How to illuminate unilluminable spaces effectively?

This is how it can turn out when water condenses in the light pipe. www.lightway.cz

How to prevent water from leaking from light pipes and the formation of mold
The light pipe itself is a great servant for bringing natural light. But physics, especially in winter, has already taught many people with wet ceilings and dripping water onto the floor or furniture at home or work. What will you do when water drips from your light pipe and stains appear on the ceiling? It is necessary to choose a brand of light pipe and experienced installers who install light pipes every day.

Choose a light pipe so that:

• water does not leak from the light pipe and does not damage the interior and structural elements
  
• there are no heat losses in winter
  
• there is no overheating of rooms in the summer months
  
• there are no wet ceilings and walls, and no health-threatening molds form
• the light pipes meet the standard for thermal transmittance of passive and low-energy houses

The LIGHTWAY BLUE PERFORMANCE element is inserted into the light pipe, which separates the warm and cold part of the light pipe to prevent condensation.www.lightway.cz



The element that has made the light pipe a safe and economical device for bringing natural light without the unpleasant side effects common to light pipes is called Lightway Blue Performance.

The truth about tubular light pipes



The main element of LIGHTWAY BLUE PERFORMANCE is insulating double glazing filled with argon. This ensures an excellent thermal transmittance value of U = 0.6 W/(m2.K) and prevents water from condensing in the light pipe.www.lightway.cz

About water condensation and its leakage from light pipes is generally kept quiet, and questions from potential customers are met with evasive answers. There is a widespread advertising and sales myth that thermal losses and condensation are solved by a double diffuser, which is available from most manufacturers. The problem is not solved, the double diffuser is not connected at the point of thermal insulation of the building, and the thermal bridge remains unbroken.



Sufficient natural light in the bathroom brought by the Lightway light pipe with the Blue Performance element.www.lightway.cz

One American light pipe manufacturer came up with a plastic, transparent partition inserted about 30 cm above the diffuser in the tube and claims that it interrupts air flow inside the light pipe, thus preventing water condensation inside. According to physics, however, air flow will be interrupted at a gap smaller than 18 mm. In reality, it is a plug against water accumulated in the tube to prevent it from appearing directly on the diffuser and remaining hidden from the eyes of customers, who might be frightened by water on the diffuser. Imagine the sound of dripping that reverberates through the house at night when everyone is asleep. The condensed water drips at regular intervals onto the inserted plastic partition inside the tube, and this continues until a sufficient column of water builds up above this partition in the tube.



Lightway uses crystal domes on the roof to prevent the light pipe from blinding after several years. www.lightway.cz

An expert knows that a double plastic dome is not connected to the thermal insulation of the building and thus does not interrupt the thermal bridge created by the highly conductive aluminum sheet of the tube. The problem is only solved during sale, when the customer is given an argument to sign the order, but in practice, the double dome does not prevent water condensation and heat loss.

Why a crystal dome?
Have you ever seen the surface of any plastic after several years of exposure to the sun, smog, and the whims of the weather? Smog and dirt do not penetrate into the hard surface of the crystal dome and do not prevent its full performance and the delivery of sufficient natural light into rooms for decades after just a few months of installation.



In the center is the crystal dome, the light pipes have been installed on the roof for 14 months, and the outer two already show signs of yellowing and melting of the plastic from which the domes are made.www.lightway.cz