Have a dark passage when all door closed so wondering about having a solar tube or something similar fitted.Not a large area. Any thoughts, experiences, recommended installers, price! Thanks.
samanya,
Mar 23, 12:36am
I've just had a couple fitted to a 15m hallway & it's made a huge difference. My house is completely north facing but the bathrooms/toilet etc are all on the south side .I found it quite depressing & now I have this lovely glow of light in the hall. It doesn't light up the complete hall the same as electric does, but I certainly don't have top turn the lights on, on a dull day. Just phone the Solartube 0800 #& they will put you in touch with the local person. I think the Ch Ch one pretty much has the SI covered & if so I found that they are good people to work with. Mine cost a little over $2, 400 but I opted to have them installed in place of two downlights & chose the electric bulb/ solar tube option which increased the price by a bit.
kernal1,
Mar 23, 2:50am
Thanks but hoping for cheaper price! Yours completely beyond my budget! Had one fitted years ago and know the benefits for lighting a darker area but $2400 would pay for alot of electric light!
joberri,
Mar 23, 2:59am
$1000 to install one in my bathroom and that was for a lockwood home so no ceiling as such
samanya,
Mar 23, 3:38am
I doubt you'll get cheaper if you use the 'solartube' franchise. I'd have loved cheaper too, but I'm stoked with the difference they've made. I did look into it a bit but didn't come up with any cheaper alternative.
samanya,
Mar 23, 3:40am
That's pretty much what I was quoted as well .around the $1,000 each & I had a couple of extras like the lights.
tigra,
Mar 23, 4:24pm
Ideal for halls etcI wouldnt use them in a lounge. as light is quite bright and harsh. My one cost $1250 (special!)through a ceiling -not like Lockwood. Good value compared with about $2800 to $3500 for a Velux skylight.
angelah1,
Mar 23, 4:28pm
we have one in a bathroom which has no window - lightest room in the house a lot of the time - well worth the initial expenses
kernal1,
Mar 23, 5:08pm
Sorry! Obviously miss read your 1st reply and thought it was $2400 for 1. Round '$1000' I am quite happy with! Have also had a friend suggest I try the Hardware type shops (Mitre 10 etc) then get a builder/plumber to fit. Anyone done this! Roof space very easy to get into and just want light in hallway. Did this in another home years ago and was ideal. Thanks for all input.
joberri,
Mar 23, 9:50pm
Bunnings sell one similar to the solar tube,I looked at those as well, in the end I did not go ahead with them as new bathroom renovation meant that they were not needed
hilt_dwane,
Mar 24, 1:38am
When ours were fitted, it was strictly supplier to fit i.e. Hometech (Solartube people in Tauranga)
texastwo,
Mar 24, 3:35am
I think Hometech have the NZ wide agency hence no special deals locally.
kernal1,
Mar 24, 3:57am
Noticetoday a 'roofing place' on the corner of David St and South Rd have them in their window! Will enquire and see! Many thanks all.
my_savannah,
Mar 24, 5:18pm
We had a 'Solar tube' fitted in a dark area of the house which was really affective to the point we switching off the light! We did get the very odd leak when the wind blew the rain in a certain direction.I called the Solar tube people over a year after it was fitted and the repair man went up into the roof and found it was an old large nail hole that had been leaking for years (old house)the rain was running downthe tube, it was repairedfree of charge. What I'm getting at is the after service was great even though there was not actually a problem with the solar tube itself!
hilt_dwane,
Mar 24, 5:50pm
Just a note - son recently visited from Oz, used our ensuite which has a solar tube and no windows. Came out and reported to me "Mum I think theres a problem with your light in the ensuite - it wont turn off". Duh! They are brilliant. Ours has the optional extras of electric light for night use and an extractor fan for steam/odor remover. In the main bathroom is the usual steam extractor in the ceiling. Guess which one is best! The Solar tube extractor fan just about sucks you up by the hair - totally brilliant. I cant speak highly enough of them
trade4us2,
Mar 24, 10:09pm
I have a kitchen and bathroom on the south side of the house which is up against a cliff so no windows are possible. I have put clear roofing on half the roof. They are now the lightest rooms in the house. If I had a dark passageway I would replace a sheet of roofing with clear plastic ($40) and put four long mirrors ($60) reflecting downwards to a plastic opening in the ceiling ($30).
jhwjhw,
Mar 25, 2:37am
Defineatly the best bag for your buck, lots more light than the Solar Tube
samanya,
Mar 25, 3:51am
That may b e a good idea for Auckland .we had 8" snow last winter & get months of heavy frosts.
kernal1,
Mar 27, 9:18pm
Hometech quote -$1111 so quite happy. Nice saleman and should be installed next week.
samanya,
Apr 30, 12:03pm
That's a pretty standard price, it seems. When I got my quote it was mentioned that the tubing was the expensive bit & it depended on the distance from the roof to the ceiling. My hall is 15m & with 2 I look & think I must turn the light off, so I hope you have the same result.
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