Tape question

[DanBrown]

This may just be the kind of question a layman would ask, but why use bifilament tape on the outside joints when you can use regular duct tape on the inside seams instead? Do the interior walls get hot enough to melt it?

[Alejandro Moreno]

Dan the question as to duct tape vs bilfilament tape is a bigger and more relevant question than as to whether the tape should be outside or inside.  The reason I say this is, whether your tape goes on the outside or the inside depends not only on the yurt design that YOU are going to do, but it also depends on the hinge technique you will be using as well.  So these 2 variables aside...

Honestly, almost all my bifilament tape that was exposed to the sun last year completely dried out, it was just crispy and dead, and peeled right off, ergo it was essentially worthless (but it held up). The question is, had the winds last year been the normal strong winds you get at BM, would that tape not have held up?  Based on past experiences from other yurters, it seems the tape does hold up even when crispy and fried. But it's definitely garbage for the next time you're going to use your yurt again.

The bifilament tape that is not exposed to the sun stays VERY strong, and seems to be very resistant to punctures, dings and the sort.  I don't know how resistant duct tape would be in this aspect.  If you go with bifilament tape, and you want the outside tape to last for next year as well, than cover all sun-exposed bifilament tape with foil tape.  

There are people that have substituted bifilament tape with duct tape, however the tape I've used, and the duct tape I have seen the most positive feedback on is Gorilla duct tape.  The problem is gorilla duct tape does not come in 6" widths.  At least I have not come across any.  And depending on the hinges you're doing, you may need 6" wide tape, hence the need for bifilament once again.

I hope this is of assistance to you.  If anyone else has differing experience or opinions, please chime in.

-Alejandro

On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 10:15 PM, Nocluewellmaybe <nrj...@gmail.com> wrote:

What about gaffers tape?

On Friday, July 13, 2012 11:53:34 AM UTC-7, Ben wrote:

The forces at play on the Playa and other extreme weather areas are too great for the duct tape.

On Thursday, July 12, 2012 5:29:32 PM UTC-4, DanBrown wrote:

This may just be the kind of question a layman would ask, but why use bifilament tape on the outside joints when you can use regular duct tape on the inside seams instead? Do the interior walls get hot enough to melt it?

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-Alejandro Moreno S.

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[Phil Dirt]

I tried to save money in building my hexayurt by using duct tape and gorilla tape in some places where the bifilament tape seemed like overkill. As Alejandro noted, duct tape and gorilla tape don't come in 6' widths. I think 4" is the max you can find. So any structural joint will be at risk of failing if you don't use the bifilament tape. Cover it with the silver tape, which is a pain in the butt to use, on exterior joints if you want it to last.

One place where I found the duct/gorilla tape to be a viable alternative is the bottom edges of all six walls. This is just to seal the factory cut edge to prevent moop, so there are no structural concerns. However, because the tape is barely wide enough to span the factory cut edge, you'll probably have to use two or even three strips of tape to get enough purchase on the foil facings.