# are skylights noisy?



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Yes they are noisy during rain and then there is sometimes hail. 

In my opinion skylights rate very high among the top ten most idiotic things that can be incorporated into a house and I had the pleasure of pitching mine in the dumpster during the last roof job. To each his own.


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

Fairview said:


> In my opinion skylights rate very high among the top ten most idiotic things that can be incorporated into a house and I had the pleasure of pitching mine in the dumpster during the last roof job. To each his own.


HAHAHA tell us how you REALLY feel


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

I have 4 Velux skylights in one room and they aren't bad in a normal rain. In a downpour they are loud. I had them ordered with high performance glass which added another pane of glass which probably cuts down on the noise. Velux also offers electric black out shades. They do reduce the sound as well.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

TheBobmanNH said:


> HAHAHA tell us how you REALLY feel


Ok Bob, how bout this.:laughing:
There was nearly a divorce over the dam thing when the house was built and I wouldn't have another one of those things if I built a new house every year and lived to be 500.:no:

A quality florescent light in that location will work both night and day.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Go with a Solar tube.
Plenty of light, no noise, a whole lot easer to install and cost less.


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

I wouldn't add a skylight.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I can't imagine having a skylight made with plastic.....

We have 2 of them....both with tempered glass....and they are the openable type...

Love them....lets in the light....and on warm days...you can crack it open and it lets the heat out much better than a window...

As for noise......anyone who does not like the sound of rain does not have a romantic bone in their body....love the sound of rain....


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> As for noise......anyone who does not like the sound of rain does not have a romantic bone in their body....love the sound of rain....


I think there may be a geographic component to that attitude. What do you get down there ? Maybe 10 inches a year ?
It can rain (drizzle) 24-48 hours and you still end up with less than an inch.

In many other areas, they get 4-5 times more rain. They can get several inches an hour. Think of a garden hose hitting a window. It will wake you up.

A novelty to one, can be an irritation to another.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

We get more than that....but.....I also would not put them in the bedroom....the new one I installed is in the master bathroom.....double pane'd.....it's pretty quiet.....Velux of course...

Sorry....I'm an old romantic....I never get tired of a good storm....and I've seen some good ones....they don't call them 'turd floaters' in Texas for nothing...


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

What ever you decide to do. I can not stress enough proper installation. Overkill on self sealing membrane and proper stepflashing. Don't cheap out on a skylight. If you do there a leak waiting to happen. Also if not installed properly. Its the reason why i would never have one.


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## AndyWRS (Feb 1, 2012)

I am surprised to see so many folks against skylights.

Providing it is installed properly and replaced before it fails you will be fine. If your concerned about noise, which i have never had a customer even inquire about let alone complain about, then do not get skylights. imo its a non issue but i'm old and deaf:laughing:

Solar tubes are a good alturnative as already mentioned but still require some roofing skill to insure its flashed correctly. 

I think the last time i bought a 14" Solatube kit it was $450, i prefer these to the big box store ones even at the price tag. These come with a nice powder coated metal base flashing...$50 for the flashing alone. They also have a much better tube system, they are polished to mirror finish providing much better light transfer over longer runs.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I had 2 in my last house in Fla. They were above a drywalled boxed in area and I had a bad problem with condensation staining the drywall, in the area from the ceiling going up to the skylight. 

One roofer told me the fewer cuts you make into your roof the better off you are.

Other than that I do like them when a room lacks windows.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Skylight=Hole in the roof.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

I have good quality Velux skylights in my living-room. Right now, it is raining moderately. Is it noisy? --- yes. Would I want to try sleeping under them? --- no.


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## usbp.josh (Nov 22, 2013)

I agree, traditional skylights with standard glazing options do not offer as much noise reduction as a solid ceiling or roof. However, I also believe a room can benefit greatly from the additional natural light a skylight provides. Several skylight manufacturers offer skylights with multi-layered glass. Velux offers pane types with multi-layered (laminated glass layers) and thicker glass to provide additional sound insulation. Velux also offers several types of blind accessories which further reduce weather related noise. I found some helpful information for the Velux products here:

Multi-layered glass skylights information:
http://www.skylightsforless.com/glass#.Uo_HhMTIW-0


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