General:
Solatube captures light through a dome on the roof and channels it down through our patented internal
reflective system. This tubing is far more efficient than a traditional drywall skylight shaft, which
can lose over half of the potential light. The tubing will fit between rafters and will install
easily with no structural modification. At the ceiling level, a diffuser that resembles a recessed
light fixture spreads the light evenly throughout the room.
Light is measured in lumens and energy usage in watts.
A standard 100 watt incandescent lamp produces 1200 lumens. A 40-watt, 48" (1.2m) fluorescent tube
produces 2300 lumens.
| Product
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Relative Light Output (lumens)
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Electric Lamp and Fixture
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| 14" (350mm) Solatube Brighten Up Series (a)
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6,000 Avg. Lumens(b)
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Up to 9,100 Approximately equal to usable light output of 1 fixture using (3) F032T8 fluorescent
lamps.(d)
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| 10" (350mm) Solatube Brighten Up Series (a)
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3,000 Avg. Lumens(b)
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Up to 4,600 Approximately equal to (3) 18W quad-tube compact fluorescent lamps. (d)
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a. Solatube relative light output based upon 30" (76cm) tube run for the 21" (530mm)
Open Ceiling SolaMaster product. Maximum and average values achieved over the peak 2,400 annual daylight
hours for San Diego, California TMY2 Weather Data.
b. Solatube relative light output based upon 6' (1.82m) tube run for 10" (250mm) & 14" (350mm)
Brighten Up and 21" (530mm) Suspended Ceiling SolaMaster products. Maximum and average values achieved
over the peak 2,400 annual daylight hours for San Diego, California TMY2 Weather Data
c. Assuming a typical high-bay fixture efficiency of 90% and a mean lamp lumen output of 25,000 lumens.
d. Assuming a typical loss factor of 0.75, excluding additional efficiency losses.
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Traditional skylights have their place, as do tubular skylights. There are a few key benefits of tubular
skylights, however, including flexible location options, low cost of installation and better lighting
performance.
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Tubular skylights can be installed in places where a traditional skylight wouldn't be an option, such as rooms
without direct roof access or small areas like bathrooms, closets and hallways. The units are compact in design
(as little as 10 inches, or 250mm in diameter) and feature adjustable tubing with angle adapters that allow for
installation around attic obstructions.
Tubular skylights are able to accomplish better lighting performance results than a similar size box skylight,
because they don't use a skylight well (in which light is lost through absorption into the drywall shaft).
They capture light more effectively on the rooftop and efficiently transfer more of it down the reflective tube
and into the room.
Additionally, a tubular skylight provides better light diffusion. Instead of lighting only the space directly
below the skylight, a tubular skylight uses optics to spread the light out, often lighting the entire room.
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Traditional skylights do not offer any optical enhancement devices to help increase performance. On the north
side of a sloped roof, the light output from a regular skylight is significantly reduced without these devices.
The Solatube tubular skylight, for example, features several proprietary enhancement devices, which work in
concert to capture more light from all angles and reflect it down the tube for higher light output during early
morning, late afternoon and in the winter months when the sun is low on the horizon.
The Solatube transfers the maximum amount of ambient light into a room with minimal light loss, allowing it to
provide great performance even on cloudy or rainy days. In fact, it captures ambient light so well, on a
full-moon night, you can actually see a nice glow.
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The cost of a tubular skylight is more affordable than most traditional skylights. Remember, the cost of the
traditional skylight is only a portion of the total materials cost. One must also add in the cost of framing
members, paint, drywall, etc. Then, labor becomes a very large portion of the cost because a contractor must
frame out the skylight shall, drywall it, tape it, then paint it.
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Traditional skylights have a reputation of leaking. Many times this is an issue of incorrect installation, but
their square design invites problems. First, the fiat up-slope side collects branches, leaves and other debris,
which interferes with proper drainage. As the water dams up, it migrates under shingles or tiles to find an
escape route, causing leaking.
The round design and one piece flashing system of the tubular skylight allows water and debris to flow past
unobstructed. The entire unit is sealed to lock out any moisture.
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Tubular skylights can also be multi-functional. Tubular skylights like Solatube can be equipped with options like an integrated electric light (for night-time lighting), A Daylight Dimmer to turn the natural light off, as well as a ventilation fan, providing a two-or three- in-one unit from a single ceiling fixture. Again, traditional
skylights can't offer you these features.
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A 10" (250mm) Solatube will provide light for up to a 150 square foot (14 sq meter) residential area.
A 14" (350mm) Solatube lights up to a 250 square foot (23 sq meter) residential area. A 21" (530mm)
Solatube lights up to a 400 square foot (37 sq meter) residential area. For Commercial Building applications,
please consult a Solatube design professional, since acceptable illuminated areas will greatly vary due
to ceiling heights and space uses
These estimated lighting areas are based upon an average 6' (1.82m) tube length and 8' (2.4m) ceiling height,
with the dome being in direct sunlight.
Light output will very depending on the intensity of the sun. For example, there will be more light at mid-day
than in the morning or evening. Light output may also decrease as the length of tube increases.
Solatubes' circular one piece seamless flashing design allows rain and debris to bypass the skylight naturally.
Solatube flashings have no joints or weak points that may separate and allow water to enter.
Both 10" (250mm) and 14" (350mm) Solatubes fit easily between roof rafters with no structural changes, so there is no need to build a skylight shaft. Our adjustable tubing design includes two Spectralight® Delta angle adapters that allow installation around attic obstructions and Spectralight® Infinity extension tubing in 16" (400mm) and 24" (600mm) segments. All designed to telescope together for easy installation with no cutting necessary.
Zip Ties: Probably the most appealing and time saving feature. This patented system locks the ceiling ring to the ceiling. This allows for the entire lower component and the Solatube to be installed without needing to enter the attic.
Installation of a Solatube is very easy. An experienced contractor or handyman can do it in a few hours.
Solatube is designed with a patented fastening and telescoping tube system that virtually eliminates the need to enter the attic. Additionally, many components are pre-assembled at the factory for minimum assembly time.
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Approximately two hours or less on shingle asphalt roofs, while other roof types may take slightly longer.
Solatubes feature factory assembled parts for faster, easier, more professional looking installations.
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Solatubes will not cause fading. The acrylic dome filters all but 0.1% of UV, then all but 2.4% of that is
filtered by the diffuser. So over 99.9% of UV is filtered out.
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Proprietary Spectralight Infinity tubing provides up to 99% total reflectance and 99% specular reflectance.
It is the most reflective material on the world market today and is used on all Solatube skylights.
The 10" (250mm) and 14" (350mm) Brighten Up® Series Solatubes feature the patented Light
Intercepting Transfer Device (LITD). Working in concert with the Raybender Technology (a Fresnel lens system) they capture more light from all angles and reflect it down the tube for higher light output during early morning, late afternoon, and in winter when the sun is low on the horizon.
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With Solatubes operating during daylight hours, electric lights are off which means no energy consumption.
Solatubes have insignificant heat gain, so air conditioning or heatingare not affected. In fact the electric
lights a Solatube displaces add more heat to a room than a Solatube. Alternatively, more heat would be lost
through a small closed window.
All diffusers are designed to be highly attractive and unobtrusive on the ceiling. They feature a sleek dress
ring that transitions the lens to the ceiling with a beveled edge. The dress ring is injection molded with highly durable white ABS that is also paintable.
The ceiling diffuser lenses. All are made from acrylic and designed to effectively diffuse the natural sunlight
throughout the room.
Flush (Frosted) Diffuser: Is the most popular and comes standard in all Brighten Up® Series single pack kits. The lens is flat with a small frosted pattern that allows natural highlights to be transferred into the room.
OptiView® Diffuser: Allows a view of the sky through a series of high-tech radial lenses.
This high-tech lens is highly effective at diffusing light and minimizing glare. The OptiView diffuser not only
looks great but also adds some additional features to the Solatube skylights that no other product can match.
This revolutionary diffuser lens bends the light exiting our Infinity optical tubing upward approximately 85
degrees which provides much better light dispersion. The other wonderful feature is that when you look up through the lens you see miniature views of the sun, moon and sky and of course is Energy Star approved.
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With Solatubes operating during daylight hours, electric lights are off which means no energy consumption.
Solatubes have insignificant heat gain, so air conditioning or heating are not affected. In fact the electric
lights a Solatube displaces add more heat to a room than a Solatube. Alternatively, more heat would be lost
through a small closed window.
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