solar light tube installation
 

Has anyone done it themselves or found someone cheaper than the Solar Guys?

I have been in the attic ONCE, never plan to do it again, especially this time of year. Just the storage area is bad, the attic area and blown in insulation is much worse, and finding a place to safely walk is a real challenge. Having stated that, I do not understand solar lights, these are much more expensive then an additional NEW ceiling light, and the ceiling light works any time. Solar tubes only work when the sun is shining.

But back to your original question, I would not consider this a DIY project, unless you are really good cutting holes in your roof, and getting the seal right afterwards. This is not trivial work. You will also need a source for all of the components. Also, you and your house will get dirty and dusty when you cut the hole in the ceiling. For some reason, several of the installations I have seen are not straight tubes, but have one or more bends, so getting proper alignment might be interesting.

IMHO, if you are dead set on getting these, I would go with the professionals on this type of work, at least then you have someone to go back to if you have leaks or other problems.

I also do not understand why someone would want a solar tube. LED "daylight" bulbs provide similar quality lighting on demand. Also, I don't want a hole in my roof or in my car roof either.

The soar tubes we put in both our unlighted Villa bathrooms brought the day inside and had us reaching for a switch to turn them off at first when exiting. No leaks and no muss nor fuss when done by The Solar Guys. A " Guarantee " on the workmanship s well. I had my doubts at first but am very happy with our decision to use them.

Village Tinker and Retired Guy, you are both so very wrong about solar tubes, or as we call them around here "solar lights".

A solar tube is a 10- or 14-inch-diameter sheet-metal tube with a polished interior. The interior acts like a continuous mirror, channeling light along its entire length while preserving the light’s intensity. It captures daylight at the roof and delivers it inside your home.

There is nothing like light from a solar tube unless you stand outside. We have one in our cathedral ceiling and one in our master bathroom. Even in the middle of the night they give off enough light from the night sky to be able to walk through your home without having an accident tripping over something. We have had them about 9 years and we still try to turn the light off when leaving the room. Would never be without them now.

On the other hand, I would never let anyone other than a professional install one in my home.

If someone other than the Solar Guys install the solar tubes, you'll want to know if that will void your warranty on your roof or your shingles. The Solar Guys say their product will not, this is what they have to say from their TOTV page;

I recommend the Velux dealer found at the market in Marion. It is a better product. Either diy or professionally installed in is a better product.

I did install my own, up north. Yes you can do it yourself, this time I had it installed. One 10" one 14" was 1250.00.

Famliy Handyman had nice article on a DIY tube installation. Pretty straight forward. Not sure what the savings are doing it yourself but guess 50% plus.

A 9 watt equivalent LED light would use less than $5.00 of power annually! Plus it can be turned on and off as needed, while with solar you are at limited by the weather and night time. Do the math, the payback won't happen in our lifetimes. The only ones benefiting from solar tubes are the manufacturers and installers, but hey, it's your money, spend it as you wish.

Very true, 6 hours a day each day would be 2.17 a year but it is hard to place of price of never having to toggle a switch.

Well I've been in many homes with both artificial lighting (including quality LED) and solar tubes (aka lights) and there is no comparison. The solar tubes lighting is - as intended - much more natural and provides an whole room ambient glow. No, I don't sell them.

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people on this site will never admit that they either made a mistake or were not totally happy with their choices. Some even go so far as to seem offended that anyone would challenge their choices. I have been in several homes with solar tubes or skylights and even owned a home with a skylight, and I have to say I wasn't impressed. I mean they were nice and all, but that's all.

How about a motion activated switch ?

Solar tubes
 

We have 3 solar tubes and are 100% satisfied. I am thinking of adding a 4th in the master bath. No regrets here!

We have one in each bathroom and one in the master closet and ABSOLUTELY love them. Adds so much more natural light all day long. We couldn't be happier with them!

I agree 100% no replacement for natural light.

Not if Toymeister is correct had a 10 and 14 inch installed for $1300. DIY saves you $150 and no guarantee on leaks. Is it really worth $150 to go into the attic, cut holes in your roof and ceilings I think not.

When the Solar guys did it they had no mess captured all the dust at the ceiling.

For most people who have this done it is not about saving money it is about getting natural light into a room that does not have a window.

I totally agree Crash!!!

Oh you save more than 150.00
A Velux this moment is 365.11 on Amazon. Basically you are paying double price. If you want you can have it all and add a led light in the light tube for night time use. Cost of kit is 65.00

We had two installed right after we bought our house. They are fabulous. I have one in the laundry room and I don't need a light in there at all anymore and one in the kitchen area. They now offer lunar lights also which gives you a nice tax deduction and lights up both areas all night

We wanted to install a couple in dark areas.
Then our neighbor had one taken out by a golf ball.
Maybe if they would make them golf ball proof, or we get some better golfers (not going to happen):rant-rave:...

Why is it so important to get natural light, via a solar tube, versus light from a low power consuming/ low cost led bulb?

If I take your position a step further, why is it important to have a window when there is no view?, when a low cost led will provide light at no loss of R value? Fans can provide ample ventilation after all.

Egress comes to mind.

We have four in our house. I love them. Two are in places where there is no window and the light switch is just not convient. It's great to wander into the closet or Roman shower without backing out to find the light switch.

One is in the laundry room, and during the day the light is much better than when it is dark outside and I'm using the lights. It makes it easier to see what stains I need to treat. The laundry room is also our hallway to the garage, and it's nice to not have to search for a switch as you are coming in with groceries.

The final one is in the kitchen. With all the lights on during the day the kitchen was just not bright enough. And again, I don't have to track down the light switches to empty the dishwasher in the morning.

Adding the solar lights was much cheaper than moving all the switches.

I took care of the reaching/fumbling for the light switch by replacing the original switches with lighted ones. Only costs $7 each and took about 10 minutes each to install. No tracking needed. Moving switches would never be a consideration.

I have never seen a bathroom without some kind of light, except maybe a latrine.