Solar Tubes

[getdul981]

I've seen where people posted that they had the solar tubes installed to give light inside their homes. My wife and I were talking to someone today that has one in her house. She says that she doesn't particularly care for it. Does anyone have them and wish you had not had them installed or wish they weren't there when you bought your home?

[starflyte1]

My husband wasn't too interested in having solar tubes installed, but now would not be without. We both think they are great.

[teachnmo]

We placed solar tubes in both our guest and master bathroom and LOVED it!! We had a cottage home, Sand Castle, and both bathrooms did not have windows and it was very dark. I say loved because we just signed a contract today to sell that home as we have purchased and moved into a Jasmine which happens to have lighting in the bedrooms.

Another person told me they had the solar tubes placed in their master closet which they loved.

We also installed the solar attic fan and garage fan. Feel that both helped our electricity bill for the summer.

[skip0358]

We have 5 solar tubes and 2 solar attic fans. Wouldn't be without them.

[getdul981]

Thanks guys. This is pretty much how I feel. I would love to have the whole house on solar, but don't see that happening any time soon. We're planning to have a small one in each bathroom and then a larger one in the living room and possibly another in the kitchen. Having one in each closet sounds like a wonderful idea too. We are also planning to put in two solar attic fans.

I talked to The Solar Guys this morning and got prices somewhere in the $3000 range. That was just for the 4 tubes and 2 attic fans. They also told me that there is a 30% tax rebate on the tubes that expires Dec. 31. The rebate on the fans is extended through next year at least.

[CaptainMorgan]

Our Lantana came with 3. Wish we had 2 more. Love them all.

Just don't put one near a ceiling fan as it can cause strobe light effect.

[candjmac1]

I have two and really love them. Lights up a room with no windows and makes it look larger. It does show where you may need to clean.

[nkrifats]

Have 3 in our villa. 2 bathrooms and kitchen. Love them.

[Tweety Bird]

Can't wait to have them installed someday. We have an "At Ease" and would welcome a sola tube in the laundry room. On and off goes the light incessantly as we go from the laundry room into the garage. I stopped into their showroom and was very impressed. They have the original patent and the copy cats are not near what the originals are like.

[Ooper]

Only reason I can think of for not liking the solar tubes is that they bring in too much light... but... you can buy filters to reduce the amount of light if you need to. Got 3 in our house and will probably put in a 4th... love 'em.

[SNOK]

Would appreciate any comments or advice regarding installation of Solar Tubes on a galvanized aluminum roof on a designer home. We would like to consider at least a couple of them for lighting. We have been told by one vendor that they can intall on the aluminum roof at an extra cost, but by another vendor that they will not install on aluminum because they cannot be kept from leaking. Does anyone have experience with this?

[Tbugs]

I have 6 solar tubes plus 3 skylights in my house. I had never seen solar tubes before moving here but love them for all the light they let in.

The house also has a solar powered attic fan which helps keep the garage cooler in the summer.

Solar Guys are the best around.

[batman911]

Will your clothing fade if installed in a closet? What about glare if you wear glasses?

[teachnmo]

I wear glasses and there is no glare. It lets in soft light.

[batman911]

Thanks Teachnmo. I do not usually like ceiling lighting because of the glare it causes. Prefer lamps or indirect lighting.

[Larryandlinda]

I have 6 solar tubes plus 3 skylights in my house. I had never seen solar tubes before moving here but love them for all the light they let in.

The house also has a solar powered attic fan which helps keep the garage cooler in the summer.

Solar Guys are the best around.

They were recommended and came out for an estimate.
They said they needed a second helper because it was steep and both came back the next day with tube and solar fans.
They made a decision that it was too steep so we called another place that took the job.
The brand we chose is supported by the roof roof not the ceiling and because of the 20' run and the weight we decided this was a huge plus.
L and L

[bogeybabe]

took me 5 years to talk hubby into them....now he LOVES them...

had Solar Guys install and also a solar attic fan....love all of it....

[dwbevan]

Does the solar fan and solar tube run on solar power, therefore, saving energy. It sounds like the light stores some energy if it has a night light feature or does it work as a focused skylight? Thanks for your assistance.

[Pturner]

We too love our solar panels and wish we had more.

[LittleDog]

We have 3 solar panels and a solar attic fan. However, we also purchased a "gadget" that sits atop our hot water heater that provides pretty much instantaneous hot water instead of having to wait for the water to heat up. You can set a timer to control when the unit is working. We have ours set for some morning hours, some afternoon hours, and some evening hours. Our contractor was Solar Lights and More from Ocala. Can't remember exactly how much the unit cost but for 1 solar light and the unit it cost $1084.

John

[Tom Hannon]

We have 5 solar tubes and 2 solar attic fans. Wouldn't be without them.

Hi Skip. Keep any brochures on both the solar tubes and solar attic fans. Prices also. I'm interested in doing the same thing. I'll catch up with you eventually.

[getdul981]

Thanks for everyone's comments. We opted to go with 4 tubes and 2 fans. Sorry I haven't been back to keep you updated. We had large ones installed in the kitchen and living room area. (Begonia) We also had smaller ones put in the guest bathroom and laundry area. We are extremely impressed with the amount of light that they bring in, even on cloudy days. We're constantly checking to see if we have left the lights turned on. Don't know how much the attic fans will help as we just closed on Dec. 13 and had them installed on Dec. 24. Hopefully, all this will help some.

Does the solar fan and solar tube run on solar power, therefore, saving energy. It sounds like the light stores some energy if it has a night light feature or does it work as a focused skylight? Thanks for your assistance.

The tubes do not store any energy. It is strictly for use when the sun is shining. There is no night light feature, although I think you can have a light installed inside the tube for night use. I don't really feel the need for that because we already have lights for that.