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Solar tube lighting solution.
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Previously:
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...757#post213042
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...347#post208354
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...045#post203094
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...571#post201216
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...003#post198952
Looks like it could be way to get natural light into places where sky lighting might not be feasible but the ductwork would be a nightmare
On the installations that I have seen, the duct work is just highly polished metal ducting but about half as thick as older furnace type ducting. It then had an insulation cover much like flexible HVAC ducting. Angles did not appear to matter much as it all basically forms a giant mirrored tube. The light rays will eventually be reflected to the interior.
I've got them throughout my house and shop. I love them. Folks who aren't used to them often think I've got "all the lights on", but I pretty much never use lights during the day (house or shop) unless we have a rare overcast or rainy day.
This and fibre optic lighting was supposed to be the future 20 years ago, particularly for commercial buildings. I thought it was a great idea. Light pipes to a concentrator, then distribute the light to endpoints via optical fibres. When the sun goes down, turn on a single centralized light and the optical fibres keep providing light. I have yet to encounter it in the wild.
The ones I have seen had poly-carbonate tubes. Very effective at transferring sunlight.
Mark
I have 6 of these Sola Tubes in my house. They are extremely bright, my electric bill is very low. I wrapped the tubes the attic with R-15 insulation.
Only downside is the covers on the roof look ugly, industrial. I mounted mine on the back roof. I had them installed 20 yrs , no leaks , lens still clear.
Yes, Solatubes are awesome. We installed 2 in our house about 25 years ago; a large one in our kitchen, which is on the shady side of the house, and a smaller one into the ceiling of a long interior hallway. They are great! The kitchen one has a dual-bulb light fixture in it for night time; Maintenance is very minimal; change bulbs when they go out (even less often now with LEDs), dust the inside of the diffuser once in a while, and about every 2 - 3 years clean the outside of the cover.