Skylights allow natural light into your home, making it colourful and more comfortable. Sadly, when they begin to leak, they become a pain in the backside. If not installed properly, water spillage can substitute the elegance and comfort of skylights with mould and decomposing structures.
Skylights can leak for a lot of reasons, including but not limited to:
- Flashing that is old or inappropriate
- Cracks in the fabric of the skylight
- Failure to properly close the skylight
- Condensation underneath the glass, particularly in wet or cold climates.
If you perceive a leak in your skylight, you can evaluate it from the surface or the attic. Invite a trained roofing expert to inspect your roof for diagnostics. They can tell you if your flashing or the entire skylight assembly needs to be repaired or replaced.
What Are The Significance Of Skylight Flashing?
Flashing is an essential component of the skylight setup. It safeguards the joints that receive most of the water to avoid seepage into the house. Flashing, when executed properly, directs moisture away from vulnerable parts and into gutters.
Water may leak into the property through joints or passageways in your roof. Flashing is critical to the longevity of the roof covering, skylight, and the rest of the structure. Without proper flashing, water will undoubtedly find its way through the skylight joints at some point.
Flashing provides homeowners with the assurance that their skylights will not leak. The damage caused by water seepage may be visible immediately or may take time to manifest. It may result in costly consequences.
Flashing provides homeowners with the assurance that their skylights will not leak. The damage caused by water seepage may be visible instantly or may take time to manifest. It can lead to costly structural issues like rotting, corrosion, and rust.
As a result, a competent roofing technician must secure your skylight with high-quality flashing. Good maintenance can also remarkably reduce the likelihood of water leaks over time.
Flashing Materials
The reliability of flashing is determined, among other things, by the quality of the raw materials used and the consultant's skill level. Conventional flashing methodologies were time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Birch bark and mortar were among the materials used by builders. Shingles are sometimes angled away from joints to reduce the possibility of moisture absorption.
Many outstanding flashing components are available today that deliver excellent sealing and are easier to use. Sheet metal, plastic, and rubber are a few examples.
Metal Sheet
Lead became a beneficial flashing material with the emergence of sheet metal. Despite the health issues, it is still used in some installations. It is extremely durable, having remained intact on roofs for 500 years. As a result, lead is an excellent material for use in difficult-to-reach areas. It reduces the need for such areas to be repaired or replaced.
Aside from lead, copper is a strong metal that can be used for flashing projects. It is ideal for elegant homes and historic structures.
Zinc, aluminium, and steel alloys are the most commonly used sheet metals for roof and skylight flashing. They are inexpensive, widely available, and well-suited to the task.
Plastic and Rubber
Rubber and plastic are two other options, though relatively rare in modern construction. They are inexpensive to install, but they degrade rapidly in the sun. The materials could be used to create flashing temporary skylights.
When Should Skylight Flashing Be Replaced?
Whenever you want to put in a new skylight, you may need to fix or replace your flashing. When the glass or plastic of a skylight cracks or becomes brittle, it is time to replace it. If there is an indication of water leakage, the skylight must be replaced.
When swapping a skylight, you almost always have to replace the flashing or even just the shingles around the skylight. For their skylights, most producers advise unique flashing products.
Poor artistry, such as incorrect flashing nailing, is a common cause of water leaks. A novice may also fail to step the flashing into new shingles, resulting in gaps. A skilled roofing specialist will perform step flashing to integrate your skylight with other roofing systems effectively.
Can Old Flashing Be Reused?
Most flashing experts advise against recycling old flashing items because the nails will not always return to their original holes. On the other hand, a roofing specialist can evaluate the installation and determine whether your flashing is reusable or repairable. Some decision-making factors may include:
- The era of flashing
- The material's status
- Whether the initial installation was successful.
- The number of maintenance or reuse cycles
Asking an expert to install new flashing is the only way to ensure quality. It should occur when the skylight is installed, or the adjoining roofing material is replaced.
The Main Point
Skylights require a secure connection to the roof. Installing a seamless piece of sheet metal on both sides of the skylight is necessary for proper flashing. Rubber gaskets below the flashing can help secure the setup and make it watertight.