Thinking of solar tubes - need help please

[SpyderMike]

I am just starting the design phase of my 22 x 40 to 50 foot workshop garage. I live in rural Oregon. One of the long walls will have great southerly exposure for solar heat collection. I am planning on passive solar windows for that side. I am also wanting to add some solar tubes. I have been advise by the local disti of Solatube that 6 of 14 inchers should light the entire space evenly. Given that I will have about 48 sq feet of passive solar windows on the south side, should I just concentrate on tputting soar tubes on the north side, or both sides as I may need to shut the blinds in certain sun conditions?

Also, are their any other manufacturers of solar tubes that I should be considering?

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

[930dreamer]

Hello, not sure on the placement, our neighbors have them in the house and love them. Please keep us updated on your decision and pics. Where in rural Oregon? I grew up in Eugene.

 

[SpyderMike]

Out in the stick west of Medford...Applegate Valley. I will make a build thread once I get the design basics nailed down.

930 as in Porsche turbo?

 

[930dreamer]

In my dreams only right now.

 

[larry_g]

I'm confused.. Solatubes are to bring in light but not heat energy, correct? So if your using the Solatubes for light then yes they work well. We have some of them in our house for closets, halls, and bathrooms. They even glow on a full moon enough to do a night time visit to the throne room. Have you thought of an offset ridgeline, cantalievered?, with a set of windows up high? There is one guy here that did that in norcal that looks real good for capturing light and venting in the summer.
on edit Here http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21771&highlight=motorcycle

lg
no neat sig line

 

[SpyderMike]

Correct. I am using both. South facing windows up high on the wall for light/heat and solar tubes for light as well.

Our main house has a roof line like that and it works good. I am looking at cost considerations though. I think it is much less costly to add solar tubes than the clerestory roof design. The problem with it is that the angle of light won't heat the slab which is what I want.

 

[Greatbear]

I installed a 14" Velux Sun Tunnel in the master bathroom last year. Since this bathroom has no windows since it is in the middle of the house, using the light was necessary any time of day. The skylight is a breeze to install, and the light in the room is fantastic. No need to use 300 watts of light in the room any time the sun is out.

 

[SpyderMike]

Thanks Greatbear, I am convinced this is the way to go.

 

[gabedad]

I have one in each of my bathrooms - one is velux and I got it off craigslist- don't remember the other brand. The Straight tubes bring in much more light than the flexible ones. They are both awesome though

 

[VHF]

A garage/workshop is a great place to use solar energy as wider tempature variations are usually acceptable. Having many south windows to directly warm the slab as your propose as a great idea, however, there are a few things to consider:

1. Could be too bright inside!
2. UV damage to building contents
3. Much of the heat gained during the day will be lost at night unless movable insulation is used--less of a concern in a temparate climate.

To control the brightness you could hang shade cloth inside the windows. However, this would capture the solar energy to warm the air rather than the slab.

Have you read about Gary's solar heated barn/shop on BuildItSolar.com? This system turns the south wall into a solar collector:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/solar_barn_project.htm

He also experimented with turning south-facing garage doors into windows on his other garage which heat the slab directly. Both approached worked well for him.

 

[SpyderMike]

All good points. Yes I have read that article. I intend to have several sources of heating - in floor solar radiant heating, passive solar on the slab, a solar air heater (if needed) and an electric heater if all of the above don't get me where I need to be.

My passive solar windows are positioned pretty high up and are blocked by overhang during summer. The only direct light to the slab is Sept through March when the sun is lower. I will shade if needed. I have run the calcs for all seasons and modeled it pretty good (I hope). The windows are offset towards one end away from where my lift will be positioned. The main bench area will be under the 6 foot high bottom of the windows. Therefore, no direct light in the major work areas...more on the storage areas.

Mike

 

[Motown 454]

I put three 14" Velux Sun tunnels in my garage. even on a moon lit night they give a lot of light.

Sun tunnels from inside.

I'm still waiting to do the ceiling to install the rest of the tunnels . They do a great job as is but with the tunnels they are awesome. I got a great deal on mine I got three 14" in Nov. 2010 for $900 shipped

 

[SpyderMike]

Okay, to close this out, I put four each 2'X2' skylights in and then decided to finish off the 20 depth of the ceiling trusses with galvanized metal. I got a local duct sheetmetal shop to cut and bend the parts so that I had a 20" deep by 24" wide piece bent 90 degrees at the 22.5" mark. This was 22 gauge metal and I used 1" long self tapping truss head screws (two each) at each overlap to screw them in. The effect was perfect. They bring in more light through reflection, but also bring in a blueish reflection of the sky and a glow at night with the moonlight. Better than I hoped for. The cost of each metal piece was something like $8 for a total of $280.

 

[larry4406]

SpyderMike - good looking shop. love the ceiling and beams.

 

[SpyderMike]

Thanks larry4406! The beams are from the Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee dating back to the 1800s. The ceiling is mushroom board reclaimed.

 

[Kpaige]

Like so




Then you can mount lights in the tubes I would use LED though