The Proper Way to Fix a Skylight from Leaking
The first step we take in a skylight repair is to diagnose the issue. Is it the skylight, the flashing, the roof, or something else that is causing the leak. It’s easy to blame the skylight, but more often than not, something else is the culprit.
We check to see what the width of the flashing is, if it has stepped flashing or continuous flashing, if the flashing is laced into the shingles properly, if it is tarred, the condition of the roof, are there any other vents or chimneys that might be the issues, etc…
We do not recommend covering either the flashing or the skylight with tar or other mastic type materials. This is at best a temporary fix and makes it more expensive and difficult to repair properly.
In most cases, we replace the flashing. If the skylight itself is the problem then we either re-build the skylight or replace it depending upon the make, age and condition of the skylight.
