Velux sun tunnel leaking

18 years ago

In April '04 I had a local contractor install a Velux sun tunnel. We liked it so well, we had him install a second one in Nov. '04. During the winter we noticed some moisture accumulation on the roof hood. Contractor didn't know why, thought he installed it correctly, we both thought not to worry about it since it didn't leak even after torrential rains. Now this winter we had one that leaked after a heavy snow storm to the point I needed a bucket on the floor. I called Velux 3 weeks ago to check out the problem. I was told the Velux rep had to come from a location 3 hours away. I'm still waiting for him to schedule an appointment - even after a second call to the company. How long would you wait? What would you do? I haven't contacted the local contractor because he indicated he wasn't aware of what the problem would be with the condensation moisture early on. It's cold & snowy here--would the Velux rep be waiting for warmer weather (which might be 4 months away) What would you do next? I'd like to repaint my water stained ceiling, but not till the problems fixed. It leaked when the snow on the roof had a chance to melt.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

bydesignprez
18 years ago
Is it condensation or a roof leak. I will assume condensation which is caused by warm moist air contacting a cold surface. The fix is to have less moist air (turn off humidifier or fix/use bathroom vents when having a shower) OR improve the insulating value of the sun tunnel. I have no personal experience with the sun tunnel but is the glass dome double glazed? If not, and it's cold there is no way that you can stop condensation as the glass surface will be cold. The only thing you could do is manage the condensation flow using a gutter system. Not good.

Good luck. Anyone familar with the Velux and whether they are double or triple glazed?
0
lizql
18 years ago
Sounds to me like it is leaking around the tunnel itself. Perhaps through the ridgevent and running down around the tunnel? Velux is only responsible if it is seal failure around or between the glass. That doesn't sound like the case here.
0
Related Discussions
Sun tunnel reflecting blue light?
Q
Comments (27)
Oh, man. This is all making me so sad. The whole reason we got two new sun tubes in the living room was to pull in full spectrum light, but now I find that in order to counter the blue cast from these things, I might have to add more cast. What I will say is that if your have the 14" sun tunnels from Velux, they sell a "neutral light" filter that is spec'd at around 3600K, so, not sure how that compares to using a theater gel, but it might work for some people, and you don't have to cut it yourself. For my purposes, I am going to have to do some other experimenting, because I need more of the spectrum, not less of it (for me to do artwork, but also my plants). If anyone has been able to track down the source of the bluing (is it the diffuser, or the inside of the tube, or possibly the dome on top?), that would be a huge help. Of course, I will check for the blue film! Thank you all! Addendum: I just took the diffuser out and looked at the light coming in, and it is definitely not the diffuser causing the bluing, nor is there a film in there. It's the top dome I think. I conveniently have an older sun tube in my bathroom that does not do the bluing thing, and it also does not have a tinted dome on top, so that seems like the main difference between them. Now I am wondering if the dome can be replaced maybe with something not tinted...
...See More
Velux sun tunnels what is the quality of the light?
Q
Comments (15)
I wasn't thrilled with the "bluish" color from 2 new Velux SunTunnel skylights. I searched around a bit on the web and was able to find color filters made specifically to shift color temperature from Rosco. I wanted to go from 5500k daylight to 3000-4000k. I ordered a few filters in 1/4CTO and 1/8CTO so I could stack them and go from 1/8 to 1/2 in 1/8 increments. B&H photo (links below) had them in stock. I ended up using a 1/8 CTO http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/44204-REG/Rosco_RS340911_3409_Filter_RoscoSun.html and a 1/4 CTO http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/44204-REG/Rosco_RS340911_3409_Filter_RoscoSun.html stacked, for about a 1500k shift. The filters were easy to trim to size and lay on top of the diffuser. The light is now very close to an incandescent, probably around 4000k, but isn't amber. There is some reduction in brightness, but we are in Texas, so there is plenty of light :) I was a little worried that the diffuser would look yellow on the inside, but it is so close to white that you don't notice any difference at all. Previously people would walk in and say "wow, that is a really blue skylight", now they don't even realize it's a skylight at all, they think it's just a cieling fixture. Here is a link that might be useful: Rosco Cinegel CTO Temperature Shift Filters
...See More
Sun Tunnel / Solatube vs Skylight
Q
Comments (15)
gregoryandkristin both good and bad. Most people think of placement when they're worried that they'll get too much sun in the afternoon, but there are other factors to consider too. The good skylight is installed on a west sloping part of the roof that gets bright sun. It looks great and we love it (it has blinds that we use occasionally, we sprang for the remote control kind, which was worth it). The two bad skylights were installed on a part of the roof where they're in full shade most of the day. (Our house is a split level, so the shade comes from the upper story.) As a result, the light coming in is weak and weird, kind of like having a really dim fluorescent light. It's a bit better in the summer when the angle of the sun is different, but unfortunately I wanted these skylights to help make the rooms brighter in the winter. It was an extremely disappointing and expensive mistake. If I had known better, I could have mitigated it by choosing a larger size skylight and having them installed off-center in the room. That would have put them more out of the shade, but also the light would have bounced down one wall. Reflecting off the wall would have subtly amplified the light into the room, if that makes sense. So, when you plan skylights, size and placement is extremely important. If you're in doubt, get a a lighting architect who can study the sun patterns and do virtual modeling for you.
...See More
natural light in kitchen-sun tunnel/skylight
Q
Comments (6)
(not a pro) In the house I just sold, the 2 kids' bathrooms had no windows and we used Solatubes. Great experience with them! No leaks, and they're bright enough that sometimes their friends tried to turn the lights off, not realizing that all the light came from the Solatubes. They were installed as part of an addition/reno we did in 2008, so I had them for 12 years with no issues.
...See More
hilltop_gw
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the replies. The rooms in question are a powder room (seldom used) and a utility room, and in both cases both rooms have little moisture as they're off a well-used hallway with lots of air flow. In the winter, there's usually general condensation inside the Velux dome, so it looks brilliant white against our dark shingles. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to happen or not. The current situation is definitely a leak though. I collected a quart or two of water, plus the moisture that damaged the ceiling. I didn't think it would do me any good to have my regular contractor come out to fix it because he doesn't know what to do- he thought he installed it correctly per instructions. If the problem isn't covered under warranty, Velux said they would charge $85. My thought was I might as well have Velux come tell me if it's a warranty problem or pay them to fix it right rather than paying my local guy to do a trial & error. But I'm wondering if Velux will ever even show since it's already been 2 1/2 weeks since I contacted them and I'm still waiting.
0
feking
15 years ago
I would stay away from velux products they will not honor there warrentys I have a $475 skylight installed in 05 it starting leaking 6 months after the install it has been proved it isnt the installation to roof leaking but the seal on the sash the company doesnt care customer service is far from the companys core value of doing business. My advise is to look for another company line of products. I wish you well.
Tim
0

Velux sun tunnel leaking

Comments (4)

bydesignprez

lizql

Related Discussions

hilltop_gw
Original Author

feking

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Velux sun tunnel leaking

Comments (4)

bydesignprez

lizql

Related Discussions

hilltop_gwOriginal Author

feking

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

hilltop_gw
Original Author