How often should skylights be replaced?
Short answer. Most quality glass skylights last around 15 to 20 years or more, while older acrylic domes often need replacing sooner, so many homeowners replace a skylight about once per roof. A good rule is to replace it with the roof if it is past roughly 15 years, has fogged glass or has leaked, because the flashing and shingles around it are coming off anyway.
Signs a skylight is done
- Fogging between panes: the insulated glass seal has failed and cannot be fixed in place.
- Cracked, crazed or yellowed acrylic on older dome units.
- Rotted curb or frame wood, often from years of condensation or slow leaks.
- Venting units that no longer open, close or seal, or failed motors and rain sensors.
- Repeated leaks after the flashing has been checked.
Why line it up with the roof
A skylight's flashing kit is woven into the surrounding shingles. Replacing an old skylight a few years after a new roof means cutting into new shingles, and a reroof that keeps a tired skylight leaves the weakest part of the roof in place, since a roofer's workmanship warranty generally does not cover the old unit itself. Matching the two cycles means one tear-off, one flashing job and one interior touch-up.
Options when replacing
- A same-size unit that drops into the existing opening.
- Converting a curb-mounted unit to a lower-profile deck-mounted one.
- Upgrading to laminated, low-E glass for Georgia sun and hail.
- Switching a fixed unit to a venting one with a rain sensor.
- Removing it and decking and shingling over the opening if you no longer want it.
See replacing skylights with the roof and how long a roof lasts in Georgia.