What water is to your summer garden, natural light is to your home.

Natural light is bright, cheerful and gives you a wonderful sense of well being. Introducing natural light into dark and gloomy spaces also allows you to instantly transform your home.

Moreover, with a constant stream of natural light, you can bring more plants into your interior.

How do you bring natural light into dim areas of your home? One of the easiest ways is to install a tubular skylight. The Solatube tubular skylight can be installed in two hours and is equally effective in rooms facing south, north, east or west.

With a unique design imported from Australia, the Solatube ensures optimum light without changing your room temperature - a real bonus at this time of the year. The attractive ceiling diffuser spreads the light evenly around a room all day and eliminates the need for any cleaning or maintenance.

Solatube can also be combined with a ventilation system for installation in bathrooms, laundries or open plan kitchens.

An electric light fitting for night use can be installed as an optional extra. There are two basic models available - the Solatube 300, which you can install yourself for about R1 500 and lights an area of 10m2.

This model is ideal for passageways and for highlighting a studying position for the kids. The Solatube 450 on the other hand, lights an area of 22m2 and has a DIY price of about R2 500.

Simply follow this step-by-step procedure to assemble and install a 250mm Solatube for 300mm wide cement roof tiles:

2. Go into the ceiling cavity and identify the desired position on the ceiling, ensuring you have sufficient clearance of the ceiling joists and so forth, in order to cut out a ceiling ring hole that is 270mm in diameter.

A solatube roof tile is designed to fit corrugated iron roofs.

3. Locate the roof tile directly and vertically above this position for the removal and replacement with the Solatube tile.

If you cannot achieve a straight drop due to the roof layout, relocate the ceiling position or work out the position of the angle adaptors for an offset drop.

Note: ensure that the tile is clear of rafters and so forth (see graphic 1).

Place the assembled tubes through the Solatube tile and push until the 'B' adaptor sits squarely on the ceiling.

4. If insulation is present cut it along the batten and ease it out of the way until the Solatube tile is in place. Then reattach the insulation to the batten.

5. Mark the tile for removal by sliding the tiles back or use a marker between the tiles, which can easily be identified from on top of the roof.

Screwing the dome to the Solatube tile with the dome screws and rubber washers.

7. Determine the tile pattern. If the roof has a straight lay pattern, proceed to step 8a. However, if it has an offset lap pattern, proceed to step 8b.

8a. Looking up the roof, towards the ridgecap, slide the tiles numbered two and three in graphic 2a behind the tile you marked in step 5 (tile 1 in the graphic) and remove this tile so that you can replace it with the Solatube tile. Then proceed to step 10.

Tape the joints between the tubes and around the angle adaptor joints.

9. Use pincers or an angle grinder fitted mwith a masonry blade to cut the tiles numbered two and three as shown in graphic 3. Remember to leave a 10mm clearance around the Solatube tile upstand.

10. Trace the profile of the roof tile onto the front and rear skirt of the Solatube tile. Then cut the front and rear skirt to the appropriate profile.

Place the diffuser onto the ceiling ring by aligning the three bayonet lugs and then gently turning it clockwise.

14. Remove the protective coating from the ?C? tubes being careful to avoid putting fingerprints on the reflective surface of the tubes.

15. Assemble the ?C? tubes by removing the backing paper from the adhesive on one side of the tube, then pressing firmly down the entire length of the joint, ensuring the joint is resting hard against the recess.

Note: contact adhesive sticks instantly and you need to line up carefully to avoid the need to re-position, as this may damage the tube. Form a second ?C? tube around first one to acquire a telescopic effect.

16. Repeat step 13 with both the ?A? and ?B? angle adaptor.

17. Clean any fingerprints from the tubes? reflective surface with a glass cleaner and a soft lint-free cloth.

18. Assemble the tubes as shown in graphic 1, leaving the angle adaptors in a vertical position.

The Solatube is designed to accomodate a 22 degree pitch roof. If the pitch is above or below this, you may need to angle the adaptors so that the tubing can be fitted vertically.

Note: it?s important to make sure that there are no electrical wires in the way. If there are you should tape or tie them off, in order to eliminate the risk of electrocution when you cut out the hole for the ceiling ring.

20. Trace the outline of adaptor ?B? onto the ceiling, making sure that you don?t alter the alignment.

Note: check that the ?B? adaptor is sitting squarely on the ceiling with no gaps. If there are battens present (as in fibrous plaster ceiling), remove the tubing and use a plumb-bob to find four points around the circumference of the Solatube tile and then mark the ceiling accordingly.

21. Remove the assembled tubing from the Solatube tile.

22. Find the centre of the traced outline or the centre of the four points and drill a 3mm hole.

23. From inside the room, locate the drilled hole and using the cardboard and divider supplied in the kit, mark out a 270mm diameter circle. Cut to the line with a keyhole saw.

24. Break off the ceiling ring anchors.

25. Place the ceiling ring into the hole and screw through the ceiling using the four ceiling screws and ceiling ring anchors (see graphic 5).

26. Break off the plastic screw caps from the ceiling ring and place them into the slots in the ceiling screws.

27. Place the assembled tubing into the Solatube tile and gently push the ?B? adaptor down into the ceiling ring, being careful to ensure that the tubing stays together. Then gently push the ?A? adaptor down until it is sitting properly on the flange of the Solatube tile.

Note: the Solatube tile is designed to accommodate a 22? pitch roof.

Therefore if the pitch is above or below this, you may need to angle the adaptors so that the tubing can be fitted vertically (see graphic 1). Bear in mind that by turning them, the angle adaptors can acquire an angle of up to 45?.

Use a screwdriver, ceiling screws and ring anchors to screw the ceiling ring through the hole in the ceiling.

Push the ?A? adaptor back down until it sits and seals onto the Solatube tile.

29. From inside the ceiling, tape the joints between the tubes and around the angle adaptor joints, using the tape provided (see pic 3).

30. After carrying out step 29 and ensuring that the ?B? adaptor is sitting neatly into the ceiling ring, fit the plastic spline.

Start with the one end of the spline and push down between the outside of the ?B? adaptor and the skirt of the ceiling ring until the task is complete.

32. Align the tags on the bottom of the reflector with the mounting lugs on the inside face of the clear dome and then slide them together.

33. Now attach the dome to the Solatube tile so that the inside of the reflector ring faces due north. Drill four 3mm holes into the Solatube tile through the existing holes in the dome. Take care not to drill too far through the tile, as you may drill through the tubes.

34. Screw the dome to the Solatube tile with the dome screws and rubber washers being careful not to overtighten as this may deform the rubber washers (see pic 2).

35. From inside the house, place the diffuser onto the ceiling ring by aligning the three bayonet lugs and then gently turning it clockwise (see pic 4).

High performance square Solatubes have just been launched, featuring three models which light areas up to 30m2. For more information, contact Ed Reeves on tel: (011) 646-8680 or fax: (011) 646-8646.