Insulation

[skippycamper]

so what I am (trying) to understand here is that to prevent

moisture

buildup you have to have a gap between the

insulation

and the inside of the roof?

to add on to this----does the roof of a yurt go : outside cover then reflective

insulation

inside

[skippycamper]

bbased on this pic what am i looking at, just the roof cover material or is the white stuff insulation? Regardless, there doesnt seem to be enough room to put insulation between those beams and leave enough area for air flow. Thoughts?

[Jafo]

You need more than a space, it needs to vent outside somehow.

[skippycamper]

Originally Posted by Jafo

You need more than a space, it needs to vent outside somehow.

other than the

dome

that seems like a pretty slim happening

[Jafo]

Most people use the

dome

or windows to some success.

[skippycamper]

it gets pretty cold here in Saskatchewan

my goal is to figure out the optimum insulation for a 32 foot yurt combined with the best

heating

option (wood stove?) to put together the best overall package for heat

[Jafo]

IMO wood is the best option because it is a dry heat. The insulation/moisture topic is a hot one within the yurt community. My opinion on this is basically this:

Have you ever been in an attic of a normal house? Do you see vents in there? Have you ever been in an unvented attic? It is usually full of mold and rot.

Mongolians live in a dry climate and even they leave their roof open most of the time. A yurt must be ventilated, just like any other structure, or it is going to get damp.

[Bob Rowlands]

Based on my experience you'll need a massive wood stove to heat a 32' yurt. Look only at the biggest model a manufacturer offers. Plus, the more mass the stove has, the better.

I have a small 'fireplace insert' type welded steel wood stove with a dinky little firebox maybe 1.5 cu ft. When it is well below freezing that little dude barely heats my uninsulated drafty 16' yurt. At zero it just doesn't heat it, period, unless full on wide open and stoked every fifteen minutes.And, with a drafty porous canvas wall, the heat exits pronto.

That's why you need a tight yurt that is well insulated if the temp dips to -30. Frankly I would consider a forced air

heating

system to keep the yurt warm. But expect to pay $$$ for heat. Yurts are great, but they aren't houses.

[skippycamper]

Originally Posted by Bob Rowlands

Based on my experience you'll need a massive wood stove to heat a 32' yurt. Look only at the biggest model a manufacturer offers. Plus, the more mass the stove has, the better.

I have a small 'fireplace insert' type welded steel wood stove with a dinky little firebox maybe 1.5 cu ft. When it is well below freezing that little dude barely heats my uninsulated drafty 16' yurt. At zero it just doesn't heat it, period, unless full on wide open and stoked every fifteen minutes.And, with a drafty porous canvas wall, the heat exits pronto.

That's why you need a tight yurt that is well insulated if the temp dips to -30. Frankly I would consider a forced air heating system to keep the yurt warm. But expect to pay $$$ for heat. Yurts are great, but they aren't houses.

what are your thoughts on a 24 footer with a 14 footer beside it and an enclosed walkway?

just tossing ideas out there besides the 32 footer

[Bob Rowlands]

I can't make knowledable comments about yurts larger than my primitive 16'er, or yurt clusters, since I have been in neither, nor know anyone who has such. Hopefully someone on here will help you with that based on their experience.

I have looked at the floor plans of 24'ers and IMO they appear ideal for an empty nester couple. If you had an adjacent 16er you'd have a garage lol.

If you are really intent on a yurt in -30 temps another suggestion would be to build one yurt inside another and insulate between the two. Like a superinsulated house. I know that would hold the heat better than one single walled yurt.

My wife and I have lived in temps lower than -30. In fact it was below zero for a whole month and down to -50. Managing that kind of cold in a massive cloth covered gives pause for thought. Cold isn't fun if you don't have a nice warm place to hole up in.

Good luck.