06 Jul 2024

Debunking 6 common skylight myths

While we're sure uncle Bob's neighbour had a terrible experience with his skylight back in the day, a lot has been done to eliminate early issues and design flaws that we saw in previous generations of skylights. These days, with the right product and the right installers “skylight” doesn’t need to be a scary word at all.

So if someone brings up uncle Bob’s neighbor’s disaster skylight project next time you mention your skylight dream to them, point them in the direction of this blog post as below we will bust the six most common skylight myths:

1. All Skylights will eventually start to leak

Leaking is probably one of the most common worries when considering installing a skylight, and unfortunately if using a cheap product or an installer that cuts corners, this concern may be warranted.

Not when you install a Solatube skylight, however.

Our top of the range product is installed by our Solatube Certified Installers, all who have completed in depth training. This is why you cannot install a Solatube skylight by yourself, as our product comes with a 10 year warranty and a 𝙉𝙤 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚.

Plus, with over 30 different cyclone tested roof flashings, we'll be able to fit it on -pretty much- every roof type.

2. Installing skylights is a massive project

You’ve heard stories where people have been left with an open roof for days, not being able to use the room for a long time, making it sound like a big project which requires lots of planning, and lots of money.

Sure, some traditional skylights can take several hours or even days to install, and leave a gaping hole in your roof during the process.

A Solatube skylight however fits around existing rafters and joists, and the installation in most cases can be done in a couple of hours.

This means minimal disruption for you and your family, and you can enjoy a brighter home instantly.

3. Skylights can’t be turned off

For people that need to sleep during the day, or maybe if you want to watch a movie, or for whatever other reason you may want darkness in a room during the day (daytime disco glow party anyone?), some types of skylights that can't be closed or turned off can cause problems.

At Solatube we heard this concern, and decided to do something about it.

Introducing: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧.

With our Daylight Dimmer you can easily adjust the amount of light entering a room, choosing between 2% - 100% illumination to suit your needs.

Nothing can stop your disco glow party now.

4. Skylights damage your carpets and belongings

The sun's rays are undeniably harsh, and are known for fading and damaging carpets and furniture. And whilst this was an issue for early versions of skylights, at Solatube we have done a lot of work to battle this problem.

Our skylights use modern and patented technology that safeguards your home from heat and harmful UV rays, making sure they get blocked before they even enter your house. This means you won’t experience any damage to you, your carpet, your artworks, or other belongings.

5. Skylights will drive your energy bill up

The reason why some people may think that a skylight will increase your energy consumption, is the belief that a skylight will make your house warmer in the summer months, and colder in the winter months, meaning that your aircon and heating unit will need to work overtime.

Whilst this may be true for some types of skylight, this is not the case for Solatube skylights. The advanced, patented InfraREDuction technology in our skylights removes infrared wavelengths before they can be transferred through the tube, making sure that no heat enters your home even when it's boiling hot outside.

And our dual lens array technology provides insulation properties similar to double glazed windows, meaning that minimum heat escapes in winter.

If anything, a Solatube skylight will do the opposite and reduce your energy bill, because you won't need to have any lights on during the day.

6. Skylights stop working at night

Whilst technically this is true for the skylight itself, a Solatube skylight has several different add-ons that you can add to your skylight to make it work the way you want it to.

These add-ons include a solar night light that will cast a soft light throughout the night, and a light add-on kit, which works like a normal light with a switch that you can flick when the sun goes down.

So unless you WANT darkness in your home after sunset, you definitely don't have to.

Include a skylight in your next renovation

In summary: don’t let the above misconceptions stop you from getting a high-quality, professionally installed skylight. Skylights are a simple, yet beautiful way to increase natural light into any room within your house in a matter of hours.

And if you want to talk to one of our experts to find out how a Solatube skylight can transform your home, give us a call on 0800 765 288 or click here.