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Originally Posted by Troy8432
Bought a new Begonia and close next month. I plan on having developer install prior to closing to avoid any possible conflicts between developer and non-developer installer in case of a leak. We know we want at least one in the kitchen over the sink and one in the master bath. Not sure what size or additional locations. Interested in recommendations.
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First off, don’t ever put real skylights in your ceiling in Florida. They will really heat up the house. Solar Tubes, of course, are different because they are smaller and well sealed. But, they will also need to be between two and five feet long to penetrate your ceiling and your roof, and that decreases the light. They take the place of insulation, and they do heat up a little, so are they energy efficient? No, not really. Only get them if that is the sort of light you want.
I have three Solar Tubes in my house in Pennsylvania, all 10”. My dad has a couple 14”. I like them.
Do NOT trust the web site when it says it lets a lot of moonlight in. It doesn’t. My dad has them in two small white bathrooms. When the moon is shining, I can see, but sort of like a one watt nightlight diffused over a bigger area. In the daytime, in the bathroom, I don’t need to turn on a light. I usually do, but I don’t need one. It makes the bathroom brighter and more pleasant, though.
In my house, one is in my bedroom. In the winter it adds a bit of light, but in the summer it adds very little due to tree shading. In the guest room, one 10” solar tube adds a LOT of light, doubling what I get from a large window and making the room bright and cheery. Not necessarily a place for a nap if you need darkness. I have one in the bathroom, which has only a small window. The 10” there is enough so I don’t need a light to look in the mirror, but it’s not nearly as bright as in the bedroom. Still, I like it a lot.
I would say think about one in a bathroom without windows. Possibly think about one in your shower stall. Both make the rooms more welcoming and less cave-like. Over the kitchen sink? If the window isn’t enough, perhaps a light would be better. My living room is 20x35’. One end has two double French doors. The other has no windows. I might put a big one there.
You have a shingle roof, and that makes things easier. My roof in Pennsylvania is steel, and that is harder. My dad has a built up roofing roof, and that is harder. Still, the flashing around SolarTubes has to be meticulous. It’s not a good do-it-yourself project. You do not want a leak during a heavy storm that soaks your insulation and drywall and then drops it onto your bed. Leaks can be expensive to repair.
I bought my Solar Tubes from the company. I think they were about $250 each. I think I paid my contractor $400 each to install them. Cost effective? Not at all. Nice? Yes. As someone here says, there are LED ceiling mounted lights (that don’t penetrate your ceiling) you could burn for a century for much less money. I would recommend against putting a SolarTube in a walk-in closet for that reason. An LED light in your closet might use a quarter’s worth of electricity in a year in a closet, compared to, say $800 installed for a SolarTube..