Skylights are popular and appealing components that roof contractors are often asked to install.

Roofing companies also find that without proper planning, they can become a Pandora’s Box of problems.

To get all of the benefits of installing skylights without the troubles, this advice from professional roof services that are experienced with them should be helpful.

What Are The Different Types of Skylights?

There are multiple types of skylights that roof contractors can install on a residential roof:

Fixed - Windows that do not open or ventilate at all.
Manual Vented - Skylights that can be manually opened for added ventilation.
Electric and Solar Vented - Skylights that open either using electricity or solar power to provide ventilation.
Sun Tunnels/Solar Tubes - Small, round fixed skylights that direct light into the home through reflective metal tubes to light up smaller spaces.

To control the amount of sunlight let in through the glass, some skylights also include:

Sliding shades that can be opened and closed as needed.
A shade or mini-blind that can be added afterward.

What Are Some Benefits of Installing Skylights?

When properly installed by an experienced roof service, skylights can provide homeowners with several important benefits.

Not only do they increase levels of natural light in a room, but that added natural light can provide mood-boosting health benefits as well.

Skylights can illuminate darker spaces in a home to make them brighter and easier to work in while reducing energy bills.

Homeowners may also receive some tax benefits by hiring a roofing company to install a few skylights in their homes to take advantage of free solar light.

What Type of Maintenance Do Skylights Require?

Skylights must be periodically cleaned on the outside so they continue to let high levels of natural light through the roof and into the home.

They should also be inspected by a roofing contractor every year to check the seals and flashing that prevent leaks plus the seals around the glass as well.

Roofers should also clean out any drain holes that may be built into the skylight frame to prevent water from pooling there and causing damage.

What Problems Do Roof Contractors See With Some Skylights?

Because skylights have a reputation for leaking as well as causing serious roofing problems around the installation point, many homeowners who desire them are still hesitant to install them.

In most of these instances, the cause is a poor installation done by a roofing service without the proper training and knowledge to correctly put them in.

Noting this, homeowners who research to find a highly qualified roof company with experience installing skylights have relatively few problems with theirs.

A skylight that is properly installed by a skilled, detail-oriented roofer will last 15 to 20 years or more before the window unit itself should be replaced.

The only other complaint that some homeowners have is the amount of light or heat their skylights let in, an issue that can easily be controlled with a skylight shade or blind.