Just one more post about (traditional) yurts

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yurtman

New Member
Aug 24, 2022
2
Ottawa, Ontario
Hi all

I've been driving myself a little research crazy over the past few days but it's been difficult to find a situation quite like mine, so some general input would be appreciated!

I have a ~500 sq foot traditional yurt (which means 2 layers of ~1 inch thick wool felt insulation on the walls and ceilings) near Ottawa, Canada so an average of -10C (14F) in the winter with the coldest days being -30C (-22F). The summers get pretty hot so outdoor cooking would be the main idea. We also have 2 less-than-traditional single pane windows in the front of ours, which I'm looking to add a layer of either window insulation panels, film, and/or thermal curtains for the colder seasons. The floors are structural insulated panels with 2 inches of EPS foam sandwiched between plywood (also going to throw a bunch of rugs down to add just a bit more padding). All open concept, aside from a small sectioned off bathroom area.

The manufacturers of the yurt (Groovy Yurts) recommends a general rule of thumb of multiplying the square footage of the yurt by 3 to get a rough oversized stove estimate since the insulation isn't quite up to the standards of a modern house.

I think I have an idea of what I'm looking at but my main priorities are:
1. Being able to keep a consistent temperature through winter
2. Burn time (not wanting to get up in the middle of the night ideally)
3. Efficiency (heat and emissions)
4. Being able to cook at the very least on the stove top
5. Budget

I've mostly put the idea of a cookstove as a primary source of heat out of my mind (especially with my insulation levels, and temperatures in the winter) but just one more person saying it's not the best idea would be great haha. Primarily would consider something like the J.A. Roby cuisinere, Regina cook stove, Drolet Bistro or anything that has secondary burn and 2+ cubic feet in the wood box.

Beyond that I'm mostly considering something like the Alderlea T5, Regency F2450, or True North TN20 (with a couple others that are available but mostly seem pretty similar? Heritage Woodstove, Drolet Escape 1800, J A Roby Forgeron)

Any input would be helpful. Thanks
 
The T5 is a good fit and great for cooking on.
 
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The T5 will be great when you hit the real cold weather. It will most likely be overkill above freezing. It’s hard to say with your insulation.
 
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The T5 will be great when you hit the real cold weather. It will most likely be overkill above freezing. It’s hard to say with your insulation.
Yeah, admittedly not the best situation with insulation and climate but it's where I ended up! That was one of my exact worries (needing something that will let me be comfortable in the real cold weather but still runnable in shoulder seasons). I imagine I am just going to be sacrificing efficiency left right and center because of my insulation. Would more frequent small hot fires in shoulder seasons would make the most sense if I was running the T5?
 
you can certainly make small fires in the T5, and I've had luck using firebrick added to the bottom of the firebox to make the firebox smaller. But there's only so much that can be done with that. I have a T5 in a 500 sq ft cabin. Its great when warming the place up, and when its really cold outside. When its in the 40s, I generally use electric heaters.
 
you can certainly make small fires in the T5, and I've had luck using firebrick added to the bottom of the firebox to make the firebox smaller. But there's only so much that can be done with that. I have a T5 in a 500 sq ft cabin. Its great when warming the place up, and when its really cold outside. When its in the 40s, I generally use electric heaters.
 
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I just don’t see how one would achieve truly consistent temperature. My woodstove in a 2000 sq foot 1965 house with new windows really isn’t consistent. Sure plus or minus 5 degrees might be achieved but wood stoves have a burn cycles.

If it were me I’d do more research. The idea of a wood cookstove with oven would be appealing. The t5 is great but it’s not a cook stove. There are some larger ones available in the 2+ cu ft range I believe. Space utilization becomes and issue how we’re planning on cooking? I have my emergency cooking plans but I’m not sure I’d want to cook everything on a T5.
 
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Would more frequent small hot fires in shoulder seasons would make the most sense if I was running the T5?
Yes. Burning pine or other low BTU wood at these times can also help. Often a chill chaser fire in the morning and evening is sufficient in milder weather.
 
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