Said It Here

How to fix a leaking skylight after rain

Water leaks around a skylight during a windy rainstorm are typically caused by a compromised seal or flashing at the top of the frame. Inspecting the roof helps identify whether the seal has failed or if additional flashing like a cricket is needed to divert water away from the opening.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    tarping the skylight up to the ridge with sandbags as a temporary fix
  2. 2
    replacing the skylight and flashing it correctly
  3. 3
    Replacing the head wall flashing with a much larger piece
  4. 4
    Building a cricket
  5. 5
    Building up the curb and using a custom metal cap or EPDM rubber membrane to cover the seam

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

We had a bad windy rainstorm a few days ago and discovered a leak inside our house below the skylight.source ↗

I climbed up on the roof the next day to check how the skylight is sealed and it appears that the seal has been compromised.source ↗

Lossamel · r/Roofing · 2 upvotes

Ok, so the roof is certainly leaking at the top of this skylight.source ↗

I’m looking at the spot right now. I’m trying to imagine if a cricket would work.source ↗

PotatoAcrobatic3389 · r/Roofing · 2 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised