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Recent Email Questions and Answers 11/08-
Hello, Brian We have joined two domes together in the past however some strength is loss and the dome/s are complicated in that a gutter needs to be created were the domes are joined. Here is a photo near the top of the dome. The domes can be truncated and joined at the pole arches. We have not joined three I cannot recommend joining for your project but it may work. If you do give it a try let me know how it turns out and send photos. I would also suggest you to make a model by cutting and joining three dome models: http://www.shelter-systems.com/modle.html Here you can see two 20' domes joined. A fabric gutter is hung on the inside of the junction that directs water to the outside of the dome. If I was to do it again I would double up the junction poles for more strength.
Sincerely, Bob Gillis
Date: December 29, 2008 1:10:50 PM PST Hello Eleanor, I purchased a Yurt Dome 14' Extra Strong. By any chance, do you have a bag that I can use to transport the tent? If not, do you have a vendor you could recommend? Thanks! Best Regards, We do not make bags for the domes, as it is not possible to Stuff a dome into a bag, of reasonable size, because the covering we use is too stiff. We could sell her a 12' by 6' strip, or longer, of our fabric http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html she could roll the dome in and then tape or tie it (perhaps you thew out the warper that the dome came in). Sincerely, Date: December 30, 2008 Hello Eleanor, I purchased a Yurt Dome 14' Extra Strong ib 11/17/2008. By any chance, do you have a bag that I can use to transport the tent? If not, do you have a vendor you could recommend? Thanks! Best Regards, We do not make bags for the domes, as it is not possible to Stuff a dome into a bag, of reasonable size, because the covering we use is too stiff. We can sell you a 12' by 6' strip, or longer, of our fabric she could roll and tape or tie your dome in (perhaps you thew out the warper that the dome came in). Bob Gillis Date: December 9, 2008 Subject: Custom application Hello Eleanor: Hi Mark We make solariums using our greenhouse covering: http://www.shelter-systems.com/solarium.html and our greenhouses can also be set up in the "Open Arch Form" http://www.shelter-systems.com/arch-domes.html which you could but up to your house. We sell our Greenhouse Fabric and our Grip Clips: http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html Bob Gillis On Dec 1, 2008 Dear Bob, Laura It is the sun that degrades the YurtDome's covering. Our Coverings have been tested in FL and AZ intense sun were it has lasted 3+ years. We guarantee it for 1.5 years since elevation also effects the aging of the covering. In Costa Rica my guess is you would have them in the shade (?) This should help increase the covering life. Water or dampness will not degrade the YurtDome's covering. It will not rot or mildew. The dome is made without sewing so there is no needle holes to leak. The domes' covering is shingled with an overlap of 5". We offer net doors and sticky velcro to secure them: http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html You might also want to consider sunshades on this page if your yurtdomes are to be in full sun. My guess is 4 could sleep in the 20'. Look at: http://www.shelter-systems.com/sizes.html Mark a circle on the ground and put your beds etc. in the circle to see what you think. The interior is dividable; see: http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual.html Shelter System's Yurt Domes can be easily divided into rooms with fabric you provide or some of the same woven ripstop material that Shelter Systems' makes it Yurt Domes out of. First, get enough fabric. If you plan to divide your dome in half get or sew a 6' wide piece with a length equal to the diameter of your Yurt Dome. If you plan to divide your dome in quarters then get two pieces this size. Purchase 7 Grip Clips to attach your fabric if you are dividing your dome in half. Purchase 14 Grip Clips to attach your fabric if you are dividing your dome in quarters. Fold the divider in half length wise and make a small mark at the fold on the edge. If you are dividing your dome in quarters lay out both dividers on on top of each fold in half and make a small mark the top and bottom edge at the fold. Open out the divider(s). If dividing your dome in half attach one clip at the edge mark "E. If dividing in quarters then attach a clip at "E" and "F" clipping the two dividers together at the center fold. Next attach a clip point to point "A" on the divider and tie it to the dome's ground clip which is equal distance between two adjacent If you are dividing your dome into quarters the first tension and tie your four way divider so as to divide the dome in half then pull out and tension and tie the quarter sections. Note that once installed each divided space has two doors. If the divider is set up as above each 1/4 side will have 1doors. You can make the divider in half sections that are clipped in the middle with two tie clips down the joined edge. There is two advantages to this configuration. One is that it saves some fabric since we can cut two halves so that one is flipped and nestled next to the other. The other advantage is that the tied closed seam could act as a door to get from one half to the other. Sincerely, Bob Gillis On Nov 28, 2008 Hi Max and Laura The only difference between our Domes and our Yurt Domes is the name. Our domes are like the original Yurts in Mongolia: portable and light weight. Our domes use state of the art patented geodesic and tensegrity engendering: http://www.shelter-systems.com/tensegrity.html The standard US made Yurts use very bulky and heavy components and take hours to days to put up. Our Yurt Domes should hold up well in your conditions. Our standard White Shelter Covering would be best for you. We ship world wide and have most of our shelters in stock (check our order desk for details}. Sincerely, Bob Gillis On Nov 24, 2008 I have an Endless Pool set into a 19’x24’ deck. I live outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I would like to put something over the pool and deck that would cut down on the heat loss from the pool and possibly also make the area around it a bit warmer so that it is not so brutal to get out of the pool. My ideal would be something I could see through so I can still enjoy being out side. I only plan on using the cover in the winter. I was looking at your 20’ pool cover. My concerns are whether it will stand up to Massachusetts snow and winters; and how opaque it is or whether it can have wondows. Thank you. Susan Subject: Re: Pool Cover Not sure; the domes are strong and tough but are still tents (light weight and portable). You would need to heat it when snowing to melt snow off as it accumulates. The domes can fail in extreme winds. Read our wind and snow warnings. Now on the other hand, if they do fail, usually only a few poles brake and they are inexpensive to replace (PVC). The covering of our standard pool covers lets light through like frosted glass or wax paper. More light pass through than glass but you cannot see through it but if you hold your hand right up against it you can see it. We can make the your cover of our white shelter covering which is optically something like a sheet of paper. See the bottom of page: Sincerely, Bob Gillis On Nov 19, 2008, Hi Claus Please see our online manual: http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual.html and: http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual-deck-riserwall.html for info on floors of all kinds. After you have looked at this info let me know if you have other questions. Bob Gillis November 10, 2008 Hello Ron Air conditioning units can be installed by cutting and taping ducts through walls. You can install a stove as we describe in our manual: http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual.html Keep all flames and heat away from your dome's covering and other objects in your dome. If possible have your stove pipe come out the back of your stove and pass through the plywood wall. If your stove pipe exits your stove at the top then place an elbow as close to your stove as possible. Attach a horizontal section of pipe to this elbow and pass this pipe through the wall such that it will slant slightly down towards the outside. This will keep rain from following the pipe and dripping inside your dome. We recommend using insulated stovepipe throughout. Place an elbow on the outside. Attach a vertical pipe on the outside pipe and a spark arrester cap on top. Use steel wire to support and stabilize the pipe outside the dome. Loop it around the elbow so it lifts and supports the weight of the horizontal pipe. Another wire will be needed around the vertical pipe to keep it upright and stable in the wind. Tie the other ends of the wires to the dome and or attach them to wooden poles driven into the ground. The wires should be tight enough to lift the horizontal pipe so that it is centered through the hole in the wall and not touching the fabric. Local codes may require other installation procedures. Carefully follow the instructions given with your heater. It is best if you can get a vented heater so that combustibles are expelled from your dome. When a fuel is burn it produces water vapor which will add to the dampness of your space; and carbon dioxide which can suffocate you if you were in an airtight room. The other reason is the fumes which the heater produces can smell and if burnt incompletely produce carbon monoxide (this not the carbon dioxide we mention above but more dangerous and can kill you. Now there are heaters which claim to be safe with out being vented. Read and follow their directions.
http://www.tentsmiths.com/tent-camp-accessories-stoves.html http://www.outfitterssupply.com/products.asp?dept=19 http://www.somomule.com/catalog/item/4593086/6233986.htm For cooling we also suggest you get a Sun Shade: http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html Sincerely, Bob Gillis On Nov 6, 2008 Bob, Are the covers strong enough to ‘bridge’ across a waterfall area? We have an upper and a lower pond with a waterfall at one end of the upper pond and a tapered ‘rapids’ at the other end, both emptying into the same lower pond. A cover over the lower pond would have no support for a space of about 7 t 8 feet where it passes in front of the two falls. We only have fish in the lower pond which is what we would like to cover. We live in southern Minnesota (Hastings) and keeping the ice open all winter for gas escape is our concern. We do NOT run the waterfalls in the winter, but we have been running a smaller pump with the flow piped out of the skimmer inlet box right at the surface of the water to keep it agitated enough to postpone freezing over. We also keep a floating tank heater opposite the skimmer to allow ‘flushing’ of gasses from under the ice. I think that a 25 foot cover would give me enough coverage to be able to have a heater under the cover at one side of the pond. Hi Bob I do not think you should have trouble spanning 8' with the 25' cover. If needed you could attach the free hanging edge to a 2"x4" . The domes and covers are freestanding, can be picked up and moved with a few people and have a stiffness and flexibility that would work in your favor. You would need to have a heater to melt snow off the dome during a storm but it sounds like you have thought of this. Yes, the 25' is the top of the 30 and 31. Let me know if you have other questions. If you decide to use one please send a photo. Sincerely, Bob Gillis Date: November 1, 2008 Subject: Hi Eleanor and Bob Hey there, ........Yes: http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html If you plan to patch it you can sew on a patch over the damaged area (use scrap from your wrapper- or we can send you scrap at the cost of shipping). Alternatively the whole panel can be replaced. Glue or tape is not strong enough. We also need some spare tubing for all 3 sizes as some are a little too bent and a couple have snapped... You can buy class 200 PVC at many irrigation supply companies or cut to length poles from us: http://www.shelter-systems.com/accessories.html We never recieved any spare poles for the 2 smaller ones (or any spare material either?) .........The 14 18 and 20' domes come with 4 "door" poles that mostly only one is used, the other 3 can be used as spares. You can use the material the dome was wrapped in to make patches. We can also send you scrap material for the cost of shipping (talk to the order desk) I realised that the poles come from Italy and get shipped to you and then back to us. Thats too much shipping really and since we are closer to the source, ... can we order that directly? ........I was not aware that our poles were made in Italy. Surely if you have class 200 or 125 get your poles locally. See above Are there stronger versions of the poles that stand up better to the wind? It is a bit of a problem when its windy, a little scary when you have 100 people on the dancefloor and a lighting and sound instalation that is not so easy to move.... We do not recommend the domes be used in extreme wind. You can strengthen the poles some what: see : http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual.html But in strong wind other parts of you dome can be over stressed. On a tecnical level, ........You can unclip on of the clips that holds the strip and reattach the clip to the dome. You should however when staking out your dome use the strip to measure the span of the door opening at the base. How do you set up the entrance thing? We couldnt work it out. ........I think you are talking about the "open arch"? see: http://www.shelter-systems.com/lighthouse-manual.html Setting up you dome with the open arch does weaken the dome however and present a catchment to the wind. Open Arch Form of your Yurt Dome To open the arch on the Bubble Dome: The Bubble Dome has only one door there for you will need to remove two clips to simulate another door along the arch away from the existing door and then reattach them with their connectors to the dome's side (this is so that the arch pole can be reinserted). Now the covering under the arch is free to be rolled and tied up. To set the 31 up in the open arch form. Put the dome up and stake it out. Un-stake the stakes between two adjacent doors. Remove the poles under the arched pole that connects the two doors. Un clip the "door strip" at the base of these two doors by removing a clip to the side of each door. Replace the clip so it will not get lost. Attach 2 to 3' long cords to the inside of each of ghe clips along the arch. Have several people help you to roll up tight and hold the dome's covering under the arch. Using the long cords tie the rolled up covering to the out side clips along the arch. Thanks
1 1/2-YEAR GUARANTEE. If for any reason you're not completely pleased with your purchase, return it in original, clean condition within 30 days of receipt for a full refund or exchange as you wish. All items in this catalog have a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship for 1 1/2 years. Should any product prove defective we will repair or replace it at no cost to you. Special Orders are not returnable. Read Snow and Wind Warnings. Order online with our Secure Order Form! Questions? Orders & Customer Service: Toll Free 866-777-1066 or 831-464-2002 eleanor@shelter-systems.com Technical: 650-323-6202 bob@shelter-systems.com. Copyright © Shelter Systems 1976 - 2008 All Rights Reserved
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but this would seem possible but again at a loss of strength.
doors. Stretch divider across dome and attach a clip at the other point "A" on the divider so that when the divider is tensioned and tied to the dome's ground clip it will stretch tight across the floor of the dome. Have two people hold up and tension the divider so points "B" can be marked, clipped and tied. Run a cord up clip "E" and tie it to the top of the dome to support the middle of the divider. Have two people hold up and tension the divider so points "C" can be marked, clipped and tied to the dome at points "D". Move the clips on the divider if needed so that the divider is tensioned evenly.
Stove installation jacks and floor liners should match your stove: see the following sources. These should be sewn by hand into the domes covering at a height to match your stove.
