Humble Roof & Leak
Houston, Texas

Skylight leaks in Houston

Skylights leak at the flashing kit or the perimeter seal far more often than through the glass itself. The unit sits proud of the roof plane and interrupts the water path, so everything depends on how the flashing was stepped into the surrounding courses. Water showing at the corners of the opening inside is the classic sign. Condensation on the inside of the pane is a different problem entirely — that is ventilation, not a leak, and sealing the outside will not touch it.

Call (706) 696-1888 Harris County

What the job involves

  • Inspection of the flashing kit, head, sill and side step flashing
  • Assessment of the perimeter seal and any sealant previously applied
  • Reflashing rather than resealing where the kit has failed
  • Ventilation check if the moisture is condensation rather than ingress

Signs you need it

  • Drips at the corners of the skylight opening
  • Staining on the plasterboard reveal around the window
  • Moisture between the panes of the glazing unit

Why roofs fail in Houston and Harris County

Houston is close enough to the Gulf to take the full force of tropical systems, and that is the storm profile that sets everything else. Hurricane wind is sustained for hours rather than gusting, which does something different to a roof — it works shingle tabs loose over an extended period and drives rain horizontally under courses that would shed any normal downpour. Then the heat and humidity do the slow damage. Roofs across Harris County run hot for most of the year, which ages the shingle and hardens every rubber and sealant component on it, and the humidity means that anything which gets wet inside the roof structure stays wet. A small leak here does considerably more damage over the same period than the same leak would further north, and mould becomes a problem much sooner.

Houston has a population of about 2,397,315, and the housing stock here sets the pattern for what fails first on a roof.

Questions about skylight leaks in Houston

Is condensation on my skylight a leak?

No. Moisture on the room-side face of the glass is warm damp air meeting a cold surface, and it is a ventilation problem. Moisture trapped between the panes means the sealed unit has failed and the glazing needs replacing. Neither is fixed by working on the roof.

Can an old skylight be reflashed, or does it need replacing?

If the unit itself is sound it can be reflashed, which is far cheaper. Replacement makes sense when the frame has rotted, the seal between panes has gone, or the unit is old enough that matching flashing is no longer available.

Other roofing work in Houston

Everything we cover in Houston →

Skylight leaks nearby

All areas for skylight leaks →

Describe what you are seeing

You will get a straight answer on whether Houston needs someone out today or whether it can wait — before anyone quotes you for anything.

Call (706) 696-1888
Call (706) 696-1888