The Leaky Skylight Blues

Skylights can do much to enhance your home environment. They can be an excellent source of both light and heat which assists in lowering energy bills while providing nice visuals. But, what is going on when a skylight is leaking? What are the common causes? And is this something that is easy to fix?

Generally speaking, a skylight will leak when it is poorly installed, doesn't fit correctly, or is not sealed properly. Having a full construction knowledge about the roof which will surround the skylight is important. Skylights installed by DIY-er's or perhaps by an inexperienced handyman service may find leaking a common occurrence. Spending the extra money on an experienced, qualified contractor when purchasing a skylight can result in money saved and headaches avoided down the road.

Even the smaller crack or hole on a skylight can result in leakage. The same applied to any surrounding hardware or the roof itself. The margin for error in preventing a leak isn't very large. As a roof ages and experiences more and more exposure to the elements these cracks or holes may form, resulting in a leak, perhaps caused by the slow movement of two pieces of hardware no longer lining up.

If you experience condensation on the inside of your skylight, do not panic, this does not mean that you have a leak. Dishwashers, hot showers, washing machines, and other common household appliances can cause condensation to form and drip off of a skylight, especially more so as weather gets cooler outdoors. Before diagnosing your problem as a leak, consider the activities going on near your skylight and when the dripping occurs.

Taking care to repair a leaky skylight is important. Quick repairs will do much in preventing future damages. Failure to get a skylight fixed quickly could result in damaged walls, ruined wallpaper, wet and moldy carpeting, and other structural unpleasantries in your living space, so make sure you get on the ball the second you see drops fall!