Skylight Repairs Tipperary: Diagnosed Properly, Fitted to Last
What Actually Causes Real Skylight Leaks
When it is a genuine leak, it's almost always one of three things.
Flashing failure is the most common — the metal flashing kit around a skylight (typically head flashing above, sill flashing below, and step flashing woven into the roof covering along the sides) is what actually keeps water out, not the skylight unit itself, and flashing loosens, corrodes, or was fitted incorrectly to begin with.
Perished seals and gaskets — the rubber and sealant around an older skylight degrade with age and UV exposure, and once that seal goes, water finds its way in at the frame even though the glass itself is fine.
Mismatched or reused flashing kits — this is the one that catches people out most, particularly after a re-roof: fitting a skylight with a flashing kit that doesn't match the specific roof covering and pitch, or reusing old flashing when the roof around it has been replaced, is a very common and entirely avoidable cause of a brand-new-feeling leak.
How We Handle a Skylight Repair
We start by establishing whether it's condensation or an actual leak, since the fix is completely different for each — condensation points to ventilation in the room below, not a roof repair at all.
If it's a genuine leak, we check the flashing first, since that's the majority of real causes, looking specifically at whether the flashing kit matches the roof covering and pitch correctly and whether it's been integrated properly with the surrounding slates or tiles, not just caulked over the join.
Where the flashing's the issue, we supply and fit the correct kit for the specific roof type — not a universal strip stretched to fit. Where the skylight unit itself has failed — perished seals, damaged glazing, or a unit that's simply reached end of life — we advise honestly on repair versus replacement rather than defaulting to the more expensive option.
What Separates a Proper Skylight Job From a Corner-Cut One
The clearest tell is whether the flashing kit is actually matched to the roof covering and pitch, or whether it's whatever's quickest to hand.
Fitting a generic flashing kit to a roof type it wasn't designed for is a fast way to create a leak that looks like bad luck a year later but was actually a mismatch from day one.
The second tell, especially relevant after a re-roof: does the flashing get replaced properly, integrated with the new covering, or does an installer just reuse the old flashing to save time — a shortcut that very often surfaces as a leak within the first year or two of a new roof.
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Photos Of Our Recent Roofing Jobs
Questions People Ask About Skylight Repairs
How do I know if it's actually a leak or just condensation?
Timing is the main clue — condensation shows up on cold, still mornings regardless of rainfall, while a real leak appears during or just after rain. If you're not sure, we'll check both possibilities on inspection rather than assuming.
My skylight is only a few years old — can it really be leaking already?
Yes, unfortunately, and it's often not the unit's fault. A mismatched or improperly integrated flashing kit can cause a leak on a relatively new skylight, particularly if it was fitted during a re-roof where the flashing wasn't matched correctly to the new covering.
Do you need to replace the whole skylight, or can you just fix the flashing?
Depends what's actually failing. If the skylight unit itself is sound and the issue is the flashing or seals around it, a repair is usually the right and cheaper call. Full replacement only makes sense when the unit itself has reached end of life.
I had my roof redone recently and now the skylight leaks — is that connected?
Very possibly, yes. Reusing old flashing during a re-roof, or fitting a kit that isn't matched to the new covering, is one of the most common causes of a skylight starting to leak right after roofing work, even though the skylight itself hasn't changed.
Can you supply and fit a new skylight, or only repair existing ones?
Yes, we supply and fit Velux skylights as well as repair existing ones — matched with the correct flashing kit for your specific roof pitch and covering from the outset.
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What Actually Affects the Price Of Repairing Your Skylight
Type of issue is the biggest factor — resealing or minor flashing repair on an existing, correctly matched installation is a modest job; a full flashing kit replacement, particularly if it involves reworking surrounding slates or tiles, costs more.
Roof pitch and access — a skylight on a steep or high section of roof takes longer to work safely than one on an easily accessible lower pitch.
Skylight condition — if the unit itself has failed rather than just the flashing, full replacement costs more than a flashing repair, and we'll be upfront about which one your situation actually needs.
Integration with surrounding roofing — matching and re-laying slate or tile around a skylight properly takes more time than a straightforward flashing swap on a simpler roof covering.
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