Technical Details
All your common questions answered here.
Clear has better performance due to coatings, people assume specialty glass is an upgrade but it’s actually a downgrade.
Check out our glass details to see what our glass offers.
CLICK: Glass details and specs
The skylight is constructed with an aluminum tubing frame that is insulated and has an an addtional thermal break.
The high performance double paned insulated glass is installed with a triple sealed exterior frame. Heavy duty hinges ensure extra strength while operating the skylight. It is capped with a gutter system to keep water from getting inside through the hinge.
The interior frame is then covered with an additional layer of insulation to ensure the thermal break and then finished with cabinet grade finished wood, ready to be painted or stained.
A thermal break breaks the temperature between objects. By creating a barrier, it prevents the temperature from transferring from outside to inside. For this reason, it is especially important to have during the winter.
The aluminum roof hatch is constructed with an aluminum bronze skin on the outside and 2.5” of insulation on the inside along with a thermal break. (See: “what we offer” for more details)
The largest size manufactured by Skyview Skylight is a width that allows for ease of transportation; approximately 10ft-13ft wide, depending on location.
Units that are 7-1/2 ft x 14 ft or more, require additional heavy-duty hardware and/or multiple cylinders. The extra hardware prevents sagging of the center of the frame as well as assisting in lifting the heavy load.
When additional hardware is necessary, an additional tank and/or motor may be required. Additional hardware increases the cost of the unit.
Standard units come with a 6-1/2” pocket specially designed to conceal the hardware.
When calculating the total clear opening of your skylight, each pocket deducts 6-1/2” on each side from the total skylight size.
For Example: a window that is 168” (14ft) will have a clear opening of 155” (12ft 11in), losing 13” from the overall skylight length.
Skylights can be ordered with either removable pockets or no pockets (exposed hardware) preventing the loss of the 13”.
- Any objects overhanging the skylight area, such as a soffit or a porch, may interfere with the skylight opening as well as render the section directly beneath it non-kosher for Sukkos.
- Skylights cannot be placed in the same area as an open casement window. It may prevent the skylight from opening to a full 90 degrees and can potentially damage the skylight and and the casement window when both are open.
- When framing for your skylight, provide a minimum of 5-¼” between the skylights with 3 LVL (It is also recommended to use 1-¾” x 11-⅞” LVL/Microlam, height can vary). See below for the question ‘How to Frame Your Skylight.’
- The recommended distance of the skylight from the nearest existing wall is approximately 9” – 12”. This enables the roofer to properly waterproof, and allows space for the water to drain.
Units should not be installed back to back since there is only 5-¼” between them. Installing units back to back would only allow for one unit to be operated at a time, due to the limited space between them.
There needs to be a minimum of 5-¼” between each skylight. A skylight must be framed with 3 LVL’s between each unit.
It is also recommended to use 1-¾” wide LVL/Microlam, height can vary.
The skylight requires 2 LVL around the perimeter of the skylight, totaling to 3-½“ all around with TECO hangers. (Call for your personalized framing drawing)
The flat roof should have a minimum pitch away from the house. It is recommended to also have a minimum curb around the skylight window well.
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Before cleaning your skylight, remove all construction debris, including dust from the saw cut bricks. Specific removal of dust is important as it can act as an abrasive and damage the glass.
Without applying pressure to the window, use pure water and a soft towel to wash off any remaining debris.
Once washed, you can spray Windex and use a non-streak towel to clean the glass thoroughly.
Operating your skylight allows the cylinders of your skylight to use the stored high-pressure air from the tank. This causes the compressor to go on, replenishing the air in the tank. Our built-in Shabbos timer prevents this from occurring.
Our Shabbos compressor timer works in 15-minute increments. Once connected to its electric powered source, it is programmed to check itself and replenish the high-pressured air if necessary. This occurs every 15-minutes, regardless of usage without outside interference.
Attempting to use the skylight more than twice in 15 minutes may render you unable to operate the skylight due to lack of air in the reservoir tank. Waiting for the next 15-minute interval will be necessary while the tank replenishes its air supply. Only then can you continue operating your skylight.
It is recommended for the size of the unit to stay under 8ft wide, including the flashing which is approx. 4 inches on each side. This is due to the standard container size.
Oversized units require transportation VIA flatbed trailer due to the size not fitting into a standard shipping container.