Solar Engineering Support 200 Tubes

What are the components of a solar tubing system?

The following are the primary components of a solar tubing system: Rooftop dome: Collects and focuses sunlight into the tube. Made of UV-protected acrylic or glass. Reflective tubing: Lined with a mirror-like film that reflects up to 99.7% of light. Angles down into interior space.

Where can a solar tube be installed?

Solar tubes can be installed anywhere your roof can support them. Your roof should have a slope between 15-60 degrees, and standard rafters that are sparse 16 in on-center with a gap big enough for a 10-14 in tube. Certain areas of your home or office might not have the appropriate roof layout, while others might be perfect.

How big should a solar tube be?

A solar tube can be anywhere from 10 to 22 inches wide, and provides lots of natural sunlight, even on cloudy days. Solar tubes offer some significant advantages compared to traditional skylights. They’re less expensive and easier to install, and they prevent the kind of heat loss (and gain) that can come with a full-sized window in your roof.

What is a solar tube used for?

They are a good choice for integrating daylight into small, dark spaces in your home such as hallways, laundry areas, closets, and bathrooms. How do solar tubes work? Solar tube heads are optically engineered to direct as much light as possible into the tunnel below and come in a variety of sizes which range from about 1 to 2 feet in diameter.

Can solar tubes be installed on a roof?

Solar tube installation is relatively fast and simple. Because they have a small footprint, solar tubes can be easily plopped into your roof, between rafters. Installing skylights is a more laborious task, requiring proper care be made to ensure roof structure integrity, while a large window is embedded into your roofing membrane.

Are solar tubes a good idea?

Solar tubes are especially practical if your home has a lot of attic space. Instead of installing expensive header beams, new drywall, and skylights, you can pipe sunlight through a solar tube and get a similar lighting effect at a fraction of the cost. Solar tube installation is relatively fast and simple.