Leak After New Roof Skylight Flashing Kit Installed

To fix a leaky skylight.

Leak after new roof skylight flashing kit installed.

Use a putty knife to add a layer of roofing cement in the gap between the edge of the flashing and the roofing. The flashing is nailed to the roof and it is critical that the nail placement is proper or it will result in leaks. Next pry off the old shingles carefully pulling nails to save the flashing. Use a caulking gun that is filled with roofing cement and push it up under the shingle where the flashing coincides with the roofing felt.

Then lift the roof shingles away from the edges of the skylight so you can access the flashing. Look for cracks in the base of flexible rubber flashing or broken seams in metal varieties of vent pipe flashing. The other issue is if the installer nailed the shingles through the flashing then those nails could start rusting and cause a skylight to leak. On other models you simply unscrew a metal channel from the curb.

The rubber gasket that surrounds the vent pipe could be rotted. To reassemble follow the steps as outlined by the photos and you ll have a leakproof installation. Check plumbing vent boots and roof vents if water is entering from that area to cause the leaking roof. On a shingle roof the flashing will get clogged with debris and in turn the water will get diverted under the shingles where it could start leaking.

Seal flashing around a leaking skylight start by clearing any water or debris that has collected between the roofing and flashing. On some units you have to remove the whole glass frame lead photo below.