Skylight Leak Repair
Skylight Leak Repair in Wilmington DE
A skylight should bring daylight in, not water. When one starts dripping — or staining the drywall around it — the cause is usually failed flashing or a broken seal, not a bad skylight. We repair leaking skylights across Wilmington, DE, fixing the actual failure so the light stays and the water stays out.
Service overview
Why do skylights leak?
Skylights leak for three main reasons: failed flashing where the skylight meets the roof, a broken seal between the glass and the frame letting water into the unit itself, or condensation mistaken for a leak. Each has a different fix — which is why correct diagnosis comes before any repair.
A skylight is a hole in your roof with glass in it, and every edge of that hole is a potential water entry. The flashing system — step flashing woven into the shingles along the sides, head flashing across the top, apron flashing at the bottom — is what actually keeps water out. On Wilmington's older installations, that flashing is often original to a 20-plus-year-old skylight: corroded, lifted, or buried under layers of roofing tar from past patch attempts.
The skylight unit itself ages too. The seal between the glass panes and the frame breaks down under Delaware's UV exposure and thermal cycling, letting water into the frame channels where it eventually finds its way inside. You will see this as dripping from the frame corners or fogging between panes — different symptoms from flashing failure, and a different repair.
Then there is condensation, the great imitator. Warm, moist indoor air hits the cold skylight glass on winter mornings and drips — looking exactly like a roof leak. Wilmington's older homes with limited bathroom and kitchen ventilation are prime candidates. Repairing flashing will not fix condensation; improving ventilation and humidity control will. Knowing which problem you have saves you from paying for the wrong repair.
Curb-mounted versus deck-mounted skylights matter for the repair approach. Curb-mounted units sit on a raised wooden curb with flashing wrapped around it — the most common type on Wilmington's shingle roofs, and the most repairable. Deck-mounted (curb-free) units sit closer to the roof plane with a lower profile flashing kit. We work with both, but the flashing rebuild technique differs, and we will explain which type you have during the assessment.
Practical benefits
Why fix a leaking skylight properly
Skylight leaks punish delay more than most roof problems. Here is what a proper repair protects.
Stops hidden structural damage
Skylight leaks soak the curb framing, surrounding decking and attic insulation — often for months before a stain appears on the ceiling below. Proper repair stops the slow rot that a bucket under the drip never addresses.
Ends the patch cycle
Tube after tube of roofing tar around a skylight is the classic sign of misdiagnosis. Rebuilding the flashing correctly once ends years of recurring leaks and repeated patching.
Preserves the daylight
Homeowners sometimes consider removing a leaking skylight entirely. A correct repair keeps the natural light you originally wanted — usually at a fraction of the disruption of removal and re-roofing the opening.
Protects interior finishes
Drywall, paint and trim around a skylight are expensive to redo repeatedly. Fixing the water entry once protects every interior repair that follows.
How service works
Our skylight leak repair process
Diagnosis first, then the right repair. Here is the sequence.
STEP 01
Leak source diagnosis
We determine whether you have a flashing failure, a seal failure, or condensation — using water testing where needed. The repair plan depends entirely on this answer.
Tools and methods
Tools and methods for skylight repairs
Skylight flashing kits
Manufacturer-profile step and head flashing sized to your unit — far more reliable than hand-bent generic flashing at a skylight.
Ice-and-water shield
Self-adhering membrane wrapped around the curb and opening before flashing goes on — the last line of defense if wind-driven rain gets past the metal.
Pry bars and shingle lifters
Remove surrounding shingles without tearing them, so the repair integrates invisibly into the existing roof.
Moisture meter
Checks the curb framing and surrounding decking for hidden saturation before we close everything back up.
Hose water testing
Controlled water testing isolates the entry point — flashing versus seal versus condensation — when the source is not obvious.
Compatible sealants
UV-stable, roofing-rated sealants at terminations — never asphalt tar, which cracks and traps moisture against the unit.
Where this service fits
When to call about a skylight
Dripping during rain, dry otherwise.
The classic flashing or seal failure pattern. If it only leaks when it rains, water is entering from outside — and the repair is in the flashing or the unit seal.
Staining around the skylight frame.
Brown rings on the drywall or wood trim around the unit mean water has been entering for a while. The longer the stain has been there, the more likely the curb framing needs attention too.
Dripping on cold mornings, even without rain.
That is condensation, not a roof leak — warm indoor air meeting cold glass. The fix is ventilation and humidity control, not flashing work, and we will tell you honestly which one you have.
Local execution
Skylights in Wilmington homes
Wilmington's skylights reflect the eras they were installed in — and each era has its characteristic failure.
Trolley Square
Older bubble and fixed skylights on Victorian-era roofs, many past their service life. Flashing is often original and corroded; we rebuild the detail and advise honestly when the unit itself is done.
The Highlands
1980s and 90s additions with curb-mounted fixed skylights now hitting the age where seals fail. The pattern: fogged glass plus frame-corner drips, fixed with flashing rebuild and unit assessment.
Forty Acres
Kitchen and bathroom vent skylights in mid-century homes, where condensation complaints are common. We diagnose condensation versus leak before recommending anything.
Riverfront
Newer low-profile deck-mounted units on modern construction. Fewer age failures, but installation-detail issues — poorly integrated flashing kits — do show up and get corrected.
Baynard Village
Mixed stock with many owner-installed or handyman-installed skylights over the decades. These get the full diagnostic treatment because the original flashing work is often improvised.
Problems we solve
Skylight problems we repair
The failure patterns behind nearly every leaking skylight we see in Wilmington.
Failed step flashing
The most common cause, full stop. Step flashing woven into the shingle courses corrodes, lifts, or was never installed correctly — sometimes skipped entirely on older or DIY installations. We strip back to the curb and rebuild the full flashing system: step flashing up both sides, head flashing across the top, apron flashing below, all tied into ice-and-water shield.
Broken unit seals
When the seal between glass and frame fails, water enters the skylight's own channels and drips from the frame — often mistaken for a flashing leak. We verify with water testing; if the unit seal has failed, we explain your options honestly, including when the practical answer is replacing the skylight unit itself while keeping the existing curb and flashing work.
Condensation misdiagnosed as leaks
Winter-morning dripping with no rain is condensation: warm moist air condensing on cold glass. We check ventilation — bath fans venting into the attic instead of outside are a classic Wilmington finding — and recommend the humidity and airflow fixes that actually solve it, rather than selling flashing work you do not need.
A practical standard for every visit.
Clear planningPrepared arrivalsCareful workLocal follow-through
Experience in the details
How we approach skylight leaks
The cardinal rule of skylight work: diagnose before you touch anything. Most skylight money wasted in this town went to flashing repairs for condensation problems, or tar for flashing problems.
- Water testing to distinguish flashing failure, seal failure and condensation.
- Full flashing rebuilds — not tar, not caulk lines — when flashing is the problem.
- Curb and decking inspection with every exposure; rot gets repaired, not covered.
- Honest assessment of the unit itself: when the skylight is done, we say so.
- Photo documentation of the rebuilt detail before shingles go back on.
Common in this area
Common skylight leak scenarios
What Wilmington homeowners notice, and how each situation is typically resolved.
Drip from the skylight frame every time it rains
Symptom: Water beading at the frame corners and dripping onto the floor below, starting sometime after a heavy rain begins. Typical fix: Flashing rebuild: old step flashing removed, curb and decking checked and repaired, new flashing woven into the shingles with ice-and-water shield at the opening, then water-tested.
Brown stain spreading on the ceiling around the skylight
Symptom: A growing discolored ring on drywall surrounding the unit, paint starting to bubble at the edges. Typical fix: Full exposure of the curb area, repair of any rotted framing or decking found beneath, flashing rebuild, and guidance on the interior drywall repair that should follow once the leak is confirmed stopped.
Water on the sill on cold mornings with no rain
Symptom: Droplets on the skylight sill and frame on winter mornings, disappearing by midday. Typical fix: Condensation diagnosis: ventilation and humidity assessment, checking that bath and kitchen fans vent outside properly, and recommending airflow improvements instead of roof work.
Where we work
One local team. A lot of ground covered.
Downtown WilmingtonHistoric DistrictTrolley SquareHighlandsBaynard VillageRiverfrontForty AcresBrandywine Village
Check my address Timing is the clue. If it leaks only when it rains, water is entering from outside — a flashing or seal problem. If it drips on cold mornings with no rain, especially in winter, that is condensation from warm indoor air hitting cold glass. We confirm with inspection and water testing so the repair matches the actual cause.
Most can be repaired. Flashing failures are fully repairable with a proper flashing rebuild, and many seal issues can be addressed. Replacement of the unit enters the picture when the skylight itself is at the end of its service life — fogged glass, deteriorated frames, obsolete parts. We assess the unit honestly and explain both paths.
Because the failure is in the flashing's wind-driven-rain defense. Light rain runs down the roof surface and the compromised flashing still sheds it; wind pushes water sideways and uphill, under lifted flashing edges and into gaps. This pattern points squarely at flashing that needs rebuilding, not just resealing.
No — a skylight should never leak. But it is common: flashing and seals have a finite service life, and Wilmington's thermal cycling and nor'easters age them faster. A leak is always a sign something has failed, even if it seems minor. Small leaks become curb rot if ignored.
Curb-mounted skylights sit on a raised wooden curb, with flashing wrapped around the curb — the most common type on Wilmington shingle roofs and the most straightforward to re-flash. Deck-mounted units sit nearly flush with the roof deck using a low-profile flashing kit. The repair technique differs, and we identify your type during diagnosis.
No. We carefully lift the surrounding shingles, complete the flashing work, and re-lay them with proper sealing. Shingles that are too brittle to lift safely are replaced with matching material. The finished repair blends into the existing roof.
Most skylight flashing rebuilds are completed in a day, including water testing. If rotted curb framing or decking is discovered underneath, that gets repaired too, which can extend the work — but you will know before we proceed, with photos of what we found.
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Related Services
Your next step is waiting
Skylight leaking? Get the right diagnosis.
Call The Roof Medics. We will determine whether it is flashing, seals or condensation — and fix the actual problem, so your skylight goes back to bringing in light instead of water.
Start with the basics
Contact Us for Roof Repair
Reach out to us for any roof repair needs. We are available Monday to Friday and respond quickly to inquiries.