A Westchase homeowner recently reached out to us after a mysterious water mark started spreading across her living room ceiling. We later found out the cause of the water mark was a skylight above her living room that she hadn’t touched in years.
By the time I got there the water had gone milky and was starting to warp the drywall around the light well. The skylight itself was fine, it was the flashing that had pulled away at one corner.
We fix this kind of damage all the time. Skylight repair calls in Tampa are more frequent than you might expect, especially after a rough storm season.
Common Reasons Skylights Need Repair
Skylights fail for a few predictable reasons. Understanding which one applies to your situation helps us move faster once we’re on the roof.
Flashing failure is the most common cause of skylight leaks. Flashing is the metal that seals the gap between the skylight frame and the roofing material. Over time, it can lift, crack, or separate. Once water finds that gap, it follows the path down into your ceiling.
Seal degradation happens at the glazing perimeter. The seal that holds the glass or acrylic to the frame dries out over the years, especially under Tampa’s UV exposure. When it goes, water gets between the pane and the frame.
Cracked or clouded glazing is more visible. If you can see discoloration, yellowing, or actual cracks in the skylight lens, the unit is letting in moisture and UV in ways it was not designed to.
Curb rot affects wood-curbed skylights. If your home has an older skylight where the frame sits on a wooden curb, that wood can rot from repeated wet-and-dry cycles. Once the curb softens, nothing stays sealed.
Skylight Repair vs. Skylight Replacement
When is it wise to fix and when is it wise to replace? We get this question a lot.
A skylight less than 15 years old with problems limited to flashing or sealant is a candidate for repair. The glazing and frame are probably fine and will last another decade with a little focused work to fix the problem at hand.
A cracked, deeply yellowed or delaminated glazing surface can easily be repaired with a patch. However, replacing the glazing will give you a better result for only a little more money at this stage.
You should replace a curb or frame that is rotted or damaged rather than re-sealing over it as that will just delay the problem occurring again.
Our opinion, for what it is worth, will be honestly shared with you.
What Skylight Repair Looks Like on Tampa Roofs
Care is needed to lift the tiles around the work area, re-flash, and re-bed the tiles without cracking them. It is very detailed work and is important to get it right.
In Brandon and Carrollwood, shingle roofs typically get the shingles peeled back around the skylight, the step flashing removed and replaced, and the curb re-sealed. New shingles are then installed over the fresh flashing.
Modified bitumen or TPO-compatible flashing is required for flat-roof skylights in commercial areas or in modern homes. The type of flashing to be used depends on the type of roof covering.
Storm Damage and Emergency Skylight Repair
Hurricane season in Tampa runs from June 1 to November 30. After major storms such as these, we get a flood of calls for skylight repair in Tampa, most often from people whose minor leak has become a serious problem.
If a severe storm comes through and you see water intrusion at a skylight, do not wait. Water sitting against wood framing does its damage quickly, especially in our humidity.
We do emergency assessments after named storms. If your skylight took a hit from wind or debris, call us.
Signs You Need Skylight Repair
The water staining on the ceiling immediately below the skylight is obvious, but there are many earlier signs of roof problems that need to be recognized.
Unusual condensation inside the glass that does not clear is an indication that the seal between the glass has failed and the unit has become de-vitrified and is now an insulated unit.
A draft of cold air entering a room through a skylight in winter indicates that a seal in the frame has opened up.
Soft or discolored drywall surrounding the light well area, even without visible drips, indicates moisture has entered and been present for some time.
Visible rust on the flashing indicates that the flashing is nearing the end of its service life.
Schedule a Skylight Repair Assessment
We service the Tampa area, including South Tampa, Hyde Park, Westchase, Lutz, Brandon, Wesley Chapel, and Carrollwood. We can come out and give you an assessment of your skylight and let you know if it is leaking or needs to be replaced.
We do Tampa skylight repair. Avatar Roofing will come out, take a look at your skylights and give you an honest assessment of any repairs that are necessary to get them functioning again.
