Replace a skylight dome only??

Phil Ervin

Help!!! I need to replace the plastic dome part of my skylight only and not the whole thing (Frame and all). I went to Lowe's and Home Depot and they said I would have to replace the entire skylight! Frame and all!! I told them that I only need the part that has deteriorated, the plastic part that I call the lens and they act like no one has ever asked for that before.
Any help would be appreciated.
Phil

redline

What brand do you have?

Is this a solar tube?

Is the skylight a single or a double layer light?

AtlanticWBConst.

Phil,

Sadly, as I have found, Don't ever let a supplier (esp. Lowe's and Home Depot) convince you of 'what is' or 'what is not' .... made or available.

You can buy aftermarket Skylight Domes. How much do they cost? I'm not sure, I have never priced them.
I recommend that you do 2 searches on the internet.

Do a "Sky Light Dome" search and a "Skylight Dome" search.
You will find several companies that specialize in making them...even custom sized - to order.

Hope this helps...

Darylh

Must be different looking dome skylight because any of the ones I've replaced are all one unit and held in with a few screws.

Phil Ervin

Thanx for the replys.
I'm not sure of the brand but it is the most common you'll see at the home improvement centers. A simple 48" x 48", the frame that holds the plastic dome part in place is held on by two screws on each of the four sides.
I did look on line at a few different sites and they quote close to $300.00 for the plastic dome part alone.
I guess the reason that I am so floored by this price is because when I purchased this skylight I thought this was a common size and I would always be able to easly replace the dome if needed.
I also needed the same thing for one that is 24"x24" and I had to buy the whole thing which was only $49.00. I took the dome off and simply replaced the old broken one , it took about five minutes. Now I will take the frame part to an aluminum recycler and see if I can get a few dollars for it.
I phoned a window and door company and they said that I'd have to replace the entire skylight. As you know this would require removing and replaceing roofing material and all that. :confused:

AtlanticWBConst.

Phil,

If those covers are not what you need, then Yes, unfortunately replacement is really the way to go. Shop around. It really is not that hard to replace skylights at all. You could order the same size.

If you know someone Knowledgeable, maybe they could help you do it.

The only difficulties I have run into is when the roof is old and brittle, then you end up replacing alot more of it than you wanted to.

Good luck

Bonus

Why would you have to replace any of the roof? Isn't the skylight built up on a curb which is flashed to the roof? Undo the screws, pull the light, put on the new one. What am I missing?

AtlanticWBConst.

Bonus,

I think 'I' confused you on the last post about the 'old and brittle roof'.
I was referring to the 'Roof Shingles' being old and brittle....and needing replacement...I should have made that more clear. Apologies.


..... but, if someone has some serious water damage up there, that's another sad story.....

Phil Ervin

Thanx again for your replys.
After racking my brain for a solution to this replacement I think I have come up with a fix.
What I will do is go to my local Glass shop and purchase a piece of smoked glass and simply go with that, flat glass. Why not? I really don't care if it's domed or flat. They might try to talk me into plexiglas which would be fine as well but no where near $300.00 .
Thanx again for any comments you all may offer.
Phil

Alan

The only concern that arises for me with that is that whatever you get may or may not be rated the same as a skylight as far as how it stands up to sun and impacts....
I'm not sure how skylights are made nor have i ever installed or replaced one, so i'm far from an expert, but i'd be especially interested in UV rating as far as how long they stand up to being beaten down upon with direct sunlight for long periods of time.

Phil Ervin

Thanx guys for all your input and let me tell you what I decided to do.
I went to a plastics supply in San Bernardino CA (S&W Plastics) and I purchased a 1/4 inch piece of smoked plexiglas. They told me it was UV protected and outlast the acrylic that skylights are made of.
The piece was 48x48 inches and cost about $131.00 with tax.
Now that may sound expensive but when you look at what it was going to cost to order a replacement dome at almost $3oo.oo the price was doable.
I lifted out the broken up dome and relpaced it with the flat piece.
End of story, problem solved...

Jonny Homefixer

Phil,

Hopefully for the price that you paid they sold you Polycarbonate. GE is a major supplier and calls their product Lexan
It is virtually unbreakable as compared to plexiglass.

Glass would have been ok. You can get it tinted .
Just make sure you get tempered or laminated or better yet if you have any overhanging trees where branches may fall on it, get it laminated and tempered. This will keep the unit intact if something falls on it.

Jon

joasis

I have purchased skylights from Global Plastics and they are impact rated and uv protected. The problem with a flat 48 x 48 inch area is sagging or no structural strenth. The point to a "molded" dome is to add strength. To find Global Plastics, jusy google them.