Pro's Advice
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Systems
This is an example of the right kind of duct work to use for bathroom exhaust fan systems. The duct work is an insulated pipe with an aluminum exterior skin.
This allows for the hot air from the bathroom to go thru the pipe and to be exhausted to the exterior without putting any heat or humidity in the attic space…….that would cause a lot of mold. Notice that the piping is well sealed to the fan with tuck tape as well as sealed to the direct connect roof trap.
It’s also important to use the right roof exhaust trap (vent) on the exterior. Most common exhaust traps have a very low profile. We prefer to use the Ventilation Maximum trap that rises 8 inches above the roof. This keeps it out of the snow in the winter. Also, the Ventilation Maximum vents also has an anti-reverse damper that allows the hot moist air to be exhausted to the outside, without allowing cold winter winds to blow inside. So, a properly designed bathroom exhaust system gets rid of all the host moist air in the house directly to the outside, without allowing any hot, moist air into the attic.
Custom Skylights
This old dome skylight had come to the end of its life and was leaking, also it was of an uncommon size that was no longer available. We recommended a custom sized energy efficient LowE3 glass skylight. This also gave us the opportunity to insert some foam panels into the framework (curb) of the skylight. This framework is usually only a 2x6 or 2x4 spruce frame..... poor insulation value!
But, with the foam insulation the new walls become a lot more energy efficient to go along with the energy efficient glass.
Energy Efficient Skylights
Differences between glass and domes skylights
This is the damage from an old dome skylight on the stairway railing in a house located in Stouffville. Dome skylights give very little UV protection (UV is what fades things). Most dome skylights are made of 2 layers of acrylic in the shape of a dome. They are usually sealed one to the other with neoprene gaskets or butyl tape. Unfortunately, they cannot be sealed tight enough to create a vacuum in the same way as 2 layers of flat glass can be sealed. Because they cannot be perfectly sealed, argon gas cannot be injected between the 2 domes. It's the argon gas that is injected between the 2 layers of flat glass skylights that gives the higher level of UV protection. Besides causing fading damage, domes also tend to create a lot of heat in the summer.
Flat Roof/Tar and Gravel
This is an example of an energy efficient Velux LowE3 glass skylight on a flat roof. Because the glass is flat (as opposed to the dome shape) we prefer to install these skylights on a slope so that they shed the snow and the rain effectively. The original tar and gravel roof was not in great condition as can be seen by the dark areas, but would be getting re-done in the next couple of years. The skylight curb was sealed in to the tar and gravel roof by using a 2 ply torch down membrane giving the insulation a 20 to 30 year lifespan.
Flat roof skylight
Flat glass skylights need to be installed on a sloping curb to allow drainage of dirt rain and snow.
Ice Damning and Skylights
This is an extreme case of ice damning below the skylight. Sometimes the heat escaping from a poorly insulated skylight will cause the snow to melt and form as ice on the roof below the skylight.
This case is an extreme example of ice damning from heat loss. The heat loss is not only from an inefficient skylight but its also because the insulation in the attic space around the skylight was very minimal. This was caused by the skylight installer when he built the light shaft through the attic space, for the skylight. He neglected to insulate the tunnel walls and he didn't do a good job of replacing the ceiling insulation adjacent to the skylight tunnel. All the heat from the house, easily radiated into the attic space and the underside of the roof, melting all the snow and causing the ice damning.
New Skylight Install/Mouldings
This is a new sky installation in Thornhill. WE installed a 4x6’ fixed velux skylight with LowE 3 glass and built a tunnel flared in 4 directions (like a pyramid) to a ceiling opening of 7’x9’. Around the base of the ceiling opening we installed a light cove moulding with coloured LED rope lighting inside. This lighting changes colours by remote control (seen here with blue light). This creates a very dramatic effect in the customers foyer area.
Roofer Installed Vents
This is something that we see quite often. The homeowner got his roofer to upgrade his vents at the same time as he was re-roofing the house. The roofer installed the large 14" turbine vent. Unfortunately, he put it on top of the old small hole (for the old passive vent that was there before), rather than cutting the hole to the size of the
new vent. As you can imagine even though the new vent is much larger, it still doesn’tt draw much air as it has to draw through a small hole.
When installing new, more efficient venting systems, the hole in the plywood has to be cut to match the size of the new vent, for the new vent to be effective.
Skylight Condensation
This skylight has a lot of condensation forming on the underside of the interior pane of glass. Because it's in a bathroom, the high level of humidity in the air (from showering), causes an excessive amount of condensation to form, during cold weather. The colder the winter temperatures outside, and the higher the humidity level inside, the more condensation will form. IN Fact, the condensation was so much that it would occasionally drip down onto the drywall below and it has caused the paint to bubble.
This is an example of a skylight drainage system working properly. This Velux curb mounted glass skylight’s condensation drainage system is allowing any condensation that forms on the inside of the glass, to drain properly to the exterior. In cold weather, this continuous slow drainage of condensation, forms like an icicle.
Theres so much condensation on the inside of this skylight that you can clearly see if from outside. Eventually , all this condensation drips down into the gutters, drains down to the low end of the skylight, and is discharged to the outside.
Commercial Sun Tunnels Applications (Green Roof)
These are the 22" Velux Sun Tunnels installed on a new University of Toronto building. As part of the new energy efficient building practises, these sun tunnels add natural light to the offices below, and reduce power consumption. A green roof is installed around them.
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More TV Shows Skylights Unlimited has also been featured in two episodes of HGTV's Sarah's House.
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