroom yurt for partner, 4 year old and i then a living yurt to hang out and cook within.

We are retro fitting the join between the 2 yurts by making 2 x top curved doorways slightly smaller than the wall height (just under 5 foot) and about the same wide. We shall then cut into the fabric and trelis and sandwich the doorways together between the canvas of each yurt. We are not totally decided on the solution but its more than likely going to be a low hobbit like entrasnce with no door.

The question i have (and feel free to comment on the join idea!) is how i should heat both yurts?

We have a lovely wood burner in the 16 footer but wont be able to get enough heat into the other yurt even with a fan.

Ideally we do not want to have a woodburner in each.

I dont know too much about backboilers but this could be an option if designed correctly?

Also ive been reading into Ianto Evans's Rocket mass heaters which would be amazing as we have abundance of clay\cob around us.

Anyway any suggestions would be great, main requirement is all night heat in the bedroom that has been produced from a single source.

[Jafo]

If it were me, I would look for radiant floor

heating

. This way you could have one heat source, it would heat the antifreeze in the piping, and be pumped to both yurts. It is by most accounts, the most comfortable heat out there.

[laniland]

You could try this (it may be a gamble)

Place your wood burning stove on top of a large(ish) box, above or below your floor line. What the box is made out of is would be masonry or CMU, ideally. And it should adequately support the stove, if that isn't obvious. Between the top of the box and the bottom of your stove is a thick piece of metal (choose the most heat conductive, within reason) and be sure that it can't be touched. Lower in the volume of the box, place a 'fireplace fan', the type that specifically pushes heat and is meant to tolerate high temperature. Point this toward the bottom. From the bottom, install a large insulated duct with branches to 3+ vents in the flooring of your new yurt, perimeter is best.

The greatest risk is that it's not a tested construction, and you have to be very careful with which materials you choose to use, but hey - it's a rough sketch of a DIY central

heating

system.

All this said, after the creativity, time, money and effort - Jaffo's idea for a closed system of radiant flooring is probably the best. And absolutely safer.

[Marshall Eppley]

With radiant heat you could use any one of sources for heat . A water heater electric or gas power vent would be my choice because you could use pv c for the flue and not worry about combustibles.