HOW TOUGH IS RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION?
SunPipe-9 and SunPipe-13 are the most popular
residential SunPipes. They install easily between joists and rafters
on 16" centers, and average installation time is 2 to 3 hours by the
experienced contractor or do-it-yourselfer. If you've never lifted a
roof shingle before, plan on 4-1/2 hours.
SunPipe-21 is too bright for most residential jobs, although they have been installed into great rooms and kitchens. They fit between trusses on 24" centers.
ARE SUNPIPES BETTER THAN SKYLIGHTS?
YES & NO
Skylights can provide a view of the sky and lend an architectural
beauty to a home which SunPipes can't. But, if your goal is simply to
illuminate an interior area with natural light, SunPipes are much
more effective and trouble free.
SunPipes fit where skylights won`t, and provide
much more daylight throughout the area.
We installed a SunPipe-13 directly adjacent to a 2X4 skylight
which had a 3 ft. vertical shaft under it. The skylight provided
nothing but a rectangular patch of light on the kitchen floor. The
SunPipe lights-up the entire room.
SunPipe involves and costs much less to install
than a skylight.
Skylights usually require the construction of a drywalled
light-shaft. SunPipe is it's own super-reflective light-shaft,
requiring no framing, drywalling, mudding, sanding, re-mudding,
re-sanding, taping, priming or painting.
Figure 2 to 3 days to install a skylight - Figure 2 to 4 hours for a
SunPipe.
SunPipes are humidity-proof, effectively
eliminating condensation problems common to skylights.
Bathrooms are popular skylight locations. The problem is that
people like to take hot baths and showers, especially during cold
winter evenings. Steam rises to the cold skylight, condensing into
liquid droplets which can drip onto walls, staining it and often
causing wood frames to rot. Indoor pools are another high-humidity
location perfect for our SunPipe-21.
SunPipes are thermally efficient, keeping
summer's heat and winter's cold outdoors.
That was the objective of the inventor... to get lots of
daylight indoors with minimum sacrifice of the thermal integrity of
the enclosure... and it works! Compared to SunPipes, skylights bleed
the heat from your home in the winter (often causing drafts and
always increasing heating costs) and heat up an air-conditioned area
(always increasing cooling costs).
Round SunPipes seal to the roof much more
simply than square or rectangular skylights.
One seldom hears about round pipes leaking, yet skylights
have a reputation for it. The simple flashing style used with round
objects makes water-proofing them almost idiot proof. The question
becomes, "How long will the flashing last?" Our exclusive
"SuperFlash-300" galvanized steel roof flashing and storm
collar features "G-90" galvanization, the heaviest galvanized
treatment available. And it has rolled seams which need no
caulk making SunPipe flashings truly professional grade roof
flashings, likely to last 40 to 60 years.
IS SUNPIPE HEALTHY?
Natural light is a constantly fluctuating, full
spectrum photonic exposure which all life on earth is dependent upon.
Consider the Pacific Northwest where, in places like Seattle,
Washington, the majority of days are overcast and predominantly void
of bright sunlight. Is it any coincidence that the Seattle region
also has one of the highest depression and suicide rates in the U.S.?
Daylight is indeed healthy for us and, since SunPipe is very
effective at bringing daylight indoors, SunPiped rooms are healthy
rooms.
For reading, working or just relaxing, numerous studies have proven that filling your rooms with bright natural light will enhance your vision, improve your mood, raise your energy level, make you more likely to be optimistic, as well as increase your overall productivity.
COMPETITION - WHAT MAKES SUNPIPE BETTER?
If you could set competitive components side by side
with SunPipe components, you would have all the information you need
to make your purchase decision. Apart from being the first in the
daylight pipe business, SunPipe is today the most copied
daylight-pipe design in the world.
SunPipe quality starts at the top of the pipe with our clear top-dome. Look through the competitors dome and you'll notice lots of visual distortion. If your vision gets distorted, daylight will too. Our top dome is thicker and clearer than any other top dome we've seen. It is what we call, "Near Optic Quality." And since it's pure acrylic it won't turn yellow.
SunPipe's top-dome clamp is stainless spring steel.
Even the rivets are stainless, as are the nut and bolt that tightens
the clamp to the pipe. The result... You'll never have a problem with
it, and that means we'll never have a problem with it.
SunPipe's top-dome assembly is approved for zone 3 wind loads (ie.
110 MPH) as illustrated in our installation guide.
SunPipe Roof Flashings are the best you can get.
We don't trust plastic flashings. Only G-90 galvanized steel
flashings are good enough for SunPipe. It wont even rust for 20 years
and should last 60 years. Our standard flashing also has ROLLED
SEAMS, which don't rely on caulk not to leak. (The seams of cheaper
galvanized or galvalume flashings are tack-welded and caulked, not
rolled. As soon as the caulk wears out, you have a good chance of a
roof leak.)
SunPipe always looks straight up to the sky regardless of the roof slope. That means SunPipe captures every bit of direct and indirect light that's available, and sends it indoors to brighten your surroundings. Many other brands are "roof-slope sensitive," which means the steeper your roof is, the more the pipe "looks" to the horizon for light. The light is straight up... not off to any particular horizon.
SunPipe features the widest selection of ceiling
diffuser domes and disks available.
Our standard diffuser is a dome because the profile spreads light
sideways and upwards onto the ceiling. If you want flat discs, we
have them too.
If you have any questions that are not covered here please contact us.
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