VELUX SUN TUNNEL
“We notice it most in the morning when we get up. The bathroom is bathed in a lovely soft light that it is a shame to spoil by turning on the light.”
Morning glory
Kenneth Heller and his wife, Jeanett, live with their two small children, Christine and Martin, in a single-storey house in Espergærde north of Copenhagen in Denmark. Shortly after moving in, they installed four VELUX remote controlled roof windows with light shafts in the kitchen and living room, additions that had attracted considerable admiration from their neighbours.
Natural light in a dark bathroom
The master bedroom bathroom is located in the centre of the house, meaning that there is no direct access for natural light. Encouraged by the success of the four roof windows, Kenneth had investigated ways of providing access to natural light to the bathroom. Kenneth and his wife had shelved their plans, however, as they judged that the internal cladding of a traditional light shaft solution from the roof to the bathroom would be too overwhelming, considering the size of the room.
“The VELUX Sun tunnel meant that we could realise our plans after all,” says Kenneth, “Instead of a wide shaft which is normally used in much larger rooms, we could make do with a simple light diffuser in the bathroom ceiling.”
Smooth installation
The installation process itself took a matter of hours. The VELUX Sun tunnel rooflight section comes in one piece combining the glass, frame and flashing, and was simply fixed into place on the battens. “The interesting thing about the VELUX Sun tunnel is that it requires no adjustment,” Kenneth explains. “Fixing it to the roof really is very easy.”
After rooflight installation, the flexible tunnel was affixed and extended down through the loft. A circular hole was cut in the bathroom ceiling. The ceiling adaptor fitted and the bottom end of the flexible tunnel fixed. The diffuser and ceiling trim were then fitted to complete the installation.
Kenneth remembers the installer remarking on the ease of installing the flexible tunnel between the roof and the ceiling of the bathroom. “This is mainly a question of being able to bend the flexible tunnel round any obstructions in the loft,” Kenneth remarks.
Minimum of inconvenience
The prospect of making a hole in the roof can be a daunting one for many people, and is work that should preferably be done by a professional.
“The only cleaning necessary after the installation was to remove the dust from the hole in the ceiling from the bathroom floor. And, of course, there is no need for any redecoration in the bathroom,” he explains.
Sensing the outside
The family quickly got used to their new bathroom. “While the VELUX Sun tunnel doesn’t give as much light as the roof windows in the kitchen or living room, it has a very special aura and is plenty for normal use,” Kenneth explains.
His wife, Jeanett adds, “Just the fact that the VELUX Sun tunnel lets the daylight in to what used to be a pitch-black bathroom is quite something in itself! The best thing about it, though, is that now we can get up in the morning and go into the bathroom without switching on the electric light. We can even sense what kind of day it is outside from the colour and feeling of the light from the VELUX Sun tunnel. The VELUX Sun tunnel is a wonderful improvement!”
Friends and neighbours
On reflection, Jeanett admits that she sometimes wonders how much electricity they save by not having to turn on the light every time they used the bathroom. “But that’s not why we think so much of it,” she says. “There are a lot of other more important reasons.”
Five year-old Christine chips in with one of them: “It’s nice to have light in the bathroom so that I don’t have to turn on the light in the mornings to go to the toilet.”
There is something that people need to be aware of before opting for a VELUX Sun tunnel, however. According to Kenneth it has a magnetic effect on family, friends and neighbours eager to see the VELUX Sun tunnel and experience its special aura!