Leaky window to the sky? Here are four steps to fixing your leaky skylight.
Ugh. Your beautiful view of the sun in the sky is leaky again. Think you want to try your hand at fixing it this time? Follow these steps to tackle one of the most common leaky roof jobs out there.
- Find the leak. Head up to your roof to have a close inspection of your skylight. If it opens, is the problem that it’s not closing properly? When is it leaking? Only when it rains or in the winter as well when it’s snowy and icy? Is there any debris such as leaves or branches that are getting in the way? Look for loose shingles, blockages, or any other obvious sign of a problem.
- Double-check the frame, too. Be sure that the seal on the glass isn’t allowing condensation to grow and that’s the source of your leak. If this is the case, have a look to see if you can reseal with something like a 100 per cent silicone caulking to seal leaks around the skylight lens, so no more water leaks in. If that’s not possible, you may have to spring for a new skylight to get rid of your condensation problem.
- Inspect the flashing. The flashing is the metal or aluminum attached to the joints of your roof to keep water and other elements out. If the job looks small, you can use roof flashing cement to patch up any holes or fix the flashing on your roof and that may take care of things. Or, if it looks to be a larger job, you may need to even fully replace the flashing that’s located around the frame of the skylight to stop that leak. Keep in mind that this type of repair may only be temporary and you may have to call in the experts down the road for a proper repair.
- Check your shingles. How are your shingles looking around your skylight? It may not even be the skylight itself that needs repairing — if your shingles are in rough shape, they may need some patching as well.
If you’ve done all of that and you’re still stuck with a drippy window on your roof, you may need to call in a skylight installer or roofing repair company to take a better look and tackle the problem.
