skylight leaks and repair

lbguy

Hi. We have been having leaks at two skylights in our house. A roofer came and concluded that the problem was that, with heavy rain, water was splashing up under the lip of the skylights. He asks $375 to seal the skylights.

This seems kind of pricey, but heck, I don't know; I've never dealt with this before. Would it be hard for me to do it myself? I'm not a roofer, but unfastening the skylights and applying roofing cement (or whatever the appropriate sealant is) doesn't seem like it could be that hard. What do you think?

Slyfox

Rain splashing up under the lip means there's a flashing problem and you would use flashing 'metal' to resolve that issue.

If the roofer meant it is making it's way through the seal between the glass and metal framing, they sale kits to replace them.

Roof cement or metal caulking would be a temporary repair, not a fix.

Find the brand name of the sky lights and call the manufacturer, they may be covered under a warranty.

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jmiller

He sounds like a handyman.

I'd say it could range anywhere between a great deal and a complete rip off. Depends on the guy.I'm down to help you out, and I've fixed my share.

Step one, if you plan on getting up there even just to get better pics, is to be familiar with ladder and roof safety. Is it a steep/low pitched roof?

lbguy

One of the skylights is on slightly steep pitch, but its OK as long you're careful. I've been to that spot multiple times with no problem. The other skylight is in a safer spot, with less pitch, and not close to the edge.

the roofing god

sounds like a flush mounted skylight with a continuous flange,You set down the sealant prior to setting the skylight,If it`s not done,It will usually leak on wind driven rains,,If you`re just caulking the seam (not what I`d do),Sure caulk it yourself---But to remove shingles at skylight perimeter,lift light,lay sealant,reset skylight,and shingles would be much more expensive--That is what I would suggest you do,besides finding another roofer,if they haven`t suggested better ways than caulking to you

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jmiller

If you have what TRG is talking about I usually tell customers I can only replace with Velux.

Throw up some pics and maybe we can help ya jerry rig it.

the roofing god

Their skylight can be replaced with another if it has a problem,Wasco E-class skylights are excellent,and I haven`t had 1 leak in 15 years of installing them,I like Velux also,but usually using velux after the other type,the openings need to be tailored to Velux sizing (sometimes not but usually),Whereas the Wasco has a 10 year full replacement policy,meaning if it fails from defects in 9 yrs. ,11 months--You get a new skylight,versus a portion of the money downgraded by how long you`ve used it--Most skylight issues are a result of poor installation-

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