Skip the skylight

By Marco Industries. 

While skylights can boost natural light, it’s important to communicate the potential risks. 

Skylights can be an attractive feature for homes and commercial buildings, often marketed for their ability to brighten interior spaces and boost visual appeal with lots of natural light. However, beneath the aesthetic benefits, skylights present a range of potential problems that every roofing contractor should understand and communicate to clients. From chronic leaks to energy inefficiency to safety risks, skylights often create more complications than they’re worth.  

Our team at Marco Industries wants contractors to weigh the costs and challenges before recommending or installing a skylight. 

1 – Leaks 

You guessed it. Leaks are the scourge of skylights, and probably their most well-known negative. Even the average person could name this one. The problem is that seals and flashing can deteriorate over time, giving water an opportunity to slip in. Rain, snow, sleet and debris all make it worse and can accelerate the degradation of your skylight seals. 

Skylights have an additional risk in colder climates. They transfer heat to the roofing material that surrounds them, causing accumulated snow to melt. This results in ice dams which will eventually cause leaks as well. 

Improper installation is also a leading reason why skylights leak. This is a headache for building/homeowners, but it’s also a profit thief for the company responsible for the installation. Leaks caused by improper installation will result in costly callbacks and unsatisfied customers who could easily impact your reputation in the market and sour future business. 

2 - Light exposure 

This may be a surprise as natural lighting is often the number one benefit cited for installing skylights. Unfortunately, there really can be too much of a good thing. In both homes and commercial buildings, the risk of letting in too much light may be greater than you think. The resulting glare and additional UV exposure can negatively impact those living and working in the bright areas while flooring, furniture, artwork and other valuable items can be damaged by the excessive amount of light. 

3 - Energy inefficiency 

A large percentage of your roofing efforts — proper ventilation, sealing, material choice and more — are aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the structure you are working on. Skylights can quickly negate any gains you’ve made. They let heat escape in colder months while letting more heat in during hotter times of the year. It’s just inherent in what they are — windows to the sky — so it’s only natural that they don’t provide the same effective barrier to heat transfer that your other roofing materials do. The impact on heating and cooling costs will certainly be felt. 

4 – Falls 

Many people, homeowners and commercial maintenance workers alike, assume skylights are designed to bear their weight. They are not. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration puts skylights in the same category as other open holes. Standing or sitting on them — or accidentally falling onto them — could cause serious injury or even fatalities. 

5 - Breakage 

There is no doubt modern skylights are better than they used to be in all areas. But they can’t escape the fact that they are holes in the roofing system and are simply more vulnerable than traditional roofing materials. One such drawback is the risk of breakage. Flying debris, hail and other storm-related assaults can more easily crack skylights than punch a hole through the rest of the roof. As the weakest part of the roof, a skylight can also be more susceptible to failure from heavy snowfall and ice. 

By now, you’re thinking we’re anti-skylights. We’re not. They can be beautiful additions to a home or building when designed, placed and installed correctly. But they still come with risks, and that’s what should be considered. Make sure people who are asking you about skylights are aware of the possible hidden costs, from increased roof maintenance and utility costs to the safety concerns skylights can add to a home of building. 

Here at Marco, we don’t offer skylights, but we do offer plenty of solutions that will help with the energy efficiency of your roofing system. Check out the entire Marco Weather-Tite™ System and www.MarcoIndustries.com. To contact us directly, you can email us or give us a call! 

Original article and photo source: Marco Industries