Pros and Cons of Venting Skylights

If you are looking for an economical and healthy way to ventilate your home or building, then venting skylights are your answer. venting skylights are skylights and roof windows that can be opened to give admission

to natural air and light. Aside from providing a flow of fresh air to your room, venting skylights also contribute to temperature control and proper moisture balance by releasing stale and humid air. The overall result is an increased level of comfort for minimal cost.

Venting skylights can be installed on roofs with slopes between 15 and 85 degrees, and all flat roof surfaces. Venting skylights are suitable to practically all kinds of areas in your house or office, especially the bathrooms and kitchens where ventilation is frequently required. There are also many flashing systems that can be installed with your venting skylight, to ensure waterproofing quality and efficiency. Most of these systems are suitable to shingles and shakes, metal roofing, and high profile roofing. A venting skylight system is usually available with several safety glass options for added protection, UV and weather resistant coatings, and a scope of sizes to suit your needs.

A venting, or vented, skylight offers up the possibility of bringing in fresh air on demand. During Summer months, when skylights bring in too much sun, venting skylights can be opened electrically or manually to release that heat.

Natural Ventilation

Venting skylights are excellent in natural ventilation and cooling strategies in moderate and hot climates. Besides temperature control, they may also contribute to a proper moisture balance. All that for a minimal or no additional cost...

venting skylights can be installed on a wide range of slopes.

Expelling Saturated Indoor Air

venting skylights are particularly useful in kitchens and bathrooms, as a mean to create an updraft to expel saturated indoor air.

Waterproofing

To ensure waterproofing and efficiency, a proper installation and an appropriate flashing system is crucial. Venting skylights do not collide with the roofing materials (shingles and shakes, high profile roofing, metal roofing…) and present the same glass options or sizes as fixed skylights.

Disadvantages Of Venting skylights

Venting skylights are more complex structures, which make them more prone to condensation and leakage problems.

The main disadvantages of venting skylights are associated with the way they operate and the frequent difficulty of reaching them. Whenever they aren’t installed within reach, manual operation can be unpleasant and motorized hand crank operation might be also non-practical or uneasy, which may cause people not to use the skylight ventilation option as often as expected.

Operation By Remote Control And Temperature Sensors

To overcome the inconvenience of manual operation and the difficulties to access the skylights, modern skylight technology offer remote control operation and electric on/off switch, and also operation by automatic sensors. Larger manufacturers are offering these types of skylights.

Venting Vs. Fixed Skylights

Fixed skylights are simpler and cheaper structures, without the inconveniences or the additional costs of venting skylight operation. Besides, they are slightly less prone to hazards or leakage (their technology is largely coincident with that of fixed skylights , but the inherent simplicity of fixed skylights ensures higher reliability).

On the other hand, fixed skylights do not offer the advantages of natural ventilation, or the possibility of expelling saturated air...

It’s up to you to choose after pondering the pros and cons .