REASONS WHY YOUR SKYLIGHTS MIGHT LEAK – FAMILY ROOFING

Posted on by David Reid

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REASONS WHY YOUR SKYLIGHTS MIGHT LEAK

Skylights are lovely things, admitting plenty of light and generally brightening the mood of any room.  Yet sometimes skylights leak.  They are literally holes in a roof, a part of your house not usually intended to have holes.  Why do skylights leak? 

So Old

Do you know the age of your roof and skylight?  Both features of your home can wear out.  Sometimes the problem with a skylight is its age.  Metal fatigues.  Wood rots.  Rubber deteriorates. Caulking gets stiff and brittle.  A local, professional roofer can examine your skylight from inside your home and from your roof to roughly determine its age.  This can be a great start because you should not spend money on a skylight long past its useful lifespan.

Additional Reasons

Your roofer can determine if your skylight is leaking or the water is coming from some other source.  Here are possible reasons why skylights or the surrounding roof could be leaking:

  1. Double check to make sure that the skylight is fully closed.  Obvious but worth a try.

  2. Clear away any leaves, twigs, and dirt that have gathered on the skylight and check the glass itself for cracks.  Seal skylight cracks with a layer of clear silicone along the entire length.

  3.  wandering roof leak — Your skylight sits within your roof’s field shingles (or metal panels), and all around it, your roof extends up to the ridge and down to the eaves.  A ridge leak can wander down between your roof layers before dripping through drywall near your skylight.

  4. The skylight itself — Sometimes the skylight frame (metal or wood) loses its structural integrity, and small amounts of moisture can bead up, then drip down into your living space.

  5. Condensation — The skylight could be entirely watertight, but the sun’s powerful heat sun can cause condensation to fom on the inside glass, then pool and drip inside your fine home.

  6. Faulty installation — Roofers are best equipped to install skylights, though handymen and do-it-yourselfers will claim expertise.  Faulty installation is extremely common and often doesn’t reveal itself for years, as materials degrade and gaps open up.

  7. Failed flashing or weakened roof cement — Flashing is thin metal used to bridge and seal gaps between unlike materials, such as the skylight and the roof sheathing.  Roof cement is a sticky adhesive used to hold parts in place; if either fails, your skylight can leak.

  8. Improperly installed insulation — Every gap and space within the walls and roof of your home should carry insulation to keep your expensively treated indoor air indoors.  Poor or missing insulation allows water to accumulate and enter your building envelope.

Inspect the Roofing and Flashing Around a Leaking Skylight

Once you’re sure the water is penetrating from the roof outside, look carefully to see if the shingles and flashing around the skylight are properly installed and functional.  Roofing should be firmly nailed down, so repair any lifted shingles.

Next, take a look at the flashing.  Because the purpose of flashing is to make a watertight seal between the skylight and the roof.  Any visible defects or damage (like corrosion or pinholes) are signs your flashing needs to be replaced.  You should also check that the roofing material extends all the way around the flashing, including each side and the top.  If there is space between the roofing and flashing, water can get trapped and cause leaks.

Seal Flashing Around a Leaking Skylight

Start by clearing any water or debris that has collected between the roofing and flashing.  Then lift the roof shingles away from the edges of the skylight so you can access the flashing.  Use a putty knife to add a layer of roofing cement in the gap between the edge of the flashing and the roofing.  This will provide a seal against future leaks, as long as it doesn’t dry out or become brittle.  Check the roofing cement sealant every few months.  If it’s peeling or dried out, remove and apply a new layer.

When the flashing itself is damaged or moldy, it must be replaced.