mice problem in a tipi

[shutupthepunx]

been there 6 weeks now. no real problems with damp, i hang the skins every mornin inside the tipi.

the fire draws like a sack of sh!t to be honest. mainly burnin well seasoned birch and some pine.

it was packed around the outside with snow but i recently dug it all away to let air in under it. theres a pipe coming from outside the tipi into the fire area for air-flow for the fire which i think is good but yeah the smoke doesnt always wana go out the hole at the top. smoke dodging is something i have become to get better at. i built a stove but still havnt got round to installin it as i need more piping for the flu.

i wasnt in there for 2 days i think and when i got back i could really smell the burnt juniper that i smoked the place out with. so im guessing my four legged friends can get it too hence them staying away if they dont like strong smells. im still pissing around the outside of it though, just for good measure

 

[xylaria]

Personally I think you are going damage your lungs sooner or later with your set up.

Respect for living that close to nature, but you need to reconsider your dwelling. I will dig out a piccy of woodstock s tipi it shows the smoke flaps. The liner is really important to get the chimney to draw. It maybe easier to use stove with chimney or to look at lean toos.

 

[xylaria]

Woodstock has just suggested removing the rocks from around the fire and buiding the fire area up with soil so the fire is six inches above the ground level. It makes for better air intake therefore hotter fire with less smoke.

 

[mrcharly]

I don't think 6 weeks is enough to give you a feeling for problems caused by damp. Long-term it can be really harsh on your body.

 

[Toddy]

Xylaria's and Woodstock's suggestion about raising the firebed is sound. The crannog's ones were (are) raised on clay beds and even though their roofs have no smokeholes, we can work and breath easily to just above standing head height.

The smoke fills the cone of the roof (good for preserving stuff up there, and it kills off bugs, etc., in the thatch) and kind of spills down and out from under the eaves just above the wattle walls.
In the tipi the inner liner provides the airflow that pulls the smoke up and out. It helps to create a habitable micro climate too.

You really, really, don't want to see the lung biopsy of those who live in smoke filled spaces

If you can't get a metal chest (even an old fridge would do) to keep food safe from rodents, big jars are really good. Chip shops still get pickles in suitable big jars, and they just throw them out. Places like Ikea sell huge recycled glass ones if you've got cash to spare. For one person though, even just using clean coffee jars is better than the mice running over your food. In the past folks used clay pots (big plant pots would do) and slates on top. Sealed with a rim of clay (could use plasticine I suppose) and just pressed down.
Filing cabinets don't work agin mice they can get through tiny wee spaces.

M

 

[Macaroon]

I don't think 6 weeks is enough to give you a feeling for problems caused by damp. Long-term it can be really harsh on your body.

Living in the damp, even when it doesn't bother you at the time, will exact a high price from you, and often you don't pay that price 'till many years later.

Arthritis is a very unfunny thing and is often the leading item when the bill comes!

 

[shutupthepunx]

i understand the logic in moving the fire higher. the rocks are pretty good at keepin heat though. maybe i could do both. yeah i guess less smoke would be nice. sometimes its fine and the smoke goes streight up and out no problem, other times not so much.

the only problem with damp so far is when its -15 or -20 and my sleepin bag gets damp due to me being crawld down in it and creating moisture from breathing. im hard to talk to sometimes but il try and keep what people have been saying in mind. thanks folks.

 

[woodstock]

The only reason I moved out of my tipi was because i developed a lung infection which spread to my heart and brain which resulted in me being hospitalized with a resting heart rate of over a 185 beats per min, it may have affected me as a non smoker im not sure, but at least 8 people died last year out of 160 residents of tipi valley due to long term bender or tipi living.
ps use keeper logs to store the heat they are way more effective than rocks some of the people here have been living in tipi's for over 30 years. by getting rid of the rocks the warmth radiates around more evenly.

 

[sandbender]

"...the only problem with damp so far is when its -15 or -20 and my sleepin bag gets damp due to me being crawld down in it and creating moisture from breathing..."

You may want to consider finding a better bag or putting some wooly blankets atop the one you have, there is no reason to pull your head into your bag if its keeping you warm enough, a wooly hat and a proper bag have kept me quite cosy at those temps with no tent or cover above me. Additionally if you are sleeping in your bag every night then washing the thing become problematic, god only knows what kind of mould or fungi might start to take hold and end in your lungs.