Snow coming in through skylight

We had our roof redone a year+ ago, as well as new skylights to replace the old. Last winter didn’t really test it out, but here we are on the first reasonable snow of the season and there’s snow blowing through the skylight vents, and the hall is freezing. Doesn’t seem right. This happen to anyone else? What’s a stopgap while I contact the guys that did the work?

AstralOil

in Roofing 11 years and 6 months ago

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AstralOil | 11 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks for all the input. It did seem like the work had been done well, so I was a little surprised – but indeed it just looks like our place is missing the panel that used to go at the bottom of the skylight dome. The old skylight had been sealed up with layers of tar and tape, so we’d never seen anything coming through before, but that’s also why it needed to be replaced- Anyway, we’ve wrapped it for the season and all seems well. Appreciate all the wisdom.

BobMarvin | 11 years and 6 months ago

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DIBS, Many skylights [such as mine] have leaded. or other original decorative glass panels, in place which, I’d imagine, have an anti-heatloss function similar to the plexi you suggest.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 6 months ago

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Wrap the outside in bubble wrap. More importantly though is the heat loss. I installed a piece of plexiglass at the bottom of the skylight shaft where I just fit in a piece during the winter to prevent heat loss.

BobMarvin | 11 years and 6 months ago

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I ended up having just a few drops of water come in overnight. Snow blowing into skylight housings is yet another charming aspect of old house life 🙂

BobMarvin | 11 years and 6 months ago

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The way I can tell if there’s a real blizzard is if snow blows through my skylight housing, melts on the stained glass below, and water starts to drip. It’s only happened a half dozen times in the nearly 40 years we’ve owned the house and hasn’t done any damage, although the first time (IIRC in the twin blizzards of Jan. and Feb. 1978) was kind of upsetting, until I figured out what was happening. FWIW it hasn’t happened (yet) tonight.

williamsburgguys | 11 years and 6 months ago

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Like lots of snow, or just flurries when the wind blows? Most of the vented skylights have slanted vent fins which handle falling rain just fine, but hard blowing snow can enter them but shouldn’t be a lot. If I go up into my attic and look at the skylight during blowing snow I will see a few tiny flurries making it in. Like suburban homes with the round whirly things as well as eave vents (my old homeplace was in the south where we had these), you either have to climb on the roof every winter and seal them over with garbage bags and duct tape, or else live with the air being exchanged and the occasional snowflakes. Generally it isn’t enough to actually wet anything down or drip but could if it were prolonged I suppose. I remember one sleet/hail storm in the south (not in winter) that the air was so calm those whirly things weren’t moving at all and we got ice in the attic pretty bad which did melt and leak through. The typical row house stairway skylight simply has openings in the top to allow air to vent out of the attic and keep falling water from coming in. They don’t account for upward blowing flakes. Also by not having them covered over in winter, the wind causes a lot of air exchange to be sucked up and out of your attic and maybe the hallway over the skylight area. I don’t usually cover my skylight vents either but my house is all open where the entry hall is simply part of the whole house and has a radiator behind the vestibule door. You might want to think about covering it for the winters if its causing issues.