Solar Tubes – How to Install a Solar Tube
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Are you thinking about taking advantage of clean, green, and environmentally friendly solar power, but unsure of how to go about it? If you are planning to add a solar tube skylight to your home but are unsure of what you will need and how to go about installing one, read on for helpful hints, tips and techniques. These cost effective, affordable, alternative light sources are surprisingly easy to install and can make a big difference in your monthly electric bills and on the quality of the lighting in your home, without increasing the cooling load as some traditional skylights can do.
The first thing that you will need to know when installing a solar tube skylight is where you want to put it. It will look very much like a typical ceiling light and is best placed over a table or seating area, where the lighting will be needed most. A solar tube can also be placed in a part of the room that tends to be prone to shadows. Once you have selected the perfect location for your solar tube to be installed, you are ready to begin your installation. The ideal location for a solar tube will have no joists or other obstacles in the way. Although there are solar tubes with elbows or bends in them available, they are not as effective as those that are perfectly straight.
Mark you’re the spot on your ceiling that you want the solar tube to come out through, by driving a nail into the center of where you want the light to be. Make sure that the nail is long enough that the end of the nail is visible in your attic or crawl space. Repeat this process through the roof from the attic or crawlspace directly above the nail that you drove through the ceiling. Once you have marked off the location, they you will use the template that came with your solar tube to draw the circles that you will be cutting out of your roof and ceiling.
Once you have drawn the circles, cut through the roofing materials, shingles and all, and the ceiling and prepare to install your solar tube. Add flashing to the area around the hole in your roof, using roofing tar and then install the outer dome of the solar tube. Install the solar tube to the underside of this dome, from inside your attic and feed it through the ceiling below as well. Attach the interior dome and ceiling fixture and you are done!
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