Skylight: Repair, Replacement and Maintenance
Any roofer can tell you that whenever you have a protrusion in the roof, you have the potential for leaks. This includes skylights, which break the shingle pattern in the roof. Having your skylights repaired, replaced, and maintained properly can help you avoid unexpected leaks in your roof.
If it appears that your skylight is leaking, the culprit is often the roof itself and not the skylight. Sometimes water can get in if you haven’t closed it properly, other times condensation can build up on the inside, dripping down and appearing as leak. Snow and ice can also build up above the skylight, backing up into the shingles and causing a leak.
If it turns out that the skylight is the problem, however, it’s usually due to one of a couple reasons.
Damaged Frame
It could be that the frame of your skylight has been damaged. This can happen over time, particularly if you live in a freeze/thaw area or have had work down in the vicinity of the skylight. Often repair is simple; a bead of silicone caulk is run around the frame to seal it up and stop any new leaks from forming.
Leaking Flashing
Skylights are lined with flashing beneath the shingles to help keep the water out of your home. Like any material, overtime the flashing may break down, or maybe the caulking that seals the flashing has worked its way loose in the freeze/thaw cycle. Usually all that is required to fix this is to reseal or recaulk the flashing.
Skylight Replacement
If your skylight frame or the flashing is not the problem, it may be that it needs to be replaced in order to fix the problem. Replacing a skylight is in many ways a lot like replacing a window. The biggest difference beyond its location is that the shingles and flashing that surround the skylight will also need to be removed and replaced to reseal it.
During a skylight replacement, several rows of shingles will be removed from around the skylight on all sides. The skylight will be loosened from below, and lowered down into your home. The new skylight is replaced the same way; coming up into your home, rather than down from the roof.
Once the skylight itself has been installed and caulked into place, the flashing is re-installed on the roof. The flashing is put in along with a waterproofing membrane to help make the skylight watertight. Both layers are extended up around the rim of the skylight, and then caulked into place. Finally, the shingles are installed on top of these.
Skylight Replacement Like any opening, door, or window in your home, your yearly maintenance of your skylights should include an inspection of the exterior. Caulk, the joint compound that fills up and seals the gaps around the skylight, can work its way free over time. If you notice areas where the caulk has come out, be sure to replace it with an exterior, silicone-based material to seal it up and prevent leaks. If you notice other signs of deterioration, such as rusting flashing, missing or curling shingles, or that ice and snow have been backing up behind the skylight, call your roofer for help.
Maintain Them Well
Skylights can make a beautiful addition to many homes, letting in light and air to rooms that might not receive these things otherwise. Be sure to maintain, repair, and replace as necessary to help ensure that they continue to function just as they were designed to.
