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Skylights have been installed in North America for more than 40 years
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and during this time, skylight technology has changed more than most people realize
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Today's best designs are more reliable than ever, they're more energy efficient
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and they include features that make skylights more pleasant to live with
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These are the main reasons I like skylights so much, but don't take my word for it
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Let me show you exactly what I mean, with the installation I'm tackling here
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Then you decide for yourself if skylights, make sense in your home. As beautiful as it is to have extra sunlight and fresh air in your house
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none of these virtues matter of skylights leak. Skylights first appeared in North America in the early
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1970s, and they failed often enough to create a bad reputation that still lingers unnecessarily today
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Today's best skylights use a system of self-sealing membranes, overlapped step flashing and factory-sealed metal cap flashing to keep water out mechanically and permanently
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Installed correctly, a good skylight is every bit as reliable as the surrounding roof
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and they'll stay that way as long as your roof lasts. Villum Khan invented skylights in 1941 and the company he started V has never sold anything that relies on tar or acrylic plastic to keep water out
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In fact, I have yet to see any other company with better skylight designs
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Here you can see the first part of the three-part waterproofing system V-Lux has developed
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This band seals against the roof, creating a reliable foundation for the two other features that keep out rain and melting snow
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An important part of any reliable skylight installation includes self-sticking ice and water shield membrane
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that starts on the roof deck, then laps up onto the side of the skylight
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Always start with the bottom piece of ice and water shield, then do the sides and the top
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This way watersheds by gravity without relying on the adhesive of the ice and water shield
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Factory-finished metal step flashing forms the next layer. It interlocks with neighboring shingles as they go down, using gravity to keep water out
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In all likelihood the shingles and step flashing you see here keep all the water away from the ice and water shield Cap flashing is the final step It surrounds the skylight and covers the top edge of the step flashing
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It's like a little roof that sheds water away from vulnerable areas of the skylight
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I'm a big fan of openable skylights and there are two reasons why
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Besides the fact that more fresh air in any house is always better, openable skylights greatly reduce the need for air conditioning if they're in stock
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in the right place. By allowing hot air to leave the highest part of your home through the roof
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natural ventilation can flow through much more effectively. You'll feel a noticeable breeze in every
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room when upper-story skylights are open. And when it gets really hot out there, many homeowners are
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surprised to see how opening skylights, even an inch, allows air conditioning to effectively cool
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second-floor rooms that always remained hot before, even with the AC on full blast
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Openable skylights are available with manual control, but these skylights include an innovation that allows electric operation
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without the hassles of running new power cables. V-Lux is currently the only skylight company offering solar-powered openable units
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and this makes retrofit installations especially easy Each skylight comes from the factory with its own small solar panel that keeps an on battery charged This self power system energizes a
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motor that opens and closes the skylight with no need for a crank. Just push the buttons
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on a remote to make things happen. This system also allows programmable operation that
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opens and closes skylights at whatever time you choose automatically. Arrane's sensor automatically closes the skylight the moment showers begin, regardless of the schedule
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you've programmed. The same automatic or manual control of blinds is possible too. Set blinds
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to open during the day and close at night during winter to maximize solar gains, then reverse
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the program to reduce heat build up during summer. There comes a point when advanced technology
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advances enough that it makes life simpler, not more complicated. This is where we're
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what today's best skylights deliver. The ultimate benefit of engineered flashing, a solar energy
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system, rain sensors, and programmable controls is something that's really very simple. More fresh
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air and more sunshine in your home without the risk of leaks or rain damage. What things in life
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are as basic, pleasant, and energizing as these
