Water Infiltration

Water Infiltration


There are four major water infiltration areas: the toono, door, floor and covers!


Water Coming in from the Toono?
  1. Make sure the house wrap is properly installed. The house wrap skirt should be fixed and sealed with caulking under the toono. 
  1. The urgh (top flap) could be leaking. You can try treating it with a waterproofing product, or open a seam and add a piece of house wrap inside the urgh. A well-installed urgh is the best guarantee for water resistance.
  1. You can buy a clear vinyl urgh from us if you want natural light coming in even on rainy days. 
  1. Ghost leak: Water could slip in through a crack on the toono via a roof rafter hole, follow the roof rafter and drip further down on the floor of the yurt. In this case, you’ll need to find the leak in the toono and seal it with caulking. 


One of our customers added strips of vinyl about 4.5 inches wide with an overlap of one inch on each side, using a high-quality exterior adhesive to attach them onto the toono. He then cut thin pieces of wood and placed them at each seam to hold them in place.






Water Coming from the Door?
  1. Install an awning, canvas or tarp on top of the door to redirect the water away from the doorstep.
  1. Make sure there is no gap between the floor and the door as well as between the door frame and the platform rimboard. If you do have a gap you will need to seal it closed with caulking. 
  1. Make sure the house wrap is properly taped to the door. 
  1. You can also create an angled piece of wood that sits below the door (see below image). This will create a drip edge that allows water to run off the exposed part of the SIP platform. Ensure to caulk around the seams and re-do the caulking if it starts to wear down. 




Water Coming from the Floor?

If you see that water is coming in from the floor, you have two options: 

  1. Add a rimboard of approximately 6-12” around the circumference of your platform. The lattice walls, inner liner and felts should be installed inside this perimeter. The house wrap and canvas covers should overlap the rimboard so that rain/water runs away from the yurt instead of leaking inside. Make sure the house wrap is long enough to cover the rim properly. This creates an added protective layer. 
  1. Create an elevated platform. If you are too close to the ground, water will slip in during storms and thawing.  Elevating your substructure and platform so that they are at least 6-10” off the ground will reduce the risk of water coming in.


Water Coming from the Covers?

  1. Try to identify where the leak is coming from.
  1. Canvas protection may be diminishing. You can  spray the canvas with waterproofing products, especially at the seams.


Water Coming from the Outside In?


Cause: Damage to the house wrap or house wrap not properly installed. Over time the canvas could rub on the house wrap removing the protective coating, especially on the edge of the roof and/or under the ropes of the urgh (top flap) in particular at the edge of the roof. Rodents or fallen branches can also damage the house wrap layer.


Remedy: As a quick fix, you can put a little block of wood or something between the huns (roof rafter) at the location of the leak to divert the water flow elsewhere. Make sure to identify where the spots are so you remember when comes time to fix the house wrap in dryer weather.


A good wood fire in the stove can dry the yurt from the inside out. 

When the weather (and time!) allows it, remove the canvas and inspect the wrap for damages. Fix with Tuck tape or patch with pieces of house wrap and tape. Make sure the tape is well sealed as any wrinkle could lead to a water entry). You can also add extra patches of wrap where the urgh ropes pass over the edge of the roof down the wall.


Remark: A water leak might manifest further down on the roof than where the house wrap is damaged as the water runs lower in the felt.


Remark: It is not unusual to have a humidity spot form on the inner liner from time to time however, the entire roof or a whole section of it should not be wet. If this is the case contact us immediately so we can assess the situation.
 


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