Sky Light Protection

[sprink52]

I am very well prepared but have a sky light over my living room that is framed into the roof. It is rectangular plexiglass bubble about 18 x 36 inches. Any ideas about protecting this thing or do I need to? We came thru Frances and Jeanne with no problems.

[HurriCat]

If it's taken weather already and is still tight (no leaking), then it sounds reliable. It sounds low-profile, and presenting little surface areas for strikes. The curving shape helps, too, for angling things away instead of allowing a real head-on impact.

What I would do, is to make sure you have some heavy plastic (like those jumbo "contractor cleanup" bags) to secure over the opening if it does take damage. You can get these bags in a clear form that will still allow some light in, and should last for a while. The really thick, black bags or sheeting will last the longest. Otherwise, you could use a small tarp over the opening, and try to tack it down with roofing nails around the edge of the skylight frame as to minimize roof puncturing. You want the roofing nails with the plastic caps on them, which are harder to pull-through the plastic or tarp material. If your roof is really torn up, and being tarped, then obviously you can just tarp the whole thing over as you go. If the skylight "area" has leaks and damage in addition to the dome itself, you could use one good sized tarp and frame it's edges with those small wood strips as seen on roofs everywhere after last season. These kinds of repairs can last, so you could just wait until another leak develops before calling for "pro" repairs. Otherwise, this can buy you time as those same pros are going to be very busy after a big storm.

If the light "dome" is intact, but the edges have developed leaks, then check into a silicone or roofing type caulk product. Some of this will go on with the caulking gun. I got about a half dozen tubes of this black rubbery roofing patch and was on the roof after Frances. I know for sure that I stopped five or six small leaks. I guessed at the locations and hit the shingle edges and any exposed roofing-nail heads in the areas. Just take your time, do it when the wind isn't too bad, and don't chase a rolling tube of caulk off of the rooftop! (thud.) My caulk-gun repairs held up from Jeanne until seventeen weeks after we signed a roofing contract in December 2004 (just got re-roofed before THIS season).

A final thought. We had our "turbines" removed and went with the full ridge-venting. Gained peace of mind, knowing those big holes are gone. I think that folks in these "Hurricane Days" need to rethink their roofs, and get things like spinners and even skylights removed if a new roof is going on.

Knowing the Storm 2K community, you'll probably get more replies - with more technical and more professional experience and advice. I'm not a roofer or contractor, but these are my thoughts and experiences.