Pure Silver: One of Many
SunPipe® Advantages
We pioneered the use of silver-lined daylight pipes in
1991 after experimenting with numerous materials. We tried polished
anodized aluminum and stainless steel but, they provided very poor
performance even though they looked just as reflective as silver.
There is a new product called, "Polymeric" film, which is
1% more reflective than our silver material is when new.
Unfortunately, "new" doesn't last very long. After 6 months of use,
our Solar Silver-98 material will be 2 to 5 percent more reflective
than polymeric film and, after years of use, our material will be 10%
or more reflective. That translates into a 50% loss of light with a
6-ft pipe length. The problem is that polymeric film is not UV
stable. All the suns' UV rays must be filtered out before daylight
enters the pipe, otherwise the material degrades quickly. However,
even with a UV-filtering top dome, we are getting field reports
claiming dramatic loss of reflelctivity and delamination. And that
brings up another issue; delamination. SunPipe's silver coating on
the inside of our aluminum pipe is not a laminate. Therfore, it can
not delaminate. Pure silver is applied directly to the aluminum, then
protected with 2 proprietary oxide coatings to provide resistance to
tarnishing, salt-air and scratches. And, it is UV stable.
We offer three UV options to our customers:
STD. SunPipes: The standard SunPipe® provides upper-level UV-A
(from 375nm up to 400nm (where the visible light spectrum
starts)).
UVT (transmitting) SunPipes: Popular for use in zoos, veterinary
clinics and energy-efficient greenhouses, special UV-Transparent top
and bottom domes allow the entire UV-A spectrum (320-400 nm)
indoors.
UVF (filtering) SunPipes: Popular for use in walk-in closets, art
galleries and for people that have skin sensitivity, UVF SunPipes
remove all UV-A rays.
Insist on the original SunPipe®. You'll be assured of
getting the best, pure silver, UV stable product on the market that
will give you virtually the same amount of daylight when it's 15
years old as it does when it's new.
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