Spectralight Infinity® 99.7% super reflective rigid tubing - exclusive to Solatube
Solatube's proprietary Spectralight Infinity tube material has a specular reflectance of over 99% and is the most reflective material used in any tubular daylighting system. Produced exclusively for Solatube daylighting systems, it is used on all reflective surfaces within the system.
Extension tubes are available in straight 610mm sections that are designed to telescope together to give you exactly the required tube length between your roof and ceiling without the need for cutting.
Potential of heat, caused by Infrared wavelengths entering the tube, is removed from the harvested light before entering the building through the use of our patented Cool Tube technology incorporated in the tube material.
Two adjustable angles with every system
For ease of installation, your Solatube is supplied with two 0-30 degree angles. This is not an optional extra; these two adjustable angles are included as standard, so there are no hidden costs.
0-90 Degree adjustable angle extension tube
In more complex installations with unusual corners or obstructions, it may be necessary to make further turns in the tube. Our 0-90 degree angle adjuster allows for up to 90 degree turns.
A 99.7% reflective material means that only 0.3% of energy (light) is lost each time light bounces inside the tube material — with 99.7% of the remaining light continuing on. So if the light bounces down the tube 20 times to get from one end to the other, a huge 94.17% of the original light is transferred with Spectralight Infinity tube material.
We use only rigid tubing in our daylighting systems. It is now widely recognised that flexible tube systems are very inefficient in transferring light, however it is important to understand that rigid tube materials can also vary considerably in their levels of light transmittance. A seemingly small difference in the reflectivity level can result in a significant loss of light delivered into the room below. For example, a 98% reflective material would result in only 66.76% of the light being transferred after 20 bounces.
With the 99.7% Spectralight Infinity tube material over 94% of light is delivered after 20 bounces
With a 98% reflective tube material, less
than 67% of light is delivered after 20 bounces
Daylighting systems with flexible tubes simply do not perform well. Flexible tube by its very nature is not a reliable means of transferring light; light entering a flexible tube will not necessarily continue to bounce on a downward path, but will scatter randomly in all directions (including upwards) as it bounces off the concertinaed surface of the tube. Such systems are usually of poor quality and light output from flexible tube products is vastly inferior to that of a rigid tube system, indeed we are often asked to replace them with our Daylighting Systems. See the example below where one Solatube Daylighting System replaced two flexible duct systems.
Independent test results have shown that Spectralight Infinity tube material will deliver 10 times more daylight than a flexible system.
In the image below, one high quality Solatube Daylighting System replaces two flexible duct systems.
Ideally, the shorter – and straighter – the tube the better the level of light transfer. Subject to application, we recommend a maximum effective tube length of up to 6 metres for the 160 DS (250mm diameter) and 9 metres for the 290 DS (350mm diameter). For a residential installation into a pitched roof, the tube would typically be around 1.5 - 2.0 m long and for a flat roof or vaulted ceiling installation with no extension tubes the tube distance can be as little as 150mm.
Cool Tube Technology is the proprietary material used in Solatube tubing that filters out heat-infused infrared rays to minimize solar heat gain. Furthermore, they are double-glazed at ceiling level to prevent precious heated (or cooled) air escaping from the room below. Some other systems are double-glazed only at roof level which effectively means your heated or cooled air can be lost through the tube as it passes through the roof void.
The longest Solatube Daylighting System in the UK is an amazing 24 metres long! Several of these commercial systems were installed in a government building in South Wales to deliver daylight into internal rooms. We understand the longest in the world is currently a Solatube Daylighting System installed in Italy which exceeds 26 metres in length. This system illuminates a dental practice in Milan — something to smile about!
