Skylights and Solar Tubes in Los Angeles County

Why they leak

Skylights sit in a hole in the roof, so they depend on a metal flashing kit that ties into the roof material in the right order. Cheap installs run a bead of sealant instead. Sealant dries out in this sun in about four years.

The other common cause is condensation. Warm damp air from a bathroom hits cold glass and drips. That is not a leak and no amount of sealant fixes it. It needs a fan and a vent.

Replace with the roof

Skylight units are cheaper to swap while a roof is torn off than as a separate job later. If your skylights are near twenty years old and the roof is going on, replace them at the same time.

Curb mounted units on a raised frame handle low slope roofs better than deck mounted units.

Solar tubes

A solar tube is a small dome on the roof and a reflective tube down to a ceiling lens. It brings daylight into a hall, a closet or a windowless bath for far less than a skylight and with far fewer leak paths.

Most installs take a couple of hours and need no framing changes.