Snow and Wind

Snow and Wind

Snow

Hold it Tight
To ensure the strength of the yurt structure, you should always ensure that your ropes are tight. For extra security, the top exterior horsehair rope can be replaced with a ratchet strap.




Up You Go!
If you live in an area where there is a lot of snow, you may want to consider building your substructure higher up off the ground. 

Rake it Up
You should remove the snow regularly from your yurt, otherwise, it will thaw and freeze and prevent your house wrap from breathing, which means inside humidity (cooking, etc...) can condensate in the felt, under the frozen house wrap and drip when the yurt is heated.




Strengthen the center
If you are away when expecting a heavy snowstorm, consider adding two temporary central poles in addition to the two existing ones (for yurts up to 6 walls).



Wind

Although our yurts are aerodynamic, there are times when extra precautions are necessary. 

Anchor the Inside Rope 
During strong and violent winds, make sure to tie the inside rope hanging from the toono to a heavy object or directly to your platform.  Putting pressure from the toono down helps compress the roof and put weight on the lower wood structure, therefore strengthening the whole structure. This is the most important wind anchoring and should still be used even if any of the solutions below are implemented. If it is not possible to secure the toono with the central rope because of obstructions such as wood stoves, the bagaans could be anchored to the ground or platform.

Anchoring the Bagaans
We understand that it is not always possible to run a rope through the center due to obstructions like the wood stove. If it is not possible to secure the toono with the central rope, the bagaans can be anchored to your platform and substructure using straps and heavy-duty screws.
You can find detailed instructions in the PDF attached - at the bottom of this article.

Anchor the Urgh
Anchor the urgh directly to the ground or platform to avoid wind catching in it and pulling the yurt as a sail.

Wrap it Up
Make sure your ropes are as tight but not so tight that your bagaans (central poles) start to lift. 

Add Some Ropes
In the windiest areas, you can pass (at least 3) ratchet straps above the yurt’s roof and anchor each end to the platform, substructure, or to the ground. 




Securing the Overlap
At the back of the canvas where it overlaps, is a sleeve through which you can pass a piece of wood or pipe and create a triangle of ropes that you can pull down to the side of the yurt and attach directly to the platform. 
You can find detailed instructions on “How to secure the canvas overlap” in our YouTube video:




Wind Kit
Another option is our wind kit. The wind kit is a ring of rope around the toono to which radiating ropes are attached and then anchored to the ground. The larger the yurt, the more ropes you will need. The ropes go through a piece of rubber tube at the edge of the roof, so they do not rub on the canvas. 



The first rope should be installed at the back of the yurt at the overlap of the canvas where wind can easily get caught. Work your way around the yurt equally spacing the ropes and slowly add more tension once you have more of a circular shape around the toono. Finally, you can attach all ropes tightly with a tension knot to the platform, stone, etc.

You can also DIY a wind kit with your own ropes and/or straps. Just make sure that the “ring of rope” circling the toono is at least 6’’ larger than the toono.


Yurts with Windows or Second Doors
If you have opted to install windows or a second door in your yurt, we recommend adding a strap and ratchet all around the perimeter of the yurt just above the door/window circling the yurt completely. One strap is sufficient for yurts up to 6-Wall/22’; two ratchets are recommended for 7-Wall/26’ yurts and above. You can just make a loop at one end of the strap for the hook. This will hold the yurt well. If the strap tends to slide down onto the door or window a small piece of hun cut in half and screwed onto the frame can be enough to prevent it from sliding. The ratchets provide a lot of tension. Attention not to tighten the strap too much or you will squeeze the yurt, lifting the weight off the toono. If the bagaans are loose where they touch the ground, your straps are too tight!




Resetting
When resetting the felts, use a bit of the Tuck tape (tape used for house wrap) and add some between the felts so that the felts don’t slide down. Our newer yurts have grommets on the felts. 




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