Hi Eric
I will answer your questions below.
Sincerely,
Bob Gillis
On Dec 5, 2010, at 7:50 PM, Eric Rivkin wrote:
Hello,
I live in Costa Rica with a 180 acre eco retreat called Jewel of the Sun
www.vivalaraw.org
I like your yurt design and need a dozen or so for new cabinas.
Its a tropical rainforest environment with very hot sun in dry season. HOw will your fabric and tubes hold up to the elements?
They do fine. We have sold quite a few to tropical customers. All materials are UV stabilized for a long sun life. In FL and AZ they last 3 + years.
Will the fabric mold?
No, the fabric will not rot or mildew but dirt on the covering can. The covering can be washed with a sponge mop and cleaning products without harm to the covering if desired.
What is the floor material made of?
It is made of the same material as the dome but is blue. You can save money and use blue tarps which you can cut to fit inside the dome as a floor alternatively. We sell the Grip Clips which we provide with our floors; so you can tie in a tarp floor of your own if you choose.
WHo is the maker of the fabric and what is it exactly?
Our covering is make especially for us and is fire retarded and UV stabilized. It is a proprietary woven multi-laminate copolymer. It is white and super tough. You can not tare it with your hands even after cutting it.
DOes it outgas any toxic substance like PVC?
There is no PVC in our domes covering and I know of no outgassing of any toxic substance. Our domes are offered in two types: Standard with clear vinyl windows and extra-strong with translucent (let more light than glass but you cannot clearly see through them). Since vinyl is PVC I suggest for you the extra-strong windows (they will also provide more privacy for your guests and the cost is the same).
Do you have any commercial references in the tropics?
Take a look through our testimonial pages: https://shelter-systems.com/yurt-dome-testimonials.html there in are some of our domes being used in the tropics.
Do you have a front “porch” tarp option?
We do offer a porch, see: https://shelter-systems.com/accessories.html also consider our sunshades as these are very effective in keeping our Yurt Domes cool if other shade is not available. Since the dome’s poles are external and spaced away from the covering, the heat built up by blocking the sun is removed by natural convection air flow through the porous shade cloth and not reradiated into the dome. This is not the case with other portable shelters where shades must lay directly on the covering and there by radiate considerable heat into the living space.
Let me know if you have additional questions or if you still have concerns consider trying just one with a sun shade to see if you like them.
Eric