I’m putting two skylights in my dads shop, The gable roof slopes north and south. Asthetically I’d like to put them both on the south side but I’m afraid that they may get alot of glare; However, The roof pitch is only about 5/12 so i dont really know wether it would make much of a difference at all.. Any thoughts on this?
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–> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
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Replies
Glare????
you putting them for light??? south side is fine...
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thanks for the reply, you sound suprised that im worried about glare, is that not usually an issue with the special "E-glass" (err.. whatever its called) that skylights are made with?______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
how is it yur worried about glare....
proud member of the FOR/FOS club...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Just as an FYI, I think you are referring to low-E glass.
Low emissivity (Low-E): a special surface coating to reduce heat transfer back through the window. These coatings reflect from 40% to 70% of the heat that is normally transmitted through clear glass, while allowing the full amount of light to pass through. (from a web site)Matt
thanks for the clarification______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
The sun will come in those lites in the summer. Heat gain would be more an issue. You'll get a bit less sun in with north side placement. Operable skylites can get some air movement up and out.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I put a skylight in the kitchen for my mother in law on the south side of her house. Then she complained the sun was too strong there. I had to put a mylar film on the inside to cut down the sun light.
If there are windows on the south side now I think I would put them on the north side to balance off the light.
aesthetically,
true north light is considered FAR superior----------
so much so that artists often purchase special light bulbs to try to duplicate that quality if natural north light is not available in their studio.
( this is based on many lectures by my father who supported 6 kids in middle class lifestyle as a professional artist)
good luck, Stephen
If you install the skylights on the south side you will turn the interior space into a greenhouse. Lots of heat build-up and working below it will be intolerable.
Skylights of yesteryear were traditionaly installed facing north. This took advantage of indirect sunlight which is softer, and diffused.
F
I prefer North when it can be done. Better quality of light and less heat gain.
I doubt glare would be much of a problem, since you're in Oregon. You don't get much sunlight anyway, do ya ???
(-:
I'd suggest putting them on the south slope, up near the ridge. That way you get maximum sunlight through them.
The nearer the ridge, the better. That way when they start to leak there's less water above them to drip down into the shop.
Move, and you move alone.
Portland? 5/12 roof?
I live a few miles East of Olympia, WA, so our climates are similar. As Stephen and another poster mentioned, artist prefer North light - more consistant, never direct.
But if all you're trying to do is illuminate the building a little, maybe gain a little heat, I'd put them on the South slope. We get far too little direct sunlight as it is, try to capture what you can. That low a slope won't give much heat gain in winter here because the sun stays so low in our winter sky, but you'll still get some great light.
Thank you all for the replies.. Originally i wanted to do north because of the reasons which have been mentioned allready; However, because of our firewall code.. they dont want any windows on the south or east sides and although he'll have flourescent lights, it seems like the natural light should be more balanced.. if i put them on the north side, he'll have a huge amout of natural light coming in on that side of the building, but not much on the other..Anyway, I appriciate the posts.. I think im just as undecided now but at least i have more info to discuss with pops..______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
I *think* that I have seen places where they might put 5 big ones on the north and 3 smaller ones on the south.
>>The nearer the ridge, the better. That way when they start to leak there's less water above them to drip down into the shop.
That would leave his buckets set up in the middle of his floor...
> That would leave his buckets set up in the middle of his floor...
Actually, it leaves you room to hang them from the ridge and rafters, and have them high enough to be out of the way. ;-)
-- J.S.
you guys must be beginners to construction! I just staple a sheet of tyvek on the inside, covering the skylight and going under the drywall, that way the water can roll off the tyvek and the drywall absorbs it! eliminating the need for buckets... Amaturs..______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
My thoughts, exactly (good thinking)
sky lights do not leak it is the flashing tha tleks around them if you buy a skylight the flashing is ususlly billed seperately and usually cost just as much so do not be cheap and use a professional flashing kit and do not worry about leaks
Trojan,
you are not entirely correct.
skylights frequently leak------the seal between the aluminum frame and the glass---or between the glass and the wood interior frame can spring a leak in time.
IF that happens ---it's usually when the skylight is 8-10-12 years old----and long before the roof should be replaced.
If the skylight location leaks when the skylight is only a year or so old---then yes it is probably the flashing.
Stephen
Find the latitude of your location on a globe of the earth. Add 26.5 degrees and that gives you the highest elevation of the sun from due South in mid summer. Latitude minus 26.5 degrees is the highest the sun goes above due South in mid winter. Draw a cross section of your building on a North-South plane, and use the elevations to figure out where various skylight positions will give you direct sunlight.
Direct sunlight gives you high contrast, and it moves throughout the day. Soft bounce light from the North is less contrasty, and stays the same throughout the day. That's why artists like it, it doesn't change the position of shadows while they're working.
-- J.S.
wow, thats valuable info.. thank you!______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
53845.16 in reply to 53845.1
> Find the latitude of your location on a globe of the earth. Add 26.5 degrees and that gives you the highest elevation of the sun from due South in mid summer. Latitude minus 26.5 degrees is the highest the sun goes above due South in mid winter.
Oops -- I remembered wrong. The number there should be 23.5 degrees.
-- J.S.
Take a look at the "light" tubes, I install two in a very dark hall and when finished I kept trying to turn off the lights! Very bright!
ive seen those, they wont work for this particular situation but i look forward to using them at some point______________________________________________
--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
If you want to get away cheap, about 300 bucks, get 4 of those 23x47 polycarb. preflashed dome lights from your favorite hardware store. Put 2 on each side (N&S). EASY to install, and I belive the minimum pitch required is 3/12. Just a thought. That's what I have in my place, They're 20 yrs. old in June, no leaks...(Knocks on wood)....... : )
GB
Keep knockin' You're danged lucky!
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I KNOW!!, It's only a matter of time now!! lol. You know, when I posted the reply on the skylights I miss-typed. I said $300. was all it would take, that's close if he is doing it himself, I forgot about the labor... I charge $150. a light to install if there's no complications.....
GB