[Spurano]

I'm thinking of installing a sun tunnel / sky tube in my living room. Due to changes in the internal layout of the house, the living room gets very little natural light and is depressing to be in when it's sunny outside! There is no way to get more light in other than a sun tunnel. It can go up through a built in wardrobe in the bedroom upstairs, up through the loft to the roof. The problem is, the only position it can go is about 0.75m from the side of the room, in other words, nowhere near the centre of the ceiling.

Does anybody have experience of sun tunnels? Would being so far to one side of a room drastically reduce the effect of a sun tunnel? Don't want to spend big money if the benefit will be minimal! The room is approximately 4m by 5m. Thanks for any comments/advice.

 

[Just Bill]

They produce about the same light as a 100W light bulb, depending on the angle to the sun. length of the tube etc. I have done a few of them and was not impressed, but the homeowners were happy, and the installation cost is considerably less than a skylight. One I installed in an interior bathroom made a dramatic difference, and one installed in a study/office made little difference. The rest are somewhere in between. Going thru two floors, you may be disappointed with the results. It will add light, how much is up for debate.

 

[CrossWorks]

I have done a few of them

I'm about to do my first one next week and it'll probably be only 5' from ceiling to roof with a straight shot.

I'll take any pointers or tips you may have to offer on the install.

And Spurano, once it's done, I'll give you my feedback on the lighting and my overall impression of it's performance.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I have a 14" model in a 2nd floor bedroom
It lets a lot of light in, even moonlight
Somuch so that I cover it when there is a full moon

I'd say more then 2 hours between the roof work & drywall

 

[Spurano]

Thanks for the advice guys, and Crossworks, I await your feedback. Thanks!

 

[KOHNSTRUCTION]

hey cross works, i have done a few , and i've found that if you take it easy you can install one with pretty much zero repairs or touch to sheetrock or whatever. also found that by using a plumbbob from the roof to the ceiling you can get a perfect shot from the c-line of the rafters to match with the c-line on the ceiling joists.
so decide where you want it in the room first and then plumb up to the roof line
i love those straight through installs without a whole bunch of blocking, framing and twist and turns
i wonder how much reflection or light loss you get in regards to the ammount of turns??
best of luck