What is the life expectancy of skylights?
Short answer. A quality glass skylight commonly lasts around 15 to 20 years or more, while acrylic dome skylights tend to yellow, craze and crack sooner. Seals and flashing often give out before the frame does, which is why many skylights are reflashed or replaced at the same time as the roof.
What wears out first
- Insulated glass seals: when the seal between panes fails, the unit fogs. It no longer insulates well, and the fog cannot be cleaned out.
- Acrylic domes: sunlight makes them brittle and yellow, and hail cracks them.
- Gaskets and weatherstripping: rubber dries out in attic level heat.
- Motors and screens on venting units.
- Flashing: step flashing corrodes and caulked joints crack.
What shortens skylight life in Georgia
Intense summer sun ages seals and plastics faster. Hail can crack domes and even glass. Pine straw collecting on the uphill side holds water against the flashing. Steamy bathrooms without good exhaust can rot wooden frames from the inside through condensation.
Signs it is near the end
- Fog or moisture between the panes.
- A cracked, cloudy or yellowed dome.
- Water stains in the shaft, especially after wind-driven rain.
- Soft or stained frame wood.
- Drafts, or a venting unit that no longer closes tightly.
Plan it with the roof
A skylight's flashing is woven into the shingles, so replacing the skylight a few years after a new roof means tearing into fresh shingles. If the skylight is around 15 years old or more when the roof is replaced, swapping it then usually costs less overall. See replacing skylights with your roof and how long a roof lasts in Georgia.