Solar tubes vs skylights: getting daylight into a dark room

Every house has a room that never gets enough natural light. It might be an interior kitchen, a hallway, a bathroom or a closet with no window. Two roof-mounted options can fix it: a solar tube and a skylight. They both pull daylight down from the roof, but they do it in different ways and suit different spaces.

How a solar tube works

A solar tube is a small, sealed dome on the roof that collects daylight. Under the dome, a highly reflective tube carries that light down through the attic to the ceiling of the room below. At the ceiling, a diffuser panel spreads the light out so the room is lit softly, like a ceiling fixture. Because the tube is narrow and flexible, it can bend around rafters and ductwork in the attic.

Black Diamond installs 10-inch and 14-inch tubes. In their words, “we can install 10-inch and 14-inch tubes to light up your house.” The size you choose depends on the room, since a larger diameter carries more light.

How a skylight works

A skylight is a window in the roof. It is bigger than a tube, and it gives you a view of the sky as well as the light. Installing one means framing an opening through the roof and the ceiling, often with a shaft that connects the two. That is a bigger job than a tube, and it changes the look of the ceiling as well as the roof.

Which one fits which room

There is no single right answer. It depends on the room, the attic and what you want the light to do. In general terms, here is how the choice tends to go.

• A hallway, closet, pantry or bathroom with no window: a solar tube is usually the simpler fit.
• A kitchen that is dark in the middle of the day: either one can work, depending on the ceiling and the attic above it.
• A living area where you want a real view of the sky: a skylight.
• A room with a long run of attic ductwork or framing above it: a tube may route around obstacles that a skylight shaft cannot.
• A room where you want a lot of light: a skylight, or a larger tube.

One more difference is how the light feels. A tube gives a soft, even glow. A skylight gives brighter, more directional light that moves across the room through the day. Neither one is better. They are different, and you may prefer one over the other once you have stood under each.

A real kitchen

A customer named Marcela R., quoted on Black Diamond's reviews page, had a solar tube put in her kitchen. She wrote, “I had Josh and his crew install a solar tube in my kitchen and I can't believe how much light I have now!” She added that the company would be doing her roof that year as well. A kitchen is a classic place for a tube, because it is a room where you want good light for cooking and often have no wall to spare for a window.

Flashing is the whole job

Whether you choose a tube or a skylight, you are cutting a hole in the roof. The part that determines whether it leaks is the flashing, the metal and sealing details that tie the new opening into the surrounding shingles. A dome or a skylight curb has to be set on properly flashed framing, with the shingles woven around it so that water runs over it and never under it.

That is why a roofer is the right person for the job. A roofer knows how water moves over a roof and how the shingle layers go together, and does that work every day. If you ask for either option, ask how the flashing will be done and how it will be integrated with the roofing around it.

Doing it alongside a re-roof

If your roof is due for replacement, that is the ideal time to add a tube or a skylight, since the roof is already open and the flashing can be integrated with the new shingles. Another reviewer on Black Diamond's site, Teresa C., had a roof replaced on a newly purchased home and the job included a skylight installation. She noted the company kept her updated when a one-day delay came up on the skylight work.

Ask for a free estimate

Black Diamond offers free estimates on its construction services, including solar tubes and skylights. Tell the estimator which room is dark, what you would like to do with the space, and what is above it. Call (509) 943-ROOF or text the owner at (509) 308-6656.