Skylights are a gorgeous addition to any home. There’s no replacement for natural light and a great view, and a well-placed skylight can bring you both. Still, many homeowners who expect a skylight to be nothing but a delight are surprised when they discover a leak. Unfortunately, skylight leaks are quite common. Many skylight companies have inexperienced and undertrained staff installing them. We recommend you choose a roofer for this task. But, if your skylight is already leaking, there are things you can do to resolve the problem.
Check If It Is Condensation
Many homeowners choose to place skylights in rooms that generate a lot of condensation, such as bathrooms and kitchens. It’s entirely possible that the water you see dripping from the glass is just condensation. As long as the water resolves quickly, and seems to coincide with showers and cooking, and not with rain, it’s probably harmless condensation.
Call a Roofer
When the skylight leak is rainwater and not condensation, the very best thing to do is call a roofer to look at it. You may be considering calling the skylight company first, but if they have improperly installed the skylight, they may not own up to it. Instead, they may try a temporary fix like roofing cement or silicone caulking. This just creates more frustration for you when the problem reoccurs.
Instead, get a roofer to look at the skylight and tell you what kind of mistake the skylight company made, or what kind of damage appears to have caused the leak. Ask them to also provide a quote for the work.
Then, you can bring up these issues to the skylight company. You’ll be armed with the knowledge you need to make sure that they truly fix the problem. Typically, the flashing for the skylights was improperly installed. In this case, your skylight company may have to move the flashing or replace it entirely. This might also require some roofing work, such as replacing shingles that were also damaged by the leak.
Although, sometimes, the source of the skylight leak is not the skylight itself. Roofs leaks sometimes move through the layers of the roof and end up far from where the real problem is. A leak that is at the peak of your roof may trickle down and soak the drywall next to your skylight.
That’s another good reason to call a roofer. A skylight company may not be able to determine what’s going on when a skylight isn’t the source of the leak. They may attempt to do repairs, but never actually find the root cause of the problem.
Refer to Your Warranty
Did the skylight company give you any guarantees or warranties when the skylight was installed? Some companies will cover the cost of a roofer repairing the skylight if the problem was due to their manufacturing of the skylight or their installation of the skylight.
If the skylight company isn’t going to pay for any of the repairs or is going to charge you for the work, consider going straight to a roofer instead. They have much more knowledge and can make sure that the problem is resolved for the long term.
