Bringing in Sunlight to your Grow Closet in a stealth manner

I was checking out Sky Lights for a non Marijuana Related Home Improvement on my house and stumbled upon this. Apparently you can tunnell in Sun light to rooms without windows. These do not even have to be built in a direct line, so no one can see in from the sky. And they do not cost that much to buy, and save you money on your electric bill in the long run. I read where Ed Rosenthal mention something simalar throught fiber optics, but he said it would be very expensive, these lights seem to be a cheap as HID Lighting systems.


Skylight Store - Sun Tunnel Skylights & Roof Windows :: APM Direct

SunTunnel - Tubular Skylights

SunTunnels are ideal for smaller rooms such as closets, hallways, laundry rooms and second baths. You can now add natural light to places you thought were impossible.


Available with either flexible or rigid tubing. Flexible tubing can be installed quickly around attic obstructions, making it the easiest tubular product to install in the industry. Rigid tubing is perfect when longer tunnel length is required or installations with a Northern exposure.

Your sentiments are appreciated, but there's some practicality problems with these skylights.

Cannabis needs the light intensity of direct sunlight. Would suspect the light conducted by these skylights is more like dapple shade.

If you use any lighting in your op, the skylights would have to be blocked before dusk and for some time after dawn. Otherwise, you'd alert every police or fire brigade aircraft for several miles around you. The skylight in my bathroom already gives my neighbours FAR too much information about my toilet habits...

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Originally Posted by Al B. Fuct

Your sentiments are appreciated, but there's some practicality problems with these skylights.

Cannabis needs the light intensity of direct sunlight. Would suspect the light conducted by these skylights is more like dapple shade.

If you use any lighting in your op, the skylights would have to be blocked before dusk and for some time after dawn. Otherwise, you'd alert every police or fire brigade aircraft for several miles around you. The skylight in my bathroom already gives my neighbours FAR too much information about my toilet habits...

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I have never used anything like this before, but the sight claims that it lets in 98% of the light. Now that number could be a relative figure with many variables.. so who knows. If you read about the sun tunnels, which is what I am drawing attention too, they are not direct, they pipe in the light and not in a direct line, no one can see in them. There is however an issue with controlling light cycles and for people who live near street lights, you can not even rely on the seasons to provide a decent dark cycle. This can be fixed with constructing your own Shade and for the real do it yourselfers, you can automate it with a timer.

I plan to install one at first, for practical uses of saving Electricty for internal lighting of rooms without a southern exposure. If I like the intensity, then it may be a viable option. Even if it is not intense, the sun light is free and it can be used to cheaply make small buds.

Check out this page of the site that shows the flexible tunnel, no one will be able to see through this from the outside.

Skylight Store - Sun Tunnel Skylights & Roof Windows :: APM Direct

I agree that one would not be able to see people or things inside a room using one of these skylights. Never said that I thought this was possible, don't know where you're getting the idea I did.

What I'm saying is that if the skylight is not blocked and a light is turned on in the room, light will be conducted backward up the skylight. You will see the skylight glow from the roof port end unless room interior lighting is prevented from entering the tube. This will be noticeable from aircraft- and more importantly, by neighbours who can see the skylight port on your roof, especially after dark.

Like I said, my neighbours certainly can see the lights come on in my frosted skylight-equipped bathroom. Of course, I know they can't see anyone in the bathroom, but they would certainly be able to see the glow when my bathroom light is turned on.

Very few people use HPS lighting inside their homes. HPS lighting has a distinct colour. I don't think I want to alert the neighbourhood that I'm using HPS lighting indoors.

Simple solution to the HPS light escaping and alerting the fly overs... do not use it. Use only the Sun Tunnels. At this point and time I have no idea what the intesity of the light of a sun tunnel is. If it equals that of a 100 watt HID then you have enough for 2 square feet. The only thing limiting how many you can put in is the square footage of the Ceiling of the grow room. You can spread them evenly through out your roof to make it look like you are using it evenly through out the house. I suggest doing it DIY as you may not want a home construction company knowing that you are pumping in an insane amount of light to a small area. For me, I have a Family Member who does all the house construction for the extended family and already knows of my botanical ambitions.

I plan to install one in the nest year. I can run a light meter under it and test to see how strong it is on a sunny day and figure out if it is efficient enough to use for growing. It is still just an idea for the future, I would not plan an entire grow using just that, but if it turns out to bring enough light for a grow after tested, I certainly would consider it as a Cost saving, and environmentally friendly way to grow indoors.

On a misty or even very humid night, the pink beam of HPS will serve as a beacon to keep ships from crashing on your porch, but the cops will be attracted to it like moths.

just get some big normal skylights (the ones that open rot in 5 years, warning!) and have them for your family, you can even set your plants in their path during the day, they are a great addition to a room, don't do it just for the plants

This thread has put a picture in my mind of a house with a searchlight-like beam of light projecting high into the night sky.

:S2:

there was an article in high times last yr about this, i think it discussed fiberoptic too. any ways i seem to remember whoever did the article saying that it would only be appropiate light for one plant per tunnel light.

meh......1 plant, 100 plants, i think it is way cool....

thanks for the info....