Recently, the solar tube lighting system has experienced tremendous growth in popularity. These solar lighting tubes become more useful as there is a greater need for modern artificial lighting. Solar tube lighting is an inexpensive way to use clean energy and let natural light into your home, but it has drawbacks and restrictions.
Do you know the disadvantages of solar tube lighting? Discover the solutions by continuing to read.
What Are Solar Tube Lighting?
Solar tube lighting is a natural and environmentally friendly substitute for incandescent light bulbs and is most frequently used to illuminate hallways, stairwells, and dim areas of homes.
Solar tubes are essentially narrow tube that extends from your roof to the ceiling to bring sunlight into your home. They are also known as tubular skylights, light tubes, sun tunnels, or daylight pipes.
In order to block out leaves, rain, and other elements, the tubes are lined with a reflective material to increase the intensity of the sunlight.
The length and diameter of the tubes, which range in size from 10 to 22 inches, are determined by the distance between the ceiling and the roof.
A mechanical chase (a large opening in the attic plane), one of the more sophisticated systems, can deliver light to lower levels of a building, and battery storage can provide light at night or on overcast days.
Given that it doesn’t require much work to install, solar tube lighting is frequently used as an inexpensive substitute for natural skylights. You might even be able to install solar tube lighting yourself if you’re an experienced do-it-yourselfer.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Solar Tube Lighting?
Not Suitable For Every Home
Depending on the type of roof on your home, installing solar tubes may not be the best option. For conventional roofs with a slope between 15 and 60 degrees, the majority of solar tubes are created and suitable.
Installation of the solar tube may therefore be difficult if your roof has a steep pitch or is flat.
It may be difficult to install because the roof material on your building may require an adapter. A two-story building’s ground floor will require longer tubes to channel the sunlight because solar tube lighting systems can only be installed on the roof.
Limited Design Styles Of Solar Tube
There aren’t many design options for solar tube lighting systems. Beyond providing natural light, solar tubes are too small and won’t significantly improve the aesthetics of your space. You won’t be able to see what’s going on outside thanks to solar tubes.
Therefore, using solar tubes would be a mistake if you wanted to add a sense of austerity to your home. Additionally, solar tube systems only give you a few options for regulating the amount of light entering space (window films and diffusers as daylight dimmers).
Only One Source Of Energy
Solar-powered systems have a problem because sunlight is the only source of energy in them. As a result, getting direct sunlight won’t be possible on days with poor weather, which limits its functionality. On days like this, you would have to either find a different source of light or remain in the dark.
Solar Tube Uses Lots Of Space During Installation
Solar tube lights would require a lot of space to install in your home. Because every inch counts in a small house, this might cause you a minor headache during installation. Therefore, if you want a significant amount of solar energy to enter your home, you’ll need a larger and more open space.
Lack Of Ventilation Of Solar Tube
With solar tubes, it is impossible to install a ventilation system, making it impossible to release heat or get a little breeze through them.
Thermosiphon
Aluminum makes up the majority of light pipes. Heat travels through aluminum very well. However, during the winter you might discover that your pipes are losing heat from the inside of your home, lowering the overall R-value.
Noisy
Some solar tube domes have extra aluminum reflectors to increase the amount of sunlight. On windy days, these reflectors may make a lot of noise.
Fewer Options For Control
In contrast to other options like skylights, ventilation gives you access to a variety of other accessories like diffusers, shades, etc. In addition, you have complete control over the artificial lighting, allowing you to turn it on and off whenever you like.
When it comes to solar tube lighting, there isn’t a switch to turn it on or off, and there isn’t a venting or shade option either.
Durability
Since a portion of the solar tube lighting is constantly exposed to the environment, a variety of outside forces could harm it. There are numerous opportunities for the outer dome to sustain damage in extremely hot or cold temperatures, heavy downpours, or hailstorms.
If something similar occurs, the light will stop working, and you might need to replace the entire lighting setup. As a result, the solar lighting tubes are less reliable.
What Are The Advantages Of Solar Tube Lighting?
Natural Light
Intriguingly, solar tubes allow natural light to enter your home, giving the impression that it is the brightest place nearby. They don’t require the installation of additional skylights to increase the amount of natural light because of how much light they let in, and can easily take the place of your regular windows.
It goes without saying that natural light is beneficial to your health and maintains a clean environment in the home in numerous ways. In addition, it’s a natural source of vitamin D, which improves sleep quality and lowers health problems.
Wait until you realize how effective solar tubes are at conserving electricity and power. As a result, they are very practical and have many advantages for you as well as the house. Both parties benefit from the situation.
Easy Installation
How do you put in a solar tube? Before we get into that, it’s important to note that one of the reasons solar tubes are less expensive than skylights is that installation is much easier and doesn’t cost a ton of money. Additionally, installing solar tubes doesn’t require changing the drywall.
Low Maintenance
Since they are not easily damaged, maintaining them doesn’t cost much. They don’t need any additional maintenance because they are covered by a weather-resistant acrylic dome.
Small Size
In comparison to skylights, solar tubes are significantly smaller and take up less space. Solar tubes are so bright that, despite their small size, they can easily take the place of regular windows as the room’s primary source of natural light.
Additionally, they come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and you can choose from a variety of colors.
Cost-effective
Solar tubes are preferred over conventional skylights because, as we already know, they are very cost-effective. Typically, they range in price from $500 to $1000.
Environmental Friendly
Solar tubes are an environmentally friendly choice because they don’t release harmful gases into the environment because they operate on solar energy or renewable energy.
Flexible Design
They can increase the amount of natural light they let in without having to alter the room’s overall structure thanks to their adaptable designs. As a result, they can be used anywhere, including the living room, hallway, bedrooms, etc., to enhance the quality of light.
No Leakage
Solar tubes don’t leak, unlike skylights, because of their dome-shaped design, which keeps water or debris from collecting on top of them.