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Skylight and Roof Window Repair in San Diego, CA

Re-sealing, re-flashing or replacing skylights and roof windows, with the kerb, the flashing and the ceiling below checked for water that has already entered.

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  • Coastal and tile roofs
  • San Diego County
  • Roof repair and replacement

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Skylight Repair

Skylight and Roof Window Repair: what it covers

Quick answer

Skylight and roof window repair fixes the leaks around a glazed roof opening: the seal at the frame, the flashing at the kerb, the glazing itself and the ceiling below. Most skylight leaks start at the flashing rather than at the glass, and the repair is chosen after the water path has been traced from the stain to the opening.

Skylight and Roof Window Repair illustration for San Diego, CA

A skylight is a window set into a roof, and it has all the joints of a roof and all the joints of a window. Water can enter at the frame, the flashing at the kerb, the glazing or the seal between them, and each one shows a different stain in the room below.

Clairemont and Linda Vista are mid-city neighborhoods, and many of their houses have original roof openings, some with older acrylic domes and some with flashing that predates current practice. Those openings are checked for the kerb and the seal before any glazing is replaced.

Call (833) 751-2102 and say whether the stain is directly below the skylight or several feet away. The position of the stain tells the technician whether the water is entering at the opening or running along the framing from somewhere else.

Service area
San Diego & San Diego County
Availability
Phones answered 24/7
Warning signs

Signs you need skylight and roof window repair

Skylights can crack under a person's weight, and the glass is a fall hazard. Never step on a skylight or a dome, and keep children and pets away from openings while the work is under way. Use a proper ladder and fall protection on the roof.

  • A stain on the ceiling directly under the skylight, often in a ring
  • Condensation or water between the two panes of a double-glazed unit
  • A cracked or yellowed acrylic dome
  • A kerb flashing that has lifted at one corner or shows a gap
  • Sealant that has cracked or pulled away from the frame
  • Water running down the inside face of the skylight frame after rain
Our process

How our skylight and roof window repair visit works

  1. Check the glazing and the seal

    The unit is inspected from inside and outside for cracks, condensation between panes, a yellowed dome or a failed seal. The frame is checked for rot or distortion around the glazing.

  2. Lift the flashing and inspect the kerb

    The covering around the kerb is lifted where needed, and the step flashing and curb flashing are checked for lapping and rust. The kerb itself is inspected for rot and for any gap at the corners.

  3. Re-seal, re-flash or replace

    A seal is replaced where it has failed, the flashing is re-made where it is lifted, and the glazing is replaced where it is cracked or clouded. Each change is matched to the existing unit so the opening works as it did.

  4. Test with water and check the ceiling

    The repaired opening is tested with a controlled spray from above and watched from inside. The ceiling below is checked afterward for any water that entered before the repair, and the result is recorded.

Where do most skylight leaks start?

Most leaks start at the flashing around the kerb, not at the glass. The flashing is the join between the window and the roof covering, and it is where water tends to find a route.

A kerb that is lapped the wrong way round, or that has lost its sealant at one corner, lets water run behind the flashing and down the frame. The stain then appears on the ceiling some distance from the opening.

A cracked dome or a failed seal lets water in more directly, and the stain is usually immediately below the unit. The technician looks at both before deciding which one is the source.

Flashing on a skylight is often a combination of metal and a sealant, and the sealant is the part that ages fastest in the sun. Once it cracks, the metal is no longer the only barrier. A technician checks the sealant along every joint and replaces the sections where it has cracked, since a joint sealed on the outside is easy to re-seal but hard to reach from inside once the stain has spread.

What does condensation between the panes mean?

Condensation between the panes means the seal has failed and moist air has entered the unit. It does not usually mean the roof is leaking, but it does mean the glazing has lost its insulating value.

A seal that has failed cannot be cleaned or dried out. The unit must be replaced or re-sealed by the maker, and the technician records the failure so the owner knows the reason.

A skylight with fogged panes can still be watertight. The two faults are different and are checked separately.

Condensation can also be a sign of poor ventilation in the room below rather than a fault in the unit. Steam from a bathroom or a kitchen that does not vent to the outside can reach a skylight and condense on the glass, and that is a different fault from a failed seal. The technician checks the room's ventilation before deciding the unit is the cause.

Why are older openings checked before the glazing is replaced?

Older openings may have flashing that does not match current glazing, and a new unit fitted to an old kerb can leak at the first join. The kerb is checked and corrected before the new glazing goes in.

A kerb that is out of square, rotted at the corners or fixed with an old bituminous strip will not hold a new flashing well. The technician looks at the kerb's condition first.

The owner is told when the kerb must be replaced as well as the glazing, so the choice is made on the frame rather than only on the glass.

A replacement unit may also differ in its height above the covering. A taller unit needs a deeper kerb and a longer flashing, and a shorter one needs a different lap. The technician measures the existing opening and the new unit's specification and writes the difference into the scope, so the flashing is made to fit.

How is the ceiling below checked?

The ceiling below an opening is checked for staining, soft plasterboard and moisture in the joists. Any wet material is marked and dried before the ceiling is closed.

A stain that has dried shows the water has entered before. The technician notes its size and position and checks whether it has grown since the last rain.

Once the opening is repaired, the ceiling is watched through the next rain. The owner is asked to report any new mark so a second route can be found if one exists.

Where the stain is far from the opening, the technician looks for a second route. Water can enter the attic at the skylight, run along a rafter for several feet and drop through the ceiling somewhere else. Tracing the wet framing from the stain back to the skylight is the step that confirms whether the opening is the source or only one part of the problem.

Options

Types and options for skylight and roof window repair

Seal and flashing repair

The most common repair: the glazing is sound but the seal or the kerb flashing has failed. The work is quick and the flashing is re-made with the covering lapped over it.

Glazing replacement

The unit is cracked, clouded or has failed between its panes, and the glazing is replaced with a unit that matches the opening.

Full skylight replacement

The unit and its kerb are replaced when the frame is rotted or when the opening no longer fits the flashing. It is a larger job and is scoped with the covering around it.

San Diego County

Why skylight and roof window repair is different in San Diego County

Clairemont is a mid-city neighborhood built largely in the 1950s and 1960s, and its houses are the ones most likely to carry an original roof opening.

Linda Vista sits on a mesa north of Mission Valley in ZIP 92111, and its houses are checked for the same kerb and seal faults.

Skylights in the city take the same sun and heat as the rest of the roof, so the seals are checked for drying and cracking as well as for water.

Older roof openings on the mid-century houses of the city are checked against the current flashing practice, since a kerb built for an earlier unit may not take a modern flashing without adjustment.

Need skylight and roof window repair today?

Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.

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Where we work

Skylight and Roof Window Repair across San Diego County

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Related

Salt-Air Metal Flashing Repair

Replacing corroded metal flashing, vent collars and drip edges on San Diego roofs close to the ocean, with fasteners and sealants chosen for salt exposure.

Rain Leak Diagnosis

Tracing a roof leak back from the ceiling stain to the place water enters, with photographs and moisture readings kept for the repair and any claim.

Attic Heat and Ventilation

Adding or clearing soffit intake, ridge and gable vents so the attic moves air in hot weather and the roof covering runs cooler from below.

Pre-Sale Roof Inspection

A roof walk and attic check that records the covering, flashing, vents and deck for a seller or buyer, with the limits of the inspection stated plainly.

Guides

Read before you book

FAQ

Skylight and Roof Window Repair FAQs

Why does my skylight leak only when it rains hard?

A heavy rain drives water into a flashing joint that a light rain does not reach. The fault is usually a lifted flashing or a failed seal at the kerb.

Can a skylight be sealed without replacing it?

Often, if the glazing and the frame are sound and the fault is at the seal or the flashing. The technician says so once the fault is traced.

Is condensation between the panes a leak?

Not usually, but it means the seal has failed. The unit should be checked, since a failed seal can be the first sign of a larger problem with the frame.

Can the skylight be fitted with a new flashing alone?

If the frame and glazing are sound, a new flashing can be enough. The technician checks the kerb and the seal first and explains the choice on the scope.

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