Choosing the right skylight can be a challenge! When you start exploring the market for skylights, you may discover that there are many types, brands, and technical terms that make it difficult to decide which skylights are best.
Most skylights look similar, so it’s hard to decide which brand produces the superior product. It’s important to know which factors to take into consideration when you’re trying to decide on a skylight for your home. Here’s what to know, and how to decide.
Choose Solid-State Over Traditional Skylights
Traditional skylights are made from many parts, like screws, metal frames, caulk, and gaskets. These parts are all brought together in a large and rather clunky design – a design that can deteriorate with time. Caulk will become cracked and broken, screws start to rust.
Solid-state skylights, by contrast, are completely durable and deterioration-proof. This is because they’re all made from one piece. With glazing and frame chemically fused together in one piece, the skylight doesn’t rely on caulking or screws in order to stay together. By buying solid-state skylights, you’re sure to enjoy a long-lasting, highly durable design that weathers storms, precipitation, and more.
Consider Technology
Traditional skylights rely on materials like tar to keep them from leaking with time. Though tar was at one time the best technology available to stop skylight from leaking, it is no longer the best material for the job. VTECH solid-state skylights are made from Polyurethane and Isocyanate. These chemicals combine in a mold to create the frame, which is then bonded to the glazing. This is why we call VTECH skylights “solid-state” – because they’re all one piece.
Why are solid-state skylights better than traditional skylights? Because tar loses its structural integrity over time, this is not a long-term solution for preventing leaks. In fact, homeowners and business owners with skylights that rely on tar must re-tar their skylights periodically in order to maintain a leak-free existence.
VTECH skylights are simply leak-free because there are no seams, no vulnerabilities, no opportunities for water to seep through. There is no tar because there is no chance for water to penetrate our skylights. They’re all one piece.
Read the Warranty
Every skylight should come with a warranty, but many are only protected for 10 years or offer diminishing levels of coverage as the year’s pass. Some skylight warranties require homeowners to perform a certain level of maintenance every year, while other warranties require the skylight be installed by a specially certified professional.
VTECH skylights are protected by a system warranty that lasts for 20 years. There is no diminishing level of coverage, no requirement that the skylight be installed by a VTECH-trained professional. We offer a 20-year warranty that is fully transferrable. Period.
Compare Glazing
Not all glass is created equal. In today’s world, there are many types of glass, and many levels of energy efficiency. Some skylights are made with glass that are only considered fully energy efficient in certain areas of the country.
VTECH skylights are made from LoĒ³ 366 glass, which is so energy efficient and so effective that it’s considered ENERGY STAR compliant in every single zone in the country.
It blocks UV and infrared light, thus preventing surfaces from heating up or fading, and also preventing your home from developing cold spots and drafts in the dead of winter. With the right glass in your skylights, you can help maintain a comfortable temperature in your home without burdening your home or business’s HVAC system.
Maintenance
Some skylights must be monitored, inspected, and maintained on a regular basis. Every year, they must be looked after. Sometimes, this means re-caulking or re-tarring. Other years, it just means looking to see whether they’re vulnerable to the elements. Sometimes, these skylights develop leaks that are unseen. They do damage without anyone knowing.
VTECH skylights never need maintenance. Because they’re all one solid piece, you never have to worry about re-tarring them or maintaining them. You simply need to install them and then enjoy the beautiful light in your home or business.
Ready to Buy a New Skylight? Contact VTECH
VTECH skylights meet and exceed all expectations. To find out more about how you can make these skylights a permanent part of your home or business, contact us.