Wind blown snow under center dome

[Mike & Heather]

Hi all:

We have two Nesting Bird 16' yurts, now Ranier, which we have been very happy with over the last 14 years. They are at 8,000+ feet in a very snowy and windy area of the Northern Sierra Mts in CA and we visit them on weekends. One issue that we haven't been able to solve is wind blown snow forced under the center

dome

lip and accumulating in a cone inside the yurt. We have tried stuffing towels into the

dome

edge, gasket material, duct tape, ... all of which fail to keep out the snow when we have very high winds. My next try is some sand filled tube socks!

Has anyone solved a similar problem?

[Bob Rowlands]

Is it possible to 'pinch' the yurt cover between the dome (on the outside of the yurt cover) and a backer you add underneath the dome frame, inside the yurt, and under the cover?

The idea is similar to pinching fabric between your fingers. You'd screw the backer into the dome frame from inside the yurt, thereby trapping the yurt fabric between the two in the process. Lay a fat bead of silicone on the appropriate surfaces during assembly and there will be no leaks at the screw holes.

Another idea is to remove the dome, and attach a fabric skirt to the inside of the dome frame, using a similar 'backer' technique as described above. Reinstall the dome with the skirt draped down over the yurt cover. Then, add an two backers of the same dimension, one outside and one inside, and pinch the two layers to eachother. Silicone and screw as above.

Just a couple ideas. I've done the 'pinch' technique to tarps, and sheeting, to secure fabric tight to a framework. a few times. It works very well. No rips, no flapping. Good and solid attachment.

Good luck.

[Jafo]

Have you tried really thick foam weatherstripping to act as a gasket?

[Mike & Heather]

thanks for the replies, the center dome opens for ventilation so I have to keep that in mind, I have tried foam

insulation

strips ( Garage door, pickup cab/bed liner) but the UV hammers the foam/adhesive causing it to fail.

[Pacific Yurts]

You might try applying the foam weather-stripping onto the

center ring

(between the top cover and center ring), so it is protected from UV (by the top cover) and simply pushes the top cover fabric up tighter against the dome.