I installed two of these sun tubes in my house about 20 years ago to light two dark hallways in my house. In one I added a switched light which was an accessory. This was before solar LEDs were widely available. The tubes work flawlessly. Even at night they add a bit of light from the ambient light from streetlights. I’ve had not problems with water leaks nor condensation. I highly recommend them.
@@mlmcproductions4191 It wouldn’t be hard to use a round baffle plate attached to an exterior motor to “turn off” the light tube. It would look a lot like a balancing damper in a round HVAC duct.
They had two, one for the closet with window and one without. I suspect they only showed the larger room because it was easier to film with 3 dudes on camera.
Nice. I was looking for a way to sun-bleach all of my clothes at once but I didn't want to leave them all over the yard. Can't wait for the UV rays to go to town on the carpet in my closet too.
I had these at my old house, they let in a ton of light. I had the older style ones that leaked air so in the winter time heat was escaping up in the attic. The new ones don't do that.
I want to take the cover plate off my ceiling , put insulation inside the tibe and plywood over it.. cap the skylight off without removing it from my roof. Would that be a good idea to do that To get rid of it? If not what is the best way to cover the gole in my ceiling?
I have seen these in real life and if they contractor is a slacker they can have air leaks that allow dust inside, then they look dirty. On the positive side, you can get your light from a side wall and bend it around to an interior bathroom / closet that doesn't have a window. Still in all, quite expensive in a location where you'd need a conventional light fixture anyway.
Longer tunnel, although I don't know how narrow those tunnels can be, I assume you would want larger sun tunnels the longer it is... how wide are your interior walls?
These have thermal performance, because the opening is smaller than a conventional skylight. Also the shorter perimeter means a lower chance of leaking.
This is really cool. It would be nice if there was a way to create something like this but it would work as if you had a real skylight in instead? That would make it so if someone lives in an apartment complex and not on a top floor they could have the same advantages of a normal skylight but not have to worry about any leaks and they would get natural light and have this in every room? I know this was just for light but it would be nice if they could design something that would allow you to see what is above you.
Minimal. My sister has one and even in hurricanes that sucker doesn’t leak. She keeps the house at 70 degrees when it’s 99 outside and no condensation.
I guess it is important as to what your local summer temperatures are in your area. My GF has a large walk in closet with a west facing window on the second floor of her house. She has a double pane window as well as thermal shades. Seems like a non efficient setup, but I'm not going to tell her. How much time do your really spend in a closet?
@@Roboticexile Thank you kindly. I was thinking the same its a standard .. Thats why I had asked the other post prior provide source since they said $400
I created an advertising campaign for a company who made and installed solar tubes. The favorite headline / tag line I wrote for them was: Install this where the sun don’t shine. They thought is was funny and memorable but didn’t want to take the risk offending anyone...
That's a pretty big hole in your nicely insulated roof. I wonder if this is less energy efficient than leaving a light bulb on 24/7, because you'll be losing heat out the sun tunnel 24/7 in the winter.
yes, you just created a leak in the house envelope or a significant source of energy loss. The same can be said for windows. So are the aesthetics worth it? Up to homeowners and architects to decide :-)
@@jonathanciccarone5992 it wouldn't help much to insulate the tube. There's still an uninsulated path the width of the tube from the ceiling up to the roof, and a hole in the insulation the size of the tube. Maybe transparent insulation would work? Aerogel lets a lot of light through, and it's an extremely good insulator. Or, it could be vacuum insulated like a thermos. That would be even more transparent than aerogel, and probably better insulation.
@@jonathanciccarone5992 it wouldn't help much to insulate the tube. There's still an uninsulated path the width of the tube from the ceiling up to the roof, and a hole in the insulation the size of the tube. Maybe transparent insulation would work? Aerogel lets a lot of light through, and it's an extremely good insulator. Or, it could be vacuum insulated like a thermos. That would be even more transparent than aerogel, and probably better insulation.
@@mattv5281 Double pane glass at either end is the best you can do. But that is not what the product has for the interior. The interior is a plastic light diffuser.
There is no insulation. Doesn't this add an air leak to the room ? Air sealing and blower door testing are now becoming more common in construction. Isn't this a problem ?
ok, can someone explain to me why a person would want natural light in their closet for all of 5 minutes a day they spend in there? i guess when you want it your way sure
So... Sun goes out and you loose light. Why do you spent so much effort, doing holes in the roof, decreasing thermal insulation, while you can get nice color LEDs which provides light everytime you want it?
The way the collecting lens on the roof is shaped, you get plenty of light well into the evening. Even on cloudy nights there's enough to see by at 22:00 in the evening.
@@michaelesposito2629 I agree, I just find it strange that a show that's been on for 30 ish years and usually explains everything wouldn't mention that.
@@michaelesposito2629 Kevin from This old house just responded, no motion detector, comes on just like a solar garden light. On till the charge wears off.