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Skylight Glass Types |
| Over the years the "see through" area of skylights has been constructed using various materials. Regardless of size, strength, Low-E or UV rating, the 3 basic materials used have mostly been plastic, acrylic, or glass. Our skylights add a forth with the revolutionary Nanogel material. Each material has it's rightful place in skylight history; but what material is right for you? Below we discuss the availability, the pro, and the cons of each. |
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Plastic Skylights |
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In today's market plastic skylights are primarily used in commercial settings. While it provide great daylighting plastic is not nearly as energy efficient as acrylic or glass skylights. This typically makes plastic less desirable for home use unless it is installed in a garage, workshop, or barn; an area where thermal efficiency is not as critical as your primary living space. Plastic is typically less expensive to produce which makes it ideal for large commercial spaces that may desire big, dramatic daylighting.
There have been great improvements in the materials that are used for plastic skylights today as opposed to the old fashioned plastic bubble that was known to discolor, fog, and crackle after only a few years of use. |
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Acrylic Skylights |
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Acrylic skylights tend to be bubble domes. We offer our GSD model line (fixed, curb mounted skylights) with an Acrylic Double Dome. Having the dome makes these acrylic skylights more suitable for installation on roofs with higher profile materials such as slate, tile, wood shake, and metal standing-seem roofs. It is also great for flat roofs with membrane roofing as the dome adds a little extra perspective as opposed to a flat glass skylight. Wasco's dome is a durable double-glazed, high molecular density acrylic that comes standard in clear, or an optional bronze tinting (please call 1-800-237-7470 for details). |
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Glass Skylights |
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Today glass is the quintessential choice for daylighting. It offers strength, durability, clarity, and unbeatable thermal protection. Our glass skylights come in multiple glass styles. One style may be more suitable for you depending upon your geographic region, local building codes, and your requirements for thermal and UV efficiency. The glass options available on Wasco skylights are all Low-E, Argon gas fills the airspace. |
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Tempered - An outer pane of tempered Low-E glass coated on the interior surface with three layers of silver and an inner pane of tempered glass. Argon gas filled. |
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Laminated - An outer pane of tempered Low-E glass coated on the interior surface with three layers of silver and an inner pane of heat strengthened laminated glass. Argon gas fills the airspace. |
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Hurricane-Resistant Low-E Insulating Glass (Miami Dade) - This laminated, insulating glass, meets Dade County, IBC/IRC and other stringent state building codes for glass skylights installed in Wind Zone 3 coastal applications. Hurricane glass is offered on select sizes of E-Class fixed deck mount skylights. Miami-Dade glass is offered on select sizes of Curb-Mount Fixed skylights.
Though it looks like ordinary glass, hurricane-resistant glass shields against damage from wind-borne debris, accidental impacts, forced entry, and even unwanted noise. It’s made of heat-strengthened low-E lites permanently bonded with one or more layers of PET film and durable PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin sheeting. In exhaustive impact tests, broken glass fragments have adhered to the bonded plastic vinyl interlayer, reducing the risk of injury, shattered glass and breaching the building envelope. |
| Shop our selection of skylights: Fixed skylights - Venting skylights - Pyramid skylights - Round skylights |
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