yurt in a greenhouse?

[Zelig]

We're awaiting delivery of a Groovyyurt and anticipating an adventurous winter of living in it in northern Ontario. We're also trying to establish various types of gardens and plan to build a greenhouse sometime soon. The thought of building one big enough to house our yurt and to have the 'waste' heat of the yurt provide some heat to the greenhouse occurred to me. I guess the big concern would be the reduced breathability and what effects that may have on the canvas. And felt. In my imagination, we are able to step out of our yurt in January and leisurely stroll around the lush greenery that thrives in the buffer zone of the greenhouse. Pretty silly, huh?

[hierony]

Hmm. I like the thinking--it's good thermodynamics. But I'd be worried about the humidity in the greenhouse promoting rot in the yurt materials (cotton canvas, eventually wool felt, plus mildew on wood)--I don't know at what humidity level this would happen though.

My other thought is what about summer--would you take the yurt out of the greenhouse/vent the greenhouse a lot? Or are your summer highs not too high?

I've seen some very reasonably priced geodesic greenhouses/row covers. I've also seen designs for 'underground' greenhouses. Don't know if either of those match your needs/resources though.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by hierony

Hmm. I like the thinking--it's good thermodynamics. But I'd be worried about the humidity in the greenhouse promoting rot in the yurt materials (cotton canvas, eventually wool felt, plus mildew on wood)--I don't know at what humidity level this would happen though.

My other thought is what about summer--would you take the yurt out of the greenhouse/vent the greenhouse a lot? Or are your summer highs not too high?

I've seen some very reasonably priced geodesic greenhouses/row covers. I've also seen designs for 'underground' greenhouses. Don't know if either of those match your needs/resources though.

Yeah, the humidity would be the main concern. The summer heat can be alleviated by shade cloth, venting, etc but it may still be too warm. Our winter's here are quite dry and I'm not sure how humid it would be. I doubt we'd be able to sustain warm enough temps through the cold months for growing, so plant transpiration wouldn't likely contribute much

moisture

to the air.

Thanks for your response. I really like your posts and the thought you apply to this forum.

[Groovyyurts]

Originally Posted by Zelig

Thanks for your response. I really like your posts and the thought you apply to this forum.

agreed :-)

humidity could indeed be a problem if ventilation is limited under the greenhouse. Just a couple thoughts quickly - we'll have time to discuss when we meet next week.

- what about simply connecting the ger's main door to the green house? It does deceive part of the initial purpose of collecting the heat (you have a double layer of felt though), but would allow you to roam in the green house when getting out of the yurt and reduce heat loss while the door is open, a little bit like a mud room.
- I would definitely think of having the yurt out of teh green house in the Summer
- If you try the yurt inside, maybe one could think of having the toono (dome) opening connected to the outside one way or the other

Busy finishing to load the groovy truck... and looking forward to meet next week!

[hierony]

I stalked the forums for a while before actually joining/posting--it was nice to see other people's problems, ideas, and solutions for yurts. So now I try to add to the discussion where I think my science/physics background and reading can help :P I'm glad you guys appreciate it.

Good point on the winter-time humidity, btw. From what I've read, above 70% relative humidity at room temp is where mold/mildew problems start. I don't know if this is because of the absolute amount of

moisture

in the air or because of condensation on cold surfaces making liquid water.

But with Yve's wool felt doubled up, I imagine you'll be as warm as an eskimo in an igloo :P

[Bob Rowlands]

Mold grows on all organic materials in climates that are continuously damp. Decomposition is a natural part of the cycle of life.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by Groovyyurts

- what about simply connecting the ger's main door to the green house? It does deceive part of the initial purpose of collecting the heat (you have a double layer of felt though), but would allow you to roam in the green house when getting out of the yurt and reduce heat loss while the door is open, a little bit like a mud room.
- I would definitely think of having the yurt out of teh green house in the Summer
- If you try the yurt inside, maybe one could think of having the toono (dome) opening connected to the outside one way or the other

Busy finishing to load the groovy truck... and looking forward to meet next week!

Thanks, Yves.

Connecting the yurt and greenhouse may be a challenge with frost heaving, so I think I'd prefer the brief exposure to the elements between structures.

Rather than connecting the toono to the outside I thought that having the chimney act as a summer vent would bring fresh air through the yurt. I'd need the chimney in the winter anyway and it could be removed from the woodstove so that the chimney starts near to the toono height.

We woke up to several inches of snow the other day, so if you could squeeze some warmer weather into the 'Groovy Truck' that'd be appreciated.

[Jafo]

Don't forget to take some "Groovy" pics of your install!