How to Stop Skylights from Leaking
You spent loads of money to give that dark room in your home the natural lighting you needed just to have water drip through and onto your furniture whenever it rains. Why is it too much to ask for a skylight that doesn’t leak? More caulk, Glue, even duct tape and it still leaks. When a skylight is leaking, it will either be poor installation or improper flashing and sealing from the outside. If you recently had a skylight installed and it has been leaking ever since, the most common cause is improper seal between the existing roof and the skylight. The seal can be very difficult to achieve, since skylight installation literally involves cutting a large hole in the roof. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove the entire area of roofing material to get a skylight flashed and sealed properly. The best strategy for adding a skylight to an existing roof, is to have a roofer install the skylight and get the roof properly sealed up against the skylight. Depending on the kind of existing roof, there are different methods to achieve a leak-free installation. For example creating a seal for asphalt shingles is much different that repairing a slate roof.
Hire a Roof Specialist for Skylights and Metal Roofing
To prevent leaks, it is imperative to have your skylight and all other roof penetrations inspected by a professional roofing contractor. Especially when it comes to a technique sensitive job such as flashing skylights and doing metal roofing. Premier Roofing Solutions knows it can be stressful when your roof starts to leak and you’re scrambling to find a quick and practical solution. Contact us and we will determine what needs to be done to ensure that your roof will never leak a single drop of water again.
How to Install a skylight (youtube video) so your roof does not leak
Usually fixing a leaky skylight is a relatively inexpensive repair. An exception is if there is a lot of water damage. In most cases the contractor who performed the installation did not properly flash around the sides of the skylight. Most general contractors will take short cuts through the job process and only caulk around the skylight which is very ineffective and will only temporarily prevent roof leaks.