Light bulb for shed

[HeyBub]

My son reported seeing this on a YouTube video, so I can't vouch for its accuracy.

While bemoaning the lack of light in various African hovels and tar-paper shacks, some residents came up with a novel approach. They cut a hole in the substance laughingly called a roof and inserted a filled, plastic water bottle!

According to my son (who may have been drunk), the result was illumination roughly equivalent to a 40-watt bulb! And, I guess, you could have more than one.

Admittedly not much brightness, but more than a 3" skylight and, of course, it doesn't work at night.

Unless you have a flashlight serving as a replacement for the sun...

Anyway, I thought, if it works, the water-bottle concept is a clever one - a concept that might be an interesting experiment.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I can see it working. The water would transmit the light from the exposed surface.

[bob haller]

It was on 60 minutes. Indeed it does work:) but cant work in freezing climates:( the water in the bottle would freeze.

I have seen light tubes at Lowes. They are a pricey version of the water bottle...

[Joe]

Is the illumination equivalent to a 40 watt LED or a 40 watt incandescent?

[John]

Someone always has to piss on the parade. :)

The hole in the roof would be my concern.

John

[Gordon Shumway]

As Paul Harvey said, "Now you know the rest of the story."

[Stormin Mormon]

incandescent?

Someone always has to piss on the parade. :)

The hole in the roof would be my concern.

John

[=]

There's a long tradition of such things. The idea was used on ships to bring light to below-deck areas from outside via glass prisms. See:

You can still buy such prisms.

Tomsic

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Was it a LED bottle or incandescent hole

[clare]

It is true. They are used quite extensively in the Philipines and indo-china, and is becoming more common in Africa as well

[clare]

in a freezeable environment just add sugar or salt to lower the freeze point. - or hooch

[clare]

approx 40 watt 240 volt incandescent bulb - which is less than a 12 volt 40 watt incandescent 04 a 40 watt halogen - or a 40 watt LED.

[clare]

The hole is easily sealed - and is GENERALLY cut undersised and flared up with a hammer to be a snug fit to the bottle. You need to remember also that many of these roofs are not particularly water-tight to start with - often made of used/recycled steel or aluminum, os a rough facsimile of same. A small beed of caulking or pitch seals the joints

[clare]

How about an Acrylic Sun Spreader Hole????

[Ashton Crusher]

And just how long do you think that NON-UV protected plastic is going to last?

[user01]

Would you need a roofing permit or a plumbing permit...or both?

And how would the HOA react?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Probably longer than the rest of the roof. Do you honestly think that is a problem?

[clare]

How long does a lightbulb last? What do you do when it burns out? What does a water bottle cost compared to a light bulb? and how long does a water bottle last laying in the ditch?

In other words, it is a total non-issue.

[Stormin Mormon]

[Ashton Crusher]

Well, plastic of that variety I have had sitting outside for a couple months turns quite brittle. So yes, I would expect it to be a problem.