Rooflights (cleaning and benefits of having opening Velux ones)

last year

Hi there,

My architect has specc'd in a couple of rooflights in my loft conversion above the staircase and in the ensuite bathroom.

I love the idea of extra natural daylight (as well as showering underneath one) but when I went to see a glazing company they said that chances are they will get dirty pretty quickly and I won't have any way of cleaning them since I can't safely get up on the roof. They suggested I go with a Velux solution instead, which will at least allow me to open them slightly in an attempt to clean.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of either

i) Rooflights which are inacessible for cleaning and whether they have indeed got dirty over time

ii) Velux opening rooflights and whether they open sufficiently to clean in any meaningful way

LINK: VELUX flat roof windows - flat roof daylight solutions

Many thanks,

Paul

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Comments (5)

minnie101
last year
I don’t have any but believe Velux pivot for cleaning. i’d definitely have something that opens too, loft conversions get warm!

https://uniquebuild.co.uk/how-to-clean-a-velux-window/
Paul
Original Author
last year
Thanks Minnie - normal Velux windows do indeed pivot, but the flat roof ones don’t. They just open up like this:
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tab darcy
last year
I had the pivot opening ones for 20 years in my last house and I don't think I ever cleaned them. We got plenty rain (west of Ireland) so they were always washed by mother nature. I could leave them open all day as the design allowed for rain to run off rather than in - I wonder how your flat ones would cope with an unexpected downpour? Mine were facro (spelling?), a cheaper version of velux.
Natasha Reynolds
last year
Our dormer has three pivot velux and they get destroyed at certain times of the year because of our neighbours monstrous trees! If it wasn't for the pivot, allowing me to clean them every three weeks, the light through them would be halved.

Take a look at your roof and gutters to see how much moss and debris is in them before deciding to go the rooflight option maybe.
C D
last year
Some roof lights come with BioClean coating that help keep the windows clean. Not sure if it help keeping them clean forever without any cleaning but maybe worth investigating? Good luck

Rooflights (cleaning and benefits of having opening Velux ones)

Comments (5)

minnie101

Paul
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Rooflights (cleaning and benefits of having opening Velux ones)

Comments (5)

minnie101

PaulOriginal Author

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Paul
Original Author