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AC_Hacker · 06-14-15, 07:52 AM

I put 5 skylights in my house and I have no regrets, other than the fact that I put two in the kitchen, when one would have been just fine. The light that streams in has completely changed the character of the house for the better. Winter time in Western Oregon means long periods with overcast skies, so having light coming in from above has a brightening effect on the soul.

Also, an untended benefit of the skylight in my bedroom is that it just so happened that light from the path of the full moon sweeps across my bed at night. This often wakes me up, and reminds me of my position as a humble observer in this parade that we call life.

I have my house insulated to such a degree that the skylights, for the most part don't drag the house out of the comfort zone. All of the skylights open but one, and they play an important part in summer ventilation.

Our winters usually feature a week or so of being hit by a 'Blue Norther', when temperatures plummet. I have temporary, fitted foam blocks for particular windows, on those exceptional days.

However, the two in the kitchen do face south and there is summer heat gain that I'd like to reduce.

I like bennelson's approach, easy cheap & safe.

I don't know if other opening skylights work this way, but all of mine have a pin that can be pulled out that allows the window to open up enough for me to squeeze my body through and sit on the skylight ledge, where I can clean or do other tweaks as required.

There has been discussion about some kind of reflective window film called "zilla" or some other stupid word. I tried that on a sun-facing side window, and although it worked, I was not able to get a smooth application. And it is now deteriorating AND glued on. Conclusion: stay away from "zilla" or what ever it is called.

My current thought, which is inspired by bennelson's excellent example, is to use some of the reflective mylar that I got for my Multi Layer Insulation experiments, and apply it to the kitchen skylight windows with soapy water and a squeegee.

As I said above, I really like it that the skylights open, it's an important part of my summer cooling.

-AC

06-14-15, 07:52 AM	#5
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	I put 5 skylights in my house and I have no regrets, other than the fact that I put two in the kitchen, when one would have been just fine. The light that streams in has completely changed the character of the house for the better. Winter time in Western Oregon means long periods with overcast skies, so having light coming in from above has a brightening effect on the soul. Also, an untended benefit of the skylight in my bedroom is that it just so happened that light from the path of the full moon sweeps across my bed at night. This often wakes me up, and reminds me of my position as a humble observer in this parade that we call life. I have my house insulated to such a degree that the skylights, for the most part don't drag the house out of the comfort zone. All of the skylights open but one, and they play an important part in summer ventilation. Our winters usually feature a week or so of being hit by a 'Blue Norther', when temperatures plummet. I have temporary, fitted foam blocks for particular windows, on those exceptional days. However, the two in the kitchen do face south and there is summer heat gain that I'd like to reduce. I like bennelson's approach, easy cheap & safe. I don't know if other opening skylights work this way, but all of mine have a pin that can be pulled out that allows the window to open up enough for me to squeeze my body through and sit on the skylight ledge, where I can clean or do other tweaks as required. There has been discussion about some kind of reflective window film called "zilla" or some other stupid word. I tried that on a sun-facing side window, and although it worked, I was not able to get a smooth application. And it is now deteriorating AND glued on. Conclusion: stay away from "zilla" or what ever it is called. My current thought, which is inspired by bennelson's excellent example, is to use some of the reflective mylar that I got for my Multi Layer Insulation experiments, and apply it to the kitchen skylight windows with soapy water and a squeegee. As I said above, I really like it that the skylights open, it's an important part of my summer cooling. -AC __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...