All About Sun Tunnels | This Old House

Kevin O'Connor learns about sun tunnels at the New Canaan Idea House
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The Idea House is where we test new products. Kevin O'Connor travels to New Canaan, Connecticut and meets builder Gordon Jacobsen who is installing a device for bringing natural light into dark areas of the house: it’s called a sun tunnel.
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All About Sun Tunnels | This Old House
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[@ddueck7640]

I installed two of these sun tubes in my house about 20 years ago to light two dark hallways in my house. In one I added a switched light which was an accessory. This was before solar LEDs were widely available. The tubes work flawlessly. Even at night they add a bit of light from the ambient light from streetlights. I’ve had not problems with water leaks nor condensation. I highly recommend them.

[@ghiagoo]

On a bright day, do you feel heat emitted from the light? If I put my hand a couple inches away from it, do you feel heat?

[@ddueck7640]

@@ghiagoo No, you don't feel any heat from the light tube. It feels the same as holding your hand against a thermal pane window on a sunny day.

[@Tavbiy]

Thank God they didn't show it in the closet without a window, otherwise we would have gotten the full effect of the product.

[@jackflippin6527]

This 😂😂

[@robinrummel1359]

Interesting but I would have rather seen the effect in the closet without a window.

[@donna30044]

A friend of mine has a sun tunnel in an interior bathroom; on most days, it is almost as bright as if the lights were on.

[@tinytim9453]

I've had guests at my home asking me how do you turn this light off.

[@volvo09]

hahaha, that's too funny!

[@mlmcproductions4191]

Skylights had shades. A small one could be put up with guide rails to close off the light.

[@robatfreedomhouse]

Wait 'til they find out about windows

[@HawkGTboy]

@@mlmcproductions4191 It wouldn’t be hard to use a round baffle plate attached to an exterior motor to “turn off” the light tube. It would look a lot like a balancing damper in a round HVAC duct.

[@johanesmuylargo]

Tubular Skylights have been around for 35 plus years and are a fantastic alternative to traditional skylights.

[@sakonaga1]

Gordon is so friendly and affable. I hope he is still in business when I retire, so I can hire him for my sun tunnel install.

[@salmonline]

I was definitely convinced that sky light was going in the closet without the window.🤔

[@cynthiablagg3690]

So was I.

[@StikkySS]

They had two, one for the closet with window and one without. I suspect they only showed the larger room because it was easier to film with 3 dudes on camera.

[@erjoe2004]

Yeah, i was hoping to see the finished product in the other closet to see how much light it produced... 🙄

[@demagab]

@@erjoe2004 At least for once we got to see the finished product

[@isaacguerra4040]

I'm wondering how much my closet plants would like it ?

[@Mizzelphug]

Nice. I was looking for a way to sun-bleach all of my clothes at once but I didn't want to leave them all over the yard. Can't wait for the UV rays to go to town on the carpet in my closet too.

[@Uncle-Bull]

You can put them anywhere...but then you’d rather be a douche than just live with the information.

[@guyb6665]

@@Uncle-Bull douche got a point

[@megasupreme9985]

You could probably install a filter for the light

[@mikemerlo8917]

smartass!

[@wild-radio7373]

Sun tubes are badass!♡♡♡ Thank you for this video :) 🤜🏻👍🤛🏻♡♡♡

[@georgestewart5828]

I have these in my house in Florida. They are great.

[@JamesBlitz00]

Pretty sure that "closet" is bigger than my bedroom.

[@timbohouston]

Im too greedy with bedroom space to make a closet that big.

[@Victor-tl4dk]

His wife is the genius world record holder for most shoes.

[@jej3451]

What a cool idea, I might try to install one of these!

[@elly2154]

I want to homestead, this will be useful

[@GCSol]

I had these at my old house, they let in a ton of light. I had the older style ones that leaked air so in the winter time heat was escaping up in the attic. The new ones don't do that.

[@themountainview4751]

I might consider this for the old house I'm turning into a B&B. It looks like a good solution for some of our dark spots.

[@clg_pro2009]

yes this looks way easier than just adding a light LOLOLOL

[@mikeblank7165]

I like the solar night Light.

[@o0Avalon0o]

It looks great in the thumbnail.

[@catmeme7945]

That's amazing,

[@dasaini]

I wish I had known about this when I was doing an addition and couldn’t add a window or skylight in a bathroom.

[@rupe53]

I have seen these in real life and if they contractor is a slacker they can have air leaks that allow dust inside, then they look dirty. On the positive side, you can get your light from a side wall and bend it around to an interior bathroom / closet that doesn't have a window. Still in all, quite expensive in a location where you'd need a conventional light fixture anyway.

[@stacyhackney6100]

Nice.

[@endlesscrap]

How do you clean it? How do you take the lens down inside the house?

[@tommywiseau_]

is there significant heat loss for colder climate, leaking etc.?

[@2-old-Forthischet]

I guess it is important as to what your local summer temperatures are in your area. My GF has a large walk in closet with a west facing window on the second floor of her house. She has a double pane window as well as thermal shades. Seems like a non efficient setup, but I'm not going to tell her. How much time do your really spend in a closet?

[@AdCosmo]

My dream job is camera operator for This Old House.

[@judylynn6853]

Is there a shade for it ?

[@deannas1515]

How long does the battery last after the sun goes down?

[@heroknaderi]

Interesting

[@scokim]

Where can I get the solar night light?

[@Adam-vp4oe]

I finally made it in life but growing up my bedroom was literally half the size of that closet. Holy cow.

[@hafeexius]

You had your own room growing up? Lucky you

[@lucky1206]

This is better than cutting a large traditional cut

[@patriciajablonski5911]

I am getting a "sun tunnel"! Never heard of them!

[@VampireOnline]

I really need to do this in my kitchen. It's so dark.

[@claudesethbusingobashige8153]

Hi Thanks for this new technology How to get in touch with you?

[@adamguymon7096]

This is really cool. It would be nice if there was a way to create something like this but it would work as if you had a real skylight in instead? That would make it so if someone lives in an apartment complex and not on a top floor they could have the same advantages of a normal skylight but not have to worry about any leaks and they would get natural light and have this in every room? I know this was just for light but it would be nice if they could design something that would allow you to see what is above you.

[@76TomD]

They make thru the wall ones too

[@kevinbarry71]

And when those batteries finally die; nobody will ever replace them

[@itech301]

they're rechargable solar batteries so they charge off the sunlight

[@kevinbarry71]

iTech you misunderstood; batteries have a limited number of charging cycles. After that is over, I bet nobody will ever change those batteries

[@tvojslauf]

Kevin Barry negative Nancy

[@kevinbarry71]

Edison Carter sorry if you don't like reality

[@scallywag1716]

Really depends on how much of a hardship to not have the night light....

[@stevemerrill5050]

How are bugs getting in the tunnels?

[@gregnulik1975]

What if you needed that to move light into a basement ? Would you need fiber optics, or is that too much ?

[@ilovefunnyamv2nd]

Longer tunnel, although I don't know how narrow those tunnels can be, I assume you would want larger sun tunnels the longer it is... how wide are your interior walls?

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

I prefer good old skylights, but if they won't work, as in this case, the "sun tunnel" seems to be the next best thing.

[@KieranMullen]

Cost. time

[@Uncle-Bull]

My sister rents a house with one of these in the dining area, which is in the center of the house away from the windows. The thing is so bright.

[@HawkGTboy]

These have thermal performance, because the opening is smaller than a conventional skylight. Also the shorter perimeter means a lower chance of leaking.

[@syazwan2762]

should've shown a before/after or with/without sun tunnel shot so we get an idea of how impactful the mod. =\

[@4realjacob637]

It doesn't look much bigger than regular light tho???

[@historicalwarfilms4203]

DOes anyone else have a problem with bugs getting in these ?

[@arkrainflood]

what about risk of leakage? condensation build up? reduced insulation?

[@Uncle-Bull]

Minimal. My sister has one and even in hurricanes that sucker doesn’t leak. She keeps the house at 70 degrees when it’s 99 outside and no condensation.

[@n9wox]

3:35 LED *diodes* is redundant.

[@xinflames100]

reminds me of when people say things like 'atm machine' or 'tom cartmel the virgin.'

[@steakwilliams4448]

xinflames100 savage!

[@JesusJuenger]

@@xinflames100 BRUTAL 😂😂😂😂

[@Jkauppa]

solar concentrator scorcher

[@jesseolivo]

how is that big hole in the roof and ceiling insulated??

[@megasupreme9985]

It's not exactly a hole. At the very top (on the roof) there is a dome to focus the light. This also closes off airflow similar to a window.

[@frankesposito2182]

You can always have both a Skylight in your house and Solar Tubes !!!

[@lewiskelly14]

Would have been a more interesting video if we saw this applied to the room without the window

[@shahzadnawaz607]

Anyone know where I can get the led light from in the U.K.? Wounds mind trying it out on my sun tunnel

[@Roboticexile]

Try Solatube. We've used them for many installations and found the reflectivity of their tubes to be higher that other manufacturers.

[@Adones09]

I was irked when they put their fingerprints on the solar panel and on the glass, to be installed and not cleaned, lol

[@tomnelson7697]

I would love to be able to replace my fluorescent lights in my kitchen with a sun tunnel, so many projects, so little money (Covid).

[@jimcrelm9478]

3:36 Light emitting diode diodes

[@jeff15]

Let there be light: and there was light.

[@LostMySauce]

Yep, let's show the final product for .0000003 seconds

[@mattv5281]

That's a pretty big hole in your nicely insulated roof. I wonder if this is less energy efficient than leaving a light bulb on 24/7, because you'll be losing heat out the sun tunnel 24/7 in the winter.

[@rfarevalo]

yes, you just created a leak in the house envelope or a significant source of energy loss. The same can be said for windows. So are the aesthetics worth it? Up to homeowners and architects to decide :-)

[@jonathanciccarone5992]

I wonder if the outside of the tunnel can be insulated in the attic like regular duct work? Or sprayed with closed-cell insulation.

[@mattv5281]

@@jonathanciccarone5992 it wouldn't help much to insulate the tube. There's still an uninsulated path the width of the tube from the ceiling up to the roof, and a hole in the insulation the size of the tube. Maybe transparent insulation would work? Aerogel lets a lot of light through, and it's an extremely good insulator. Or, it could be vacuum insulated like a thermos. That would be even more transparent than aerogel, and probably better insulation.

[@mattv5281]

@@jonathanciccarone5992 it wouldn't help much to insulate the tube. There's still an uninsulated path the width of the tube from the ceiling up to the roof, and a hole in the insulation the size of the tube. Maybe transparent insulation would work? Aerogel lets a lot of light through, and it's an extremely good insulator. Or, it could be vacuum insulated like a thermos. That would be even more transparent than aerogel, and probably better insulation.

[@rfarevalo]

@@mattv5281 Double pane glass at either end is the best you can do. But that is not what the product has for the interior. The interior is a plastic light diffuser.

[@peoplethesedaysberetarded]

No thermal break there. :(

[@ilovefunnyamv2nd]

ok, can someone explain to me why a person would want natural light in their closet for all of 5 minutes a day they spend in there? i guess when you want it your way sure

[@ethanwagner6418]

The homeowners are undocumented gardeners.

[@jjjustin17favs]

So they can complain about how hot it is in the closet.

[@KieranMullen]

The sun doesn't cost anything.

[@jjjustin17favs]

@@KieranMullen the cost of that tube is probably more than turning a led light on a few minutes a day for a lifetime.

[@dylan-nguyen]

Sunlight helps you wake up. So probably helps wake up when getting dressed in the morning

[@billcunningham8485]

I created an advertising campaign for a company who made and installed solar tubes. The favorite headline / tag line I wrote for them was: Install this where the sun don’t shine. They thought is was funny and memorable but didn’t want to take the risk offending anyone...

[@mr.g1683]

The battery how long till it needs to be replaced 3-5 years or does it last longer then 5 years and what is the cost $$

[@scallywag1716]

2.5 years and $400

[@mr.g1683]

@@scallywag1716 Please provide source of this $$

[@Roboticexile]

It's a standard rechargeable AA battery; about $1.50.

[@mr.g1683]

@@Roboticexile Thank you kindly. I was thinking the same its a standard .. Thats why I had asked the other post prior provide source since they said $400

[@scallywag1716]

@@mr.g1683 facetious...

[@KJSvitko]

There is no insulation. Doesn't this add an air leak to the room ? Air sealing and blower door testing are now becoming more common in construction. Isn't this a problem ?

[@justanotherguy8791]

Spray foam on the rafter

[@ryancuda45]

wrap the ducting with insulation. just depends on your climate and budget

[@megasupreme9985]

It's not an open hole. It's closed off at the very top with a dome. It's probably no worse at being insulated than a window.

[@jordan4220]

LED diodes you say? So light emitting diode diodes ha

[@Kuhladestkyicky]

Been watching this since Bob Villa. I tried starting my own home show based out of Oakland, Ca. This Ho’s House. Never took off. Really sucked.

The guy in the red shirt looks like rick astly

[@BaronVonSTFU]

Kevin sounds like he tied one on the night before in this clip.

[@p3t3rjhackett]

Natural light fades your clothes. Constant darkness and a light switch is better

[@michaelesposito2629]

Maybe direct sunlight would.

[@kangkim150]

UV-C wouldn't pass the diffuser but the longer wave UVs would destroy synthetic materials over time.

[@MustPassTruck]

So do you get more vitamin D or more skin cancer inside now while sun tanning in your closet or bathroom.

[@michaelesposito2629]

What. And no, you don’t get vitamin d with light going through a window

[@MustPassTruck]

@@michaelesposito2629 Truckers get weired tans and skin cancer sitting in front of a window all day.

[@michaelesposito2629]

Steven Collier yes. Because I never said glass doesn’t allow harmful rays to get through.

[@Mike__B]

UV light very well may not reflect inside the tube the same way visible light rays do.

[@michaelesposito2629]

Closet? A lot of bedrooms are that big lol

[@bngr_bngr]

Why is their a window in the closet? Its just going to fade the clothes.

[@johanesmuylargo]

Yep.

[@johnm5714]

They will put a shade on it and control the sunlight I’d bet.will also need privacy there as well.

[@panda3d180]

I have a feeling those tunnels heat up very fast

[@stevepasquarella823]

I guess good in winter

[@loganperry1346]

Its all mirrors, so almost none of the light energy is converted to heat, at least of the visible light

[@Uncle-Bull]

My sister has one. No heat coming off the cover.

[@matthewoles7971]

@1:18 ...'How the hell did I get to here'

[@jbaseil]

Epic.

[@wallycleaver8267]

UV rays fading my clothes?

[@deanwright9167]

Why not show the room without windows Einstein

[@pizzahunk]

why would you want a closet to have sunlight?? It will ruin your clothes

[@IMOO1896]

Makes no sense to put a skylight in a small room that has a large window.

[@samsngdevice5103]

Word of the day: Sun Tunnel An exotic belly dancer..... ASTRO Glide.

[@justanotherguy8791]

wouldn't it make all of your clothes fade?

[@homernextdoor5950]

So, at night in your dark master suite u see light from the LEDs coming through whatever style closet doors u have such as louvered!?!?! Wtf?

[@michaelesposito2629]

It’s as if you’ve never heard of motion detectors...

[@homernextdoor5950]

@@michaelesposito2629 they didn't say it had one, and I didn't see one. Care to enlighten me? No pun intended

[@michaelesposito2629]

homer nextdoor because every such light that has no switch, that I’ve ever encountered, has that function.

[@homernextdoor5950]

@@michaelesposito2629 I agree, I just find it strange that a show that's been on for 30 ish years and usually explains everything wouldn't mention that.

[@homernextdoor5950]

@@michaelesposito2629 Kevin from This old house just responded, no motion detector, comes on just like a solar garden light. On till the charge wears off.

[@wdavis911]

Way to not show it in the closet that actually needed the light

[@cantcurecancer]

So now whenever I got in my closet at night, my roof will light up.

[@SeanLeonDrumz]

LED Diodes?

[@StoneE4]

To better see your PIN number.

[@SeanLeonDrumz]

@@Kevin-mp5of lol

[@SeanLeonDrumz]

@@StoneE4 lol

[@StoneE4]

There's an echo in this thread.

[@n9wox]

LED= Light-Emitting Diode, so adding *diode* is redundant

[@HawkGTboy]

It’s just Mylar and tape… this contractor probably charged the owner $4500 to add it.

[@MariuszChr]

So... Sun goes out and you loose light. Why do you spent so much effort, doing holes in the roof, decreasing thermal insulation, while you can get nice color LEDs which provides light everytime you want it?

[@Roboticexile]

The way the collecting lens on the roof is shaped, you get plenty of light well into the evening. Even on cloudy nights there's enough to see by at 22:00 in the evening.

[@earlyreally]

Anyone hears Peter Griffin?

[@surfinmuso37]

White reflects more light than silver.

[@Uncle-Bull]

But not more than polished metal.

[@surfinmuso37]

@@Uncle-Bull nope...polished metal is silver, just Google it...white is best....just physics

[@409raul]

Is the orange guy Donald Trump's long lost son??

[@LegendaryRadioJock]

TOFLMAO!!! They are called Solar Tubes, not "sun tunnels".

[@josuemartinez7205]

------------- I'm looking at the box Rn and it says "Sun tunnel" on there.