Should sealing of skylights be done by a professional?
After a few years of use, it is not uncommon for the sunroof to no longer close as properly as it did at the beginning. Wooden windows in particular often lose their density over time and become more permeable to drafts and moisture. Now the question is whether it is worth hiring a skylight sealing specialist. In some cases, caulking is not particularly difficult and can be done by qualified craftsmen, even without a professional. But if you want to be sure and want thorough sealing that is performed precisely and guarantees a long life, you should rely on an expert.
How should I seal the skylights myself?
If you decide to seal the skylights yourself, follow the instructions, step by step. First carefully release the window trim. You have to be very careful not to damage the frame. It will have to be reattached later. Move the edges back and forth to loosen the small nails, then pull them out. After removing the frame, clean the joints and check the inside of the window for damage. If there is no major damage, seal the joints with silicone. Then shape the silicone with a knife or fingers and wait until everything is completely dry. Finally, the window and trim are carefully reinstalled.
Is it necessary to seal skylights?
Drafts caused by poor window sealing are not only unpleasant and reduce the quality of life, but also allow heat to escape. If you want to compensate for heat loss through permeable windows, this automatically entails a significant increase in heating costs and increases your energy consumption to a critical level. Another problem: moisture can seep through leaky windows, often causing harmful mold growth that may go unnoticed at first. So, yes, sealing skylights is really necessary for all the reasons mentioned.
Leaking skylights
Sealing of skylights The need to repair skylights arises when it starts to leak and rot. Namely, the skylight starts letting water inside the building at the moment when the wood can no longer absorb it. Then the wood inside the window slowly begins to rot. Roof window repair is carried out in the following six steps: the window is removed from its supports; disassembles into factory parts; clean (from both mechanical and chemical impurities) in order to obtain ideally clean surfaces; then the wooden elements that will replace the rotten parts of the window are cut; after these four procedures, sealing compound is applied (it must be resistant to UV rays, withstand temperatures from -40 to +150 degrees Celsius); after which he begins the process of folding the window and returning it to its place.
What is needed for sealing skylights?
To successfully seal skylights, you need the following equipment: universal silicone, putty knife, water, silicone gun, hammer, pliers and screwdriver. Because there are different requirements for each skylight, sometimes additional tools or materials are needed. If you leave the sealing to a professional, you don”t have to worry about tools. If you want to seal and dismantle the frame yourself, you should arrange another helper.
Checking the sealing of skylights
When it comes to older windows, you should first check how they seal. With the first cold days it is relatively simple. When the window is completely closed, and the room is warm, gently run your hand along all the joints and try to feel if cold air is passing somewhere. The best way to do this is with the back of your hand, which is more sensitive to temperature changes than your palm. The flow of cold air is usually first felt at one of the joints at the bottom of the window, but this does not mean that it is the only problem place. That is where the cold air found its way in, but the question is where it enters. In order to prevent the entry of cold air, you have to ventilate the entire frame, and if it is a window with two sashes, the central joint as well. Sealing is best done with sealing tape, which you can buy at any well-equipped paint store. There are several types of tapes, so judge which ones are best for your window. The rubber bands are good quality, but sometimes they can make it difficult to close the window. They are massive, so in places where the air between the window sash and the frame is minimal, the tape can make it difficult or impossible to close the window. Then sponge strips might be a better solution. They are able to close the gap of several millimeters, but they are soft and compressible, so that they do not interfere with the closing even in places where the gap is minimal.
