Sun Tunnel Buying Guide
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Sterlingbuild - Buying Guides
- 3 May 2018
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- Reading time: 4 minutes
Sun Tunnel Buying Guide
Brighten up areas of the home natural light struggles to reach with a sun tunnel or two.
Sun tunnels, also known as light tunnels, are a practical, cost-effective way of introducing the benefits of daylight to spaces as small as cupboards and as big as bedrooms.
Healthier than artificial light and cheaper than roof windows, sun tunnels are an increasingly popular lighting solution for residential and commercial properties alike.
*For a limited time only, VEW sun tunnels also come with a free electric light kit which easily connects to the sun tunnel to be used in the evenings and nights.
Should I Buy a Rigid or Flexible Sun Tunnel?
Sun tunnels come in two distinct reflective tube designs, rigid and flexible. Both have their own advantages.
Rigid
Rigid sun tubes provide sunlight with a direct path from roof to room, meaning less light bounces off the tube's surface and more makes its way into the room.
The pricier of the two tube types. Rigid sun tunnels can offer up to 20m of light distribution, meaning light can go a lot deeper into a room and brighten those harder to reach areas.
To help negate obstacles in the roof, adjustable elbows can be easily fitted to existing tubes, as can extension tubes to allow natural light to travel further.
The VELUX Group supplies rigid sun tunnels in two different diameter widths for slates and tiles, and for both pitched and flat roofs.
Flexible
Flexible tubes are great for negating around obstructions in the roof space as they can be easily manipulated to bend around the existing building work.
Flexible sun tunnels are ideal for shorter distances and are the cheaper of the two options. The difference in price is mostly down to flexible tubes
reflecting slightly less sunlight as
rigid
tubes.
Flexible sun tunnels are available from Sterlingbuild
with either a 35cm, 45cm or 55cm diameter, in
3m tube lengths that can be easily cut to 2m.
flexible sun tunnels come with a diameter of 35cm and 2m long tube for slate and tile roofs.
What Size Sun Tunnel do I Need For My Room?
Deciding on what size
sun tunnel you need all depends on room type.
For the best results in medium to large spaces, we recommend installing either one or two bigger
sun tunnels or a cluster of
smaller tunnels.
Can Sun Tunnels Work on any Roof?
Yes, they can, and not just roofs either. As well as being compatible on both pitched roof and flat, sun tunnels are also available for installation on the outside of walls. Here is how.
Flat Roof
Sun tunnels are available for all types of flat roof pitches, installed with a flashing and flat roof upstand.
Sterlingbuild's range of 35cm, 45cm and 55cm flat roof sun tunnels are available strictly with flexible tubes, either 2m or 3m long.
Sterlingbuild's sun tunnels come with an easy to fit diffuser, ceiling mounting ring
and everything
needed for a professional installation.
Offering both flexible and rigid options are the VELUX Group, who manufacture
a 35cm sun tunnel in both tube styles.
Pitched Roof
Sterlingbuild’s flexible pitched roof sun tunnels come in the same sizes as our flat roof sun tunnels and can be applied to both slate and tile.
The VELUX Group's
flat roof
offering consists of a 25cm and 35cm sun tunnel- one rigid
and one flexible.
Remember to always bear in mind where the best place on your pitched roof is to position your sun tunnel.
Installing a light tunnel on the south-facing side of the roof will optimise the amount of natural daylight your tunnel can capture.
Extras
We have a number of additional accesories available at Sterlingbuild to enhance the scope and performance of your sun tunnel. Here are a few of our best.
Adjustable Elbows & Extension Tubes
To help you manoeuvre your rigid sun tunnel around roof construction, adjustables elbow can be purchased to be used with any
sun tunnel size.
Rigid Sterlingbuild and VELUX
sun tunnels can both be
be made more flexible
with the addition of elbows.
To expand the reach of your sun tunnel and illuminate rooms even further, extension tubes can be purchased from Sterlingbuild and the VELUX Group.
For VELUX flexible sun tunnels, a 2m long extension can be added. The same is true for Sterlingbuild tunnels.
Light Kits
Handy accessory that can be easily fitted into your pitched roof sun tunnel post installation
to make sure you can always turn on your sun tunnel - even at night
Available from Sterlingbuild and the VELUX Group, electric light kits are one of the most popular accessories for sun tunnels.
The kit fits seamlessly onto the existing tunnel for a space saving, highly practical design.
Most electric light kits, such as Sterlingbuild's,
are LED compatible so will not consume
energy at nearly the same rate as incandescent bulbs
