Solatube skylight - down side?

[DARISC]

Thinking about putting the 7000 lumen model in my art studio. They're based 7 mi. from me and I've not heard anything bad about them. Anyone here have one?

[porsche4life]

I have some distant relatives that put them in to their basement...

We all said it was to grow pot...

So you trying to grow pot?

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

...So you trying to grow pot?

It's a FKNG ART STUDIO!

I'm a FKNG PAINTER!

And I grind MY OWN FKNG PIGMENTS!

And I really get off on grinding the buds to make "Cannabis Dark Green" - makes my paintings...ummm...transcendental! Yeah, that's it! Transcendental!

[look 171]

Can you say bird Poop? Who's gonna clean em'.

[968rz]

My father-in-law put one in his cabin when he removed the fireplace, it fit nice in the chimney hole. Lots of light and no issues yet, been 5 years or more; but the in house glass cover does collect a fair amount of dead bugs (easy to remove and clean).

[911Rob]

I've installed them in homes, have friends with them, and had one once.
No problems to report over the last few years.
Feels like somebody left the light on when you're in the room with one.
Good Luck, the natural light will do your studio well I'm sure.

[aap1966]

They let in more heat than you'd expect. We notice that in Queensland (think Florida), not sure if it would be an issue where you are.

[VINMAN]

I installed two of them in my last house. Loved 'em!! no issues at all with them.

[looneybin]

i've had clients that installed them, one comment i heard was on a full moon, they let in too much light & they couldn't sleep.
That may not be an issue in an art studio, unless you sleep there

[dhoward]

Yes, yes...
The introduction of natural light supports the 'growth' of new ideas.
Nudge, nudge..

Cheaper than metal halides too...

[island911]

The downside, to the Solatube, is the flatside. The upside, has the dome. <-- the stupid response you would give if asked.

[scottmandue]

Keep in mind when the aliens fly over at night they can see you and your old lady doing the nasty.

[VincentVega]

The only negative I've heard from a friend is you cant turn it off. In their case it made a mean glare on the TV. Other than that minor issue I havent heard a downside.

[john70t]

Potential leaking, of course, without proper flashing.

They do keep a northern room well lit in the afternoon hours, but the reflected light is a cold metalic-blue. Might affect the fine tuning of some colors.
It'd be nice if there were some swing filters(ie: opaque/yellow/hazy) that came with it.

[Zeke]

Never liked them. I prefer a soft light spread over a large area. It's all relative. The lens of a Solotube is like 12". A small skylight is 4 times the area. A 2 x 4 skylight (8 times the area) on the north face of a roof is a nice touch. By contrast, the Solotube produces a white hot hue that is actually distracting. YMMV.

[dd74]

Leaking, as was said. Be careful if it's installed in a studio or near computer equipment, etc. Otherwise, great lighting.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by milt

...I prefer a soft light spread over a large area...

I visited their showroom this morning (many rooms lit with their various models) and went with the upgrade Fresnel lense, which is brighter and disperses light over a much broader area than the standard lense which lit the adjoining display room.

The lens of a Solotube is like 12".

I bought the 17" dia. size.

A small skylight is 4 times the area. A 2 x 4 skylight (8 times the area)

True; however light through a conventional skylight is undiffused and will light the area it strikes in a shape corresponding to the shape of the skylight, whereas the lense of the Solatube disperses it to the degree that there isn't a sharply defined circle of light where it lands (the lenses are also available n square shape).

on the north face of a roof is a nice touch.

I don't have a N face. My studio is oriented N & S so I'd either have morning or afternoon light (and it would let in a lot of heat - the Solatube is insulated and heat isn't a problem as it was in their earlier models). The Solatube lense will be directly overhead at the end of the studio where my easel is set up.

By contrast, the Solotube produces a white hot hue that is actually distracting. YMMV.

They certainly are bright and white! But it's sky light and I don't know that bouncing back and forth off of the highly reflective interior of the tube could change its hue - some frequencies would have to be gained/lost in that process I'd imagine.

At any rate, the ceiling is not all that high and I can easily tape a tinted gel sheet over the lense if I need to.

The model I bought is 7000 lumens (roughly equiv. to seven 100w incandescent lightbulbs) on a clear summer afternoon at my latitude (same as the factory, 7 mi. from me, where they took the measurement).

..

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by dd74

Leaking, as was said. Be careful if it's installed in a studio or near computer equipment, etc. Otherwise, great lighting.

I expressed that concern to the salesman who (of course) assured me that they take great pains in sealing when installing them (I'm having them do the installation at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon). But I still had him write a note on the paperwork that the installer will have with him that leakage is a concern of mine.

[dd74]

Ours leaked with the last big storms we had. Of course, there's also the condition of your roof to consider.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by dd74

Ours leaked with the last big storms we had. Of course, there's also the condition of your roof to consider.

Did Solatube do the install - and fix the leak under warranty? My studio's only 2 yrs old, composite shingles. I'm having it installed just over the peak of the roof so it won't be visible from this view.