Yurt Dome Insulation Install and Condensation

[stephanwik]

It's starting to get cold here (well, it is Sweden after all) and we too are working on winterising our yurts. After the last gale off of the North Sea we realised that we had to do something to improve the

insulation

. You could actually feel the wind 'stealing' the heat from the yurt.

I think we could have left the yurts the way they were but the amount of wood we would need to keep them warm seemed like a bit of a waste. So we've started to experiment with relatively low cost solutions.

We've had a lot of success with EarthWool. We've simply tucked sheets of EarthWool between the rafters supports and hung a cotton liner in front of it. Total cost for insulating the walls of the 24' yurt was about €140.

We have no condensation problems and the air quality inside the yurts is excellent. We haven't insulated the roof (yet).

We did initially test with putting some builder's plastic between the EarthWool and the inside cotton liner, but discovered that condensation soon formed between the EarthWool and the Reflectix. Once we removed the plastic everything was fine.

[Jafo]

Stephan,

That is a good point. Perhaps those here who are trying the roof

insulation

, did not cover it with non-breathable materials like foam board, plastics, etc, it would help with condensation? I like the idea of a cotton liner, that might work perfect in conjunction with the

dome

being cracked open slightly. It allows the water vapor to escape.

[homesweetyurt]

Well, the attempt to seal the cracks did not work - it's still dripping inside and we stopped all

moisture

- creating activities that we could. At this point I would not recommend anything other than fully breathable insulation (natural fibers) inside a yurt.

And the rigid foam is nasty about filling the air with plastic particles when cut. It isn't too bad once secured in place though, but I would not do it again. I wish it hadn't been recommended to us, but we are toasty warm...

I will keep you all posted about our future attempts to remedy the problem. We are talking with

Pacific Yurts

to see if they have any ideas or can find someone who did this successfully. If anyone else does use rigid foam adn it doesn't drip, maybe with a

moisture

barrier on the inside? Please post details!

[Jafo]

I was just working on the yurtinfo.org makeover, and came across this place:

Bonded Logic - Construction Products - UltraTouch Denim Insulation

They have a few different types of insulation that might be helpful.

[Matt]

I also have this issue. I live in Ely, MN where winters are quite frigid. My yurt (Pacific Yurts) is completely insulated (5.5" foam under floor, 2 layers of Bonded Logic denim insulation in walls, and 5.5" foam between 2x6 rafters). The inside humidity level stays between 32-45% yet I still get abundant ice build-up and dripping on the

dome

. The water runs down on top of the foam. I'm also worried this will cause mold and rot. I have considered installing window plastic under the dome to reduce heat transfer and condensation. Has anyone else tried this? I wish one of the yurt companies offered an insulated glass dome.

[Jafo]

I wish I knew the answer.. I think at some point though, a winter dome will need to be developed that allows the yurt to vent. Just my opinion though.

[homesweetyurt]

We placed a vapor barrier to cover the ceiling this fall and it appears to have reduced our ice build up. We still have dripping in a few places though - most noticably above our door. This spring we will remove the exterior side wall and check for moisture and mold in case the vapor barrier is just channeling the water down into the walls now instead of allowing it to drip all over our house.

I have felt the top of the wall insulation in a few places though and it seems fairly dry. We will post our results this spring in the hopes of helping others with this problem.

Also, we attempted some ventilation, but a yurt just isn't designed for it. We tried to vent above the door with some pipes put above the door fame into the roof and leaving the dome open, but with no visible improvement. Our current experiment is to seal as much of the roof off from interior moisture as possible. We will let you know our thoughts after this winter.

[homesweetyurt]

And Matt - we found that having the dome open whenever we are cooking or bathing also helps so my initial thoughts are not to seal it off. Anything is worth a try though - please report back if you find any good solutions!

[Jafo]

I am wondering if a dome could not be modified with PVC to allow ventilation, and then the dome could be replaced during summer months?

[dlhall]

I'm very impressed with the lack of condensation in our yurt. Yes, we get some......2 adults showering, cooking, laundry drying, tracked in snow melting, etc but not bad at all.....the dome is open just enough to slide my hand in and has been all winter. We heat with wood & infloor

heating

. There are times the windows fog up but then it dissipates ..... What I think truly helps is I didn't mess with the way my yurt is designed to work. Despite the fact it's carved up into rooms no interior wall is attached to the exterior.....4 inch gap, same as around the floor of the loft. Air naturally moves by convection and moisture vents out the dome, it might take a bit of heat but who cares? The infloor

heating

is set to keep yurt at 50F when stove goes out and that constant slow heat dries out tracked in snow and laundry hung in bathroom to dry is dry in 24 hrs. I'm sure that leaving my yurt alone by not sealing things up or covering with plastic etc really helps. It's not sealed up real tight and all 6 windows are just zip out clear vinyl. It just all works great! No moisture build up anywhere & no mold or musty smells.