For all those of you who are still wondering, the aspect of sun tunnels is still a relatively new concept. Along with sun tubes, they have been making waves in the solar and homeowner market with many people beginning to gravitate towards the two aforementioned products. Not to mention the fact that there have been many services and companies across the board who have started selling them as well.
The overall benefits of sun tunnels are many, but the most noticeable ones are that natural daylight is good for your overall mood and wellbeing throughout the day as well as helps you save money on energy consumption. The best part is that within a few days of installing the tunnel, you will begin to see the positive results for yourself. Forget about putting any lights on in any one of your dingy rooms during the daytime as the sun tunnel or a solar tube will see to it that you get the necessary daylight that is needed.
Known as sun tunnels or sun tubes, they are known for completely transforming a windowless or dark room into a natural light drenched area. For all those out there who crave sunlight in every living space of their home, what could be better than that? But most importantly, there are a few important questions that one needs to deal with before getting into the buying process of solar tunnels. Here are the top five most common questions that people have:-
- What is a sun tunnel and how do they work? – A sun tunnel basically channels sunlight from your roof down a reflective tube into the room below. Even though it sounds easier to do in theory, in practice, however, it is not that easy. This is precisely why one should not attempt to do this on their own in any way. Whether you want to get them installed on a pitched roof or flat roof depends on your home and requirements.
- What are the options that are available? – The first option is a rigid sun tunnel. These tubes give you a much better light transmittance by allowing the light to channel down the roof to the ceiling in direct motion. This can offer up to 20 meters of efficient light distribution.
With the second option of a flexible sun tunnel, things are not quite the same. Being the low-cost solution for adding natural light, this allows you to negotiate around obstructions in the roof space. Since they are usually installed up to a length of 6 meters, less light ends up reaching the required room.
- Is a rounded dome better or a flat glass cover? – One of the first things that you will notice about a sun tunnel is the fact that some of them have a dome while the others have a flat glass panel. Whichever suits your roof or which of the two you prefer is ultimately up to you. However, there is one thing to keep in mind. And that is the fact that a part of the light will be lost when hitting a flat glass cover whereas, in the case of a rounded dome, the light gets refracted inwards, capturing extra light.
- Does the positioning of the sun tunnel make a difference? – Yes, in fact, positioning is key. If you happen to have a room that is south-facing, you are in luck. This is simply because they are seen as the best sun trap since they see the most amount of sunlight during the day. Even a pitched roof follows the same principle.
- How many sun tunnels are ideal for a dark/poorly-lit room? – If you install more, it will be a lot better for you. Either one or two main tunnels installed in the center of your room or a network of smaller tunnels that are evenly spaced around the room. Make sure to consult an expert with regard to tunnel diameter and room size to get the best results.
At the end of the day, you need to do your homework thoroughly and make sure that you get a sun tube/sun tunnel from a reliable source and service. Since they are relatively new in the market, it is a lot easier for fraudulent companies to scam customers due to their lack of knowledge about the products and their various components. Hence, the only antidote to this problem is to educate yourself as much as possible. There are no two ways about that fact.
Plus nowadays, there are many varieties of sun tunnels for you to choose from ranging from all shapes and sizes. Gone are the days when one had to settle for any kind of tunnel simply because there weren’t enough options. Now you have many to choose from regarding your particular roofing type at rather affordable prices as well.
