Tubular skylights
Seems to be two main choices: Solatube and ODL.
This would be installed on the northside of the ridgeline.
For this reason, I’m interested in an extension to raise the input dome. The roof also has a fairly shallow pitch, and we get snow, so again, I’m interested in the extension feature.
We get hail here, and I just like the “stronger is better” philosophy with openings in the roof, so, a polycarbonate dome suitable for hurricane territory sounds good to me too.
So, the (important to me) differences in the two main choices seem to be:
1) Solatube has extensions, but no polycarbonate domes.
2) ODL has polycarbonate domes, but apparently offer extensions only for tile roofs.
3) ODL has seamless aluminum flashing (with no extension option), Solatube has “metal” flashing, with plastic flashing optional.
4) ODL has some kind of fresnel grooving in their dome which allegedly focuses sunlight down the tube better than a plain old plastic dome. Could be an issue on the north side of the ridgeline.
My questions are:
a) Extension of the dome over the roof is important to me…is this something that can be fairly easily fabricated on site? Would Solatube extensions work with ODL domes? Could I just get all Solatube for under the roof, plus the extension, and then mount an ODL poycarbonate fresnel dome?
b) Do I care if the roof flashing is “metal”, aluminum, or some form of composite plastic?
c) Anyone with experience installing, and/or living with a tubular skylight? And if so, which brand and any problems?
Thanks
Replies
Check out the options from Velux:
http://www.veluxusa.com/products/sunTunnels/
OK, I did check out Velux. One of their photos (hallway with green carpeting) looks just like one of the photos from Solatube's website. Don't know if that means anything or not.Velux has "hurricane" domes, I'm assuming polycarbonate, but NO extensions option. And Velux doesn't have the fresnel dome. Northside of the ridge remember.I'm really looking to get the dome up above any likely snowload on the roof.Could I use one of Solatube's extension under some other brand's polycarbonate dome, specifically OBL's fresnel dome?
Solatube has fesenel grooving in their domes as well. I have two on the north slope in our 4/12 roof, about 6' below the ridge, and get tons of light all day, and even from full moons. No extension needed. I can't speak to the hail or snow issues though.
Thanks.
Any problems?
Mine would be going into bathroom (3/4) and laundry room. Any issues with condensation?
I haven't posted much here, just read a lot, but it's beginning to hit me that the majority here are from snow-free zones. Even the magazine itself seems to gloss over snow-effects on building.
We have them in both bathrooms. Turned the darkest rooms in the house to the lighest - we now have flowering plants in there. No issues with condensation or heat buildup, which was my biggest concern. Yea, the materials are a little thin, but they just survived a roof tearoff and still look fine. We did have the second hail storm that I can remember actually leaving something on the ground in the (mumble mumble) decades I've lived here - gosh, we musta had stuff as big as fat BB's coming down - and there was no damage. Sounds like you get real weather, so I can't help you there.
Did a new roof for a friend a few weeks ago. He showed up as we were stripping the roof with two Solatubes, said put 'em on the roof while it's all open. I wasn't really thrilled with the instructions. Maybe I just had too many things on my mind, but they seemed unclear. The aluminum top flashing was flexible, not real heavy - okay to work with. The plastic dome seemed a little chintzy too. If I were in a real hail area, I'd make sure the insurance was paid. He didn't want us to cut through into the building space, so I can't talk about the fit of the connections and such. I can say his attic is really well lit. LOL. Put me down as unimpressed with the unit. Don