Faulty Skylights And What To Do About Them

Skylights bring the beauty outside into your home. They let in the warm sunshine during fair weather and also give you a view of the stars at night. You probably have more reasons why you installed them into your home and you would want them in optimal working condition. It can be very worrying when your skylights become faulty. Failing to address these issues could cause more trouble for you than you could imagine. One of the major skylight problems is leaks. The causes of skylight leaks can be structural, and the following post explains how this comes about:

So, are leaky skylights really a problem? There’s no denying that, in the early days of rooflight design, leaking could be a problem. It’s not hard to see why: like any kind of window, skylights need to be fitted perfectly: they need to slot right into the space made in your home’s exterior and then sealed using the correct materials. In that sense, there are a few things that can go wrong:

• The aperture for the light might be cut too large for a specific pane size
• Vice-versa, the pane may be cut slightly too small for an existing aperture. Read more at SunSquare…

[caption id="attachment_7609" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Image Courtesy of Wikimedia[/caption] When you notice that your skylights are leaking, the first thing you need to check is its fitting, as described in the post above. If it is found that you have a structural problem, you may need to look into that and get it repaired. You may discover that your skylights don’t have structural issues, and that is good news. However, there are other causes of skylight leaks that you need to address. The following post highlights how you can identify where the leak is coming from:

Finding the Leak Diagnosing the cause of the leak is the first step in repairing a skylight. Many leaks are caused by improper installation. You can inspect the skylight yourself if you’re comfortable climbing a ladder. Here’s an overview of things that can cause a skylight to leak. Condensation: In some cases moisture is caused by condensation rather than a leak. When water collects on the inside of the window, it may drip. Condensation happens in bathrooms, kitchens, greenhouses or anywhere that’s humid. Using your bathroom or kitchen fan will limit condensation. The window is open: Although this falls into the category of the obvious, double check that the skylight is completely closed before assuming it need a repair. Read more at Warner Roofing Inc…

[caption id="attachment_7612" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Image Courtesy of Wikimedia[/caption] As the post describes, you may actually find that it is not your skylight that has a problem, but other factors. You should therefore carry out a thorough investigation to determine that your repair efforts are applied in the right place, rather than getting a whole new set of skylights and then discover that the leak still persists. Some causes of skylight leaks will require that you call in the professionals. However, it could also be caused by condensation. If this is the case, you can handle the situation in the following way:

Dear Ken: We have a skylight in the master bathroom that leaks condensation. Is there anything we can do, or do we have to eliminate it altogether? - Roger Answer: Water vapor from the shower likely is condensing on the cold lens of the skylight. But there is a way to isolate the skylight that will stop the drip while also improving the skylight's aesthetics and energy efficiency. Using some ordinary pine door casing, create a "picture frame" around the ceiling opening of the skylight well. Then cut a translucent plastic ceiling panel - like you see in office light fixtures - to rest on the edge you created with the wood trim. Read more at Gazette.com…

[caption id="attachment_7610" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Image Courtesy of Wikimedia[/caption] For advice on how to handle your leaky skylights, or any roof repair issues in Lake Ridge VA, don’t hesitate to call us today! Featured Image: Image Credit

Faulty Skylights And What To Do About Them {is republished from Roof.net Roof Repair