Leak or condensation? Figure that out first

Before anyone touches the roof, it helps to know whether you have a leak at all. Condensation forms when warm, moist indoor air meets cold glass, and on cool Central Texas mornings it can drip from a skylight in a way that looks exactly like a leak. The tell is timing. Condensation shows up on cold mornings, often in bathrooms and kitchens, whether or not it rained. A leak shows up during or after rain, often stronger with wind from one direction, and usually stains the corners or the top edge of the shaft first.

Fog or haze between two panes of glass is a third issue. It means the seal on the insulated glass unit has failed. It doesn't let rain in, but it does mean the glazing has lost its insulating value and won't clear up on its own.

What actually fails on a skylight

Why caulk isn't a skylight repair

The most common fix we undo is a thick bead of roofing sealant smeared around the frame. It can stop a drip for a season, but sealant breaks down under UV exposure and heat, it traps water behind it once it cracks, and it hides the real problem, which is almost always flashing that was installed out of order or has been damaged. A real repair means lifting the shingles around the skylight, replacing the flashing and underlayment in the right sequence, and relaying the roof covering. It takes longer than a caulk gun, and it lasts. Details like this are what our roofing services in Hutto are built around.

How we repair a leaking skylight

1. Trace the water inside

   Call (737) 306-0017 or request an estimate. We look at the ceiling, the shaft and the attic to see where water is showing up and where it has traveled, since roof leaks often appear some distance from where they start.

2. Inspect the roof side

   We check the flashing, shingles, seals, glazing and curb around the unit, along with anything uphill of it that could be sending water down.

3. Confirm the source

   When the source isn't obvious, we test sections of the roof with water in a controlled order until the leak shows itself.

4. Repair the failed parts

   Depending on what we find, that means new flashing and underlayment, new gaskets or glazing, rebuilt curb or deck, and new shingles tied in around the unit.

5. Show you what was done

   We walk you through what failed, what we replaced and anything else we noticed on the roof while we were up there.

Repair it or replace it?

A skylight is worth repairing when the frame and glazing are sound and the problem is flashing, seals or the roofing around it. Replacement starts to make more sense when the glazing has failed and replacement parts aren't available for that model, when the curb or frame has rotted through, when the same unit has leaked after more than one repair, or when the roof itself is near the end of its life. In that last case, fixing the skylight now and tearing it out with the old roof in a few years is money spent twice. Our guide on how long a Hutto roof really lasts helps put that timing in perspective.

Some homeowners decide they don't want the skylight at all. Removing a unit and roofing over the opening is a common, straightforward job: we frame and deck the hole, install underlayment and shingles to match, and the ceiling side can be patched and finished.

Skylights after storms

Hail cracks acrylic domes, and high winds lift the shingles right next to a skylight. If a storm has just come through, check the skylight along with the rest of the roof, and if the damage is part of a larger claim, our storm damage roof repair in Hutto covers the whole process. If water is coming in right now, call (737) 306-0017 and see emergency roof repair; our page on what to do when your roof is leaking walks through protecting the room below until help arrives. For more homeowner guides, browse our roofing guides for Hutto homeowners.

Skylight repair is detail work, and it rewards a roofer who looks at the whole system instead of the one spot that's dripping. That's how we approach every job as part of Hutto roofing, whether it's one skylight or the entire roof, for homeowners throughout the communities we serve near Hutto.