Leaking Skylight or Condensation? We Help You Decide

Leaking Skylight or Condensation? We Help You Decide

Leaking skylight or condensation? How to diagnose before getting a builder in

Condensation can easily be confused for a leak but in order to fix the issue, you need to know which of the two is causing water to drip into your home.

If you tend to notice water dripping during extreme temperature changes, rather than when it is raining, then it is likely that condensation rather than a leak is responsible.

Condensation

Condensation is a sign that you have excessive moisture in your home. It’s most noticeable when there is a big temperature difference between the inside and outside of your home, like during winter.

Condensation may be affecting other parts of your home, like the walls or ceiling, but the window is one of the easiest places to spot it. Other signs of condensation include mildew and peeling or blistered paint.

You can prevent condensation by improving the insulation and ventilation in your home.

Leaks

If you realise you have a leak, you need to know what is causing it because this will determine how it’s fixed.

If you notice the leak when it is raining, then this is likely to be caused by tiles being damaged, deteriorating or being installed incorrectly. Improper flashing or siding installation could also be responsible, or perhaps your window sills have been damaged. To fix the problem you need to hire a roofer.

Ice dams are another possible cause of leaking. They are created when warm air escapes into the attic and melts snow on the roof which later solidifies into an ice sheet like a glacier. You may notice you have icicles hanging off the edge of your roof when you have an ice dam.

To prevent ice dams you need to reduce the amount of warm air escaping and melting snow on the roof.

Frost or condensation build up

Another option to consider is that you may have frost or condensation building up in your attic. This is easy to mistake for a leak.

To fix this, you need to prevent air leaking into the attic and improve the insulation and ventilation, so moist air can escape from the roof.

For more information, talk to our experts

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your rooflights maintenance, please call 0116 214 7066 to speak to one of our experts.