Jul 27, 2013
Let there be light!
At a recent business event Colin put his card into the usual draw and won. He won a 10 inch solar tube made by Solatube. We already had two 12 inch solar tubes installed in our new home last summer, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. We love them. They add so much natural light that we still keep reaching for the switch to shut the lights off. So now we had the opportunity to install yet a third tube at no cost to us whatsoever. There was just one spot in the hallway that could use a bit more light so that was our choice of location.
Randy arrived and checked for electrical wires, studs, etc. Fortunately Colin had taken extensive photos during the construction of this house and we knew where it was safe to make a hole in the ceiling. Randy didn't think so but we insisted on the location of our choice. Colin tried to keep up with the dry wall dust.
Our choice of location proved perfect. Despite all the beeping from his sensors the spot was clear of everything except insulation.
A hole also had to be cut through the roof.
The final product. This shot doesn't show it but because the glass diffuser is a prism we have many little rainbows all over.
This is a good and quick one page description of the system. I am so glad we now have much more light.
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So interesting that you should post about solar lights today. Colin and I were just discussing putting them in and wondering where to start. Thanks for posting their site. Will have to give them a call. I will give you a call soon as we are thinking we might be passing by your area at the end of August. Hopefully we can get together for a short visit.
Jannose……be sure to Goggle your local distributor.
My husband insists these will eventually leak. Have you had any problems with rain leaking in?
Sally…..We have had the first 2 for almost a year now and they have NOT leaked. What has leaked is the roof line between the sunroom add on and the main house and also the basement due to ineffective caulking of our siding. One of the first things we asked thing fellow yesterday was about leaking. It is designed not to leak, info on their website plus he did add caulking. Many people here have these solar tubes for at least 5 five years and no one has ever had a problem. Have a look at the FAQ at the bottom of their home page. Plus the warranty is 10 years!
Gotta love those solar tubes and nice bonus that he won another one.
George….had Colin not won the light we would have left that wee section dark.
Bob……at least it is on your to do list 🙂 Once you get it installed I know you will love it.
Al….we have rainbows in the bathroom, the kitchen and now the hallway. I noticed yesterday that as the angle of the sun lowered we had rainbows on the bedroom carpet.
Ruth…..I agree, just another way of going green.
Marty…and that is really cold down there in Montana.
Jean…that is good news and proof of the product.
Colleen…not sure I agree with you. We have had temps over 100F these past few weeks and it has not affected the temperature inside at all. This is a diffused angled light so the sun is not shining directly into your home.
That’s pretty neat. I’ve had thoughts of putting one in our centre hallway. It’s dark most all the time.
However, such a project would be well down on the list.
And no, I wouldn’t think they would leak. A skylight? Maybe, and that would have to do with the flashing, which comes down to the installer.
Always fun to win stuff.
I like the idea of having rainbows all over……AL:))
I think those solar light tubes are fantastic. Back when we had a house I was wanting to get one in our main bathroom and that was 6 years ago. I think more houses should have them installed as they are building the houses.
Ruth
We had one put in over our breakfast counter a few years back when we had the house reroofed. Sure makes a difference. I’ve never had it leak, but sometimes there is condensation in the tube when it’s really cold out.
Skip’s sister has had one of those tubes for at least 10 years and it hasn’t leaked yet.
Wow, you have really had a lot of breaking news lately. Sounds like the solar tube is a nice addition to your home. Here in Texas, they would be nice in winter but broiling in the summer.