Month: September 2023

MaxLight Tubular Skylights: Benefits, Options And How To Choose

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If you’re thinking of installing a tubular skylight for your home, then the MaxLight is a smart choice. It is the most technologically advanced tubular tubular skylights on the market. However, with several options to choose from, it’s not always easy to know which type of MaxLight skylight you should use in the different parts of your home.

This handy guide will help you make the right choice to maximise natural light flowing into your home, reduce your energy bills and keep the heat outside – where it belongs.

The Key Benefits Of MaxLight Tubular Skylights

Before we discuss which skylights you should use in each room of your house, here are just a few reasons why you should choose MaxLight skylights over other brands.

  • MaxLight skylights are energy rated
  • They come with a unique advanced roof dome
  • Skylight installation is easier
  • MaxLightuses cutting-edge technology
  • Rest assured with seamless leak-proof roof flashing
  • MaxLight features the highest super-reflective anodised tube
  • You have a choice of diffusers and decorative trims
  • They offer an industry-leading 20-year warranty
  • MaxLight are Australian designed, made and owned
  • MaxLight features a unique triple lens diffuser

You can’t go wrong with MaxLightt, as so many of our satisfied customers have already discovered. You can control the light far better with MaxLight, and they’re even energy rated, meaning they are proven to reduce energy costs in your home.

The MaxLight ML250

This skylight features a 250mm tube, hence its name. This is the smallest option in the MaxLight range and should therefore be considered for smaller areas of the home. Ideally, they’re great for lighting rooms up to 18m2. Popular rooms for the MaxLight ML250 include:

  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Laundries
  • Walk-in wardrobes

They’re even great for hallways, however, depending on the length of the hallway, you may consider two or more skylights. When choosing the ML250, you also have a range of diffuser options, depending on your requirements. Choose from:

  • Prismax Diffuser – the traditional lens used for most skylights.
  • Warm Diffuser – A matt satin surface that produces warm and soft light.
  • Aurora Diffuser – Transmits and spreads light effectively in every room.
  • Auroramax Diffuser – This Fresnal micro-optic lens is engineered to transmit pure, natural light evenly regardless of the sun’s angle.

The MaxLight ML400

Much like the 250ML, the name here comes from the tube diameter. The MaxLight ML400 features a 400mm diameter tube and diffuser. This is definitely the option for those larger rooms in your house, as it’s capable of spreading light evenly throughout rooms up to 25m2. You should consider the MaxLight ML400 for larger rooms, such as:

  • Lounge rooms
  • Dining Rooms
  • Open, combined living spaces
  • Large kitchens
  • Wide hallways

Once again, you have the same diffuser options, so this skylight can be tailored to suit your needs. However, it’s important to note that the MaxLight ML400 also comes in a Hybrid version. The ML400 Hybrid features a square diffuser, measuring 400mm x 400mm. Not only does it bring in more light, increasing the lighting capacity to rooms up to 28m2, but it also provides a different aesthetic for your room.

Solar Dimming Options

One of the great things about MaxLight skylights is the solar dimming option. This is available in both the ML250 and ML400 models and gives you greater control over the amount of light in your room. Best of all, it won’t cost you a cent in electricity because the dimming function is solar-powered.

A small solar panel is installed on the roof to power the dimmer mechanism. This mechanism sits above the diffuser and is controlled by a remote control. Perhaps the best part is that no additional wiring is required, so you can install the dimmer function yourself without the need for an electrician.

Contact SolarBright For MaxLight Tubular Skylights Today

SolarBright is your local solar and skylight specialist. We’ve got a huge range of skylight options to suit all homes, old and new. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an old one, we’ve got lighting solutions for you. Cut energy costs by flooding your home with beautiful, natural light. Best of all, MaxLight diffusers only let light into your home, not excess heat, so you can stay cool in summer. Contact the team today to get started.

Read Also:
How Does The Weather Affect The Efficiency Of My Solar Panels?
How To Choose The Right Sized Solar Power System

How Does a Dome Skylight Work? A Skylight Guide

Posted on by editor

The term dome skylight is a popular name for a tubular skylight that collects light through a dome on the roof. Skylights are a great way to bring in natural light and add character to your home. There are several main types of skylights so it’s important to know how they work before you purchase. In this guide, we explain important points about skylights to ensure you make the right choice for your home.

Main Types of Skylights

There are different styles of skylights available, and typically we think about three main common categories:

  • Fixed skylights: These are also referred to as ‘roof windows’ because they are essentially just a glass panel in your roof that acts like a window. It lets light in, and you can see through it at night. These are usually best suited for homes with a small roof cavity, or no roof cavity at all (in the case of sheds and garages).

 

  • Tubular or dome skylights: Very popular in the Australian market, tubular skylights feature a access point on the roof, the clear dome. This captures sunlight is captured from all angles. From there, a mirrored tube runs through your roof cavity to the diffuser. This is lens in the ceiling that transfers the light into the room.

 

  • Solar skylights: Rather than a traditional skylight design, solar skylights feature an LED light powered by a small solar panel on your roof. Versions are available with a battery, which allows you to enjoy free lighting day and night.

The type you choose depends on the available space in and on your roof, and of course, personal preference.

 

 How Does a Tubular Dome Skylight Work?

We’re going to talk about the MaxLight skylight, the Australian made tubular (dome) skylight manufactured here at SolarBright. This innovative design ensures quality natural light spills into your home without the additional heat that comes from some skylight varieties.

First, sunlight is captured from all angles via the clear dome installed on your roof. The sunlight then passes through a highly mirrored, anodised aluminium tube. The light bounces down through this tube, amplifying it until it reaches a triple-lens diffuser that’s installed in the ceiling. The diffuser spreads the sunlight throughout the room, giving you free, natural light.

To find out more, check out this MaxLight Skylight video.

Are Skylights Suitable for all Homes?

Yes, skylights are suitable for most homes. This dependant on your roof design which can limited the options you can choose. Fortunately, tubular skylights are suitable for almost every home, if there is space for the metal tube that runs from your external roof to your internal ceiling.

MaxLight tubular skylights can be installed in almost any room, and they don’t have to be located directly above a specific area of the home. The tube section of a tubular skylight can be manipulated to an extent, so you can enjoy light where you need it.

In those situations where a tubular dome skylight cannot be installed there is always the option of installing an LED solar skylight.

Tubular Dome Skylight Energy Efficiency

While tubular skylights are great for providing natural light, there are other benefits too. Since a high-quality tubular skylight installation reduces the need for artificial light, you’ll start saving money on electricity costs straight away.

More importantly the MaxLight tubular is energy rated. In summer a MaxLight dome skylight gives you plenty of natural light but won’t let in the heat. In contrast heat transfer through the glass is an issue with roof window type skylights and needs to be managed carefully.

If you are considering a roof type of skylight our advice is to install a remote-controlled blind on the skylight. These cost several hundred dollars per skylight. However it is the only way the to help alleviate heat transfer into the room on hot days.

Installation Advantages of Tubular Skylights

Ease of installation is major advantage of a dome skylight advantage.  A skilled installer only takes a couple of hours per skylight. Some tiles need be removed, or a hole cut in a metal roof to install the leak proof flashing. The dome attaches to this flashing as well as the reflective metal tube that transfers the light downwards.

A hole is cut in the ceiling to take the diffuser (lens). The metal tube is attached to this just above the ceiling.

Installing a MaxLight skylight only takes a couple of hours.

With a traditional style window skylight, a hole bigger enough to take the window needs to be opened in the roof. This needs to be framed to the right size to take the skylight. A hole the size of the skylight needs to cut and framed in the ceiling. Then an open light well, needs to be constructed from the room up through the roof cavity to the window in the roof. This light well needs to be framed up and then plastered to match the ceiling. After plastering it needs to be painted.

This involves the use of several different trades and takes some days. This can be spread over a couple weeks depending on tradie availability. It is much more expensive the installing a MaxLight tubular skylight.

Solar-Powered MaxBeam24

Thanks to SolarBright, you can now get a skylight that works both day and night. The MaxBeam24 system consists of a solar panel, battery, and a ring of LED lights inside your skylight tube. During the day, your skylight works as normal letting in sunlight while the solar panel collects energy to store in the battery. When the sun goes down, you can access solar power from the battery to power the ring of LED lights in the tube near your diffuser.

This system is completely independent of the power grid, so you can access free, solar-powered lighting 24 hours a day with a MaxLight and MaxBeam skylight installation.

 

Looking for the Best Skylights?

When you want high-quality skylight solutions for your home, look no further than SolarBright. Our MaxLight skylights feature cutting-edge technology that fills your home with natural light. We can even include the MaxBeam24 solar-powered lighting solution for evenings.

With these innovative lighting solutions, you can cut energy costs and enjoy beautiful, natural light in your home all day. To find out more, check out our MaxLight Skylights today.