Skylighting. How much light is too much.

[nvrtoofast]

going to replace my bathroom skylight. Summers have been hot and I'm wondering if smoke will be better than my current clear dome. I wanted some input on the differences. I've done some searching and can't find any information on the light differences. It won't make a major change on winter cold getting in.

How dark is the smoke? What is it like with opaque white or black? I want to balance natural light with reduced UV heating in summer.

I plan on getting some sort of insulation pillow or similar anyways. Let me hear your thoughts as I hope to buy one this week and get to fixing the old one.

Edited November 28, 2023 by nvrtoofast

[Ivan K]

It is gonna be subjective opinion but I would not want a clear one. Our original smoked dome let's plenty of light in, I'd say just right.

[DJ Bollinger]

Mine is opaque and I like the brightness, it’s the heat that bothers me.  It’s a round and have not be able to find an insulated insert that would fit.  Guess I need to make my own.  Have not seen a smoke one to compare,  what would be nice is a real light.  On the dark side showering at night, compacted to the rest of the bathroom . 

[Georgia Mike]

Bryan, I replaced my skylight over a year ago and I wish I had gone with a darker tint. My original one was clear and I purchased smoke but it doesn’t block out enough of the suns heat during the day. Even though it’s supposedly smoke it only has a light tint to it so basically clear. I went to Home Depot and found some 1/8 white plastic type material that I cut just slightly over size for the opening and kinda wedged it up in there and so far it’s worked good at keeping the heat out. 

[Happycarz]

Here in AZ with constant sun I had tremendous heat gain through my shower skylight. With the smoke skylight being odd shaped and large I painted the outside with a light color plastic paint. That was 12 years ago, maybe more.  When I painted, I did layers at a time so I could tell how much light was coming through. In the end, it let in some light, but eliminate the heat gain.

[Bill R]

7 hours ago, Happycarz said:

Here in AZ with constant sun I had tremendous heat gain through my shower skylight. With the smoke skylight being odd shaped and large I painted the outside with a light color plastic paint. That was 12 years ago, maybe more.  When I painted, I did layers at a time so I could tell how much light was coming through. In the end, it let in some light, but eliminate the heat gain.

Harry - I have thought about doing the same thing.  This is what I am thinking of using.

 https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Automotive-253256-10-Ounce-Translucent/dp/B0070S7ZXA/ref=asc_df_B0070S7ZXA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193168541182&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11847647359244802874&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027188&hvtargid=pla-308556920531&mcid=6907cbfdbd82370ab9526f3deee1e331&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgqGrBhDtARIsAM5s0_n5C0_Y99QFG8vZZGOBUOAvTfOLkdZAVVkfKCX4wGVvcY4M4Ux-oaMaAuWdEALw_wcB&th=1

Is this similar to what you used?

[Happycarz]

I used Krylon Fusion for plastic in an opaque light tan. White would do also.
I don’t believe you could make the tint coat dark enough. But then you might. It would probably take many coats.

I’d like to know how it turns out. I’m sure it would be a whole lot better than no paint, whatever you use.

[justdoingit@att.net]

Lowe’s sells a film that mimics stain glass. Installed in between the inner and outer skylights, so nothing to put up or take down. Cast a beautiful light and cuts some of the heat as well.

[dennis.mcdonaugh]

Hail took mine out. It looked black from the outside. I replaced it with the darkest bronze color I could find. It lets in more light, but I like the color better. 

[Dr4Film]

Our Dynasty Countess III has a large clear skylight. Lots of light but also lots of heat. Someday, I will have the company that tinted some of our house windows do the same on our skylight. The tint on our house windows has reduced the amount of heat significantly on the west side.

[major_west]

I painted my clear skylight using white Rustoleum spray paint and it greatly reduced the heat on sunny days.   One coat of white primer followed by a coat of regular white. 

No matter how carefully you apply the paint, it will still look blotchy when viewed from the inside, but I'm still very happy with the results. 

I followed the example from this guy...

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by major_west

[Jim Pratten]

A couple notes you might consider, based on my experience, when replacing skylights:

Material selection

You’ll find both acrylic (Plexiglass) and polycarbonate (Lexan) products.  If you plan on drilling or cutting the material, know that acrylic is much more prone to cracking.  I have always used Lexan and prefer the white material. 

One or two panels

Heat transfer can be reduced somewhat by using two panels. Some RVs use a single panel, others use two. The outer panel should be domed. The inner panel may be domed or flat. A flat sheet is significantly less expensive.  I apply a very small bead of sealant between the panels. The inner sheet should have a very small “breather” hole drilled.