Spray Product for Fogging Plastic Skylights?

[warmstrong1955]

Are the lights relatively flat?
If so, maybe use some of that window tint film for auto glass, on the inside?
I've never used it acrylic windows, but it might be worth lookin' into.

Bill

[EOsteam]

You could also try micro abrading with a very fine sand blasting media set at a lower pressure than normal. I would try some scraps that are the same material as the skylights to verify that this would be acceptable. The downside would be having to remove them from their frames in order to accomplish this.

HJ

[SteveM]

But on the serious side, home depo sells a vinyl product that is like a glue less window tint that would fix you right up.
It also comes in colors to resemble stained glass.

Not sure if we are talking the same product, but they have a vinyl product in the shelf paper section that is self-adhesive frosted finish good for blocking the view thru a window.

I use it for laminating paper - put a piece on both sides and trim leaving about 1/4" at the edges to seal it. When you have it close up, you don't notice the frost, kinda like low-glare glass for pictures.

Steve

[SteveHGraham]

Thanks for the replies. Tint won't cut it. It has to diffuse the light.

[SteveHGraham]

Yes, I've struggled with that lately. My wife and mother (among others) keeps saying how I should "just hire someone" to do whatever my current boondoggle may be. My response is that most of the time I spend more time fighting with them to "do it right", or redoing it myself, I might as well just do it myself the first time and cut out all the aggravation. I've now managed to put together a fairly short list of dependable folks who do good work for a fair price, so it's getting better, but still struggling. Good luck.

These guys showed up to fix the leak, which they had caused. They ran water over the roof and couldn't make the skylight leak. They said they were going home. I told them that was fine, but they were going to have to provide a full refund so my dad could hire someone else. They seemed surprised. That, alone, tells you something about their mindset.

They started telling me how they couldn't figure it out, as if that made it okay to pack up and go home without providing what he paid for. I told them that wasn't my problem, and that we had hired them because they were supposed to be able to fix things. Obvious?

"Sorry you paid us $4000 to make the leak worse. We are not actually able to do our jobs, so we're going home now."

The leak would have destroyed at least one wall, plus the ceiling. part of the roof, and some truss members. It would have brought termites, carpenter ants, black mold, and roaches. And they were going to go home and leave it that way.

Angie's List is pretty helpful, but it's definitely no guarantee that you won't get someone stupid or crazy.

[hammermill]

others will disagree perhaps but I find most sky light leaks are the result of poor flashing layout and install before the roof goes on and a overabundance of trust in silicone caulking. including sealing up any weep hole s. this traps any moisture inside. the flashing.

[warmstrong1955]

others will disagree perhaps but I find most sky light leaks are the result of poor flashing layout and install before the roof goes on and a overabundance of trust in silicone caulking. including sealing up any weep hole s. this traps any moisture inside. the flashing.

I completely agree!
I have two skylights, on the back porch of all places, and they leak. The water backs up a bit on the uphill side, and wicks back under the shingles. I have to goop up all around them with mastic once a year, as the stuff cracks, and starts leaking again. Just re-gooped again.

Friend of mine who builds & remodels houses took a look, and he told me the same thing.....not enough flashing, not enough rolled felt, that seals around them and especially above them. He says they make some sealing kind that is just for things like skylights.
What also makes it easier for the water to wick back and get under the shingles, is the shallow slope of the porch roof.

Rest of the roof is fine, but next summer I plan to remove the porch roofing, and the skylights, and re-roof it. He says we can reflash & reseal them with the right stuff, but I don't plan to bother. It's an open porch....who needs skylights.

Bill

[SteveHGraham]

Isn't this why we have fluorescent lights?

[SteveM]

others will disagree perhaps but I find most sky light leaks are the result of poor flashing layout and install before the roof goes on and a overabundance of trust in silicone caulking. including sealing up any weep hole s. this traps any moisture inside. the flashing.

When we had our flat porch roof done (rubber membrane roof) I asked the roofer about roofing tar.

He NEVER uses it because it WILL fail at some point. Everything is flashed.

In his Polish accent, he said "We don't use. We don't even keep it on the truck".

I had him back to do the rest of the rooh.

[warmstrong1955]

Isn't this why we have fluorescent lights?

It's a porch. Only one LED motion light, so I don't trip going in & out.

If you can't use fluorescents, use incandescents, or LED's, or maybe halogen....better than pots and pans and soggy sheet-rock.

Or....find someone who knows what they are doing....

Bill

[warmstrong1955]

others will disagree perhaps but I find most sky light leaks are the result of poor flashing layout and install before the roof goes on and a overabundance of trust in silicone caulking. including sealing up any weep hole s. this traps any moisture inside. the flashing.

When we had our flat porch roof done (rubber membrane roof) I asked the roofer about roofing tar.

He NEVER uses it because it WILL fail at some point. Everything is flashed.

In his Polish accent, he said "We don't use. We don't even keep it on the truck".

I had him back to do the rest of the rooh.

Well.....he is exactly right. fails sooner where there's a lot of sun, and I've tried several different types & brands.
Good for a temporary fix, but not anywhere close to permanent.
Wish whoever did the roof before we bought the place knew that guy!

[hammermill]

https://www.google.com/search?q=install ... l2chssM%3A

lots of good example in pics here and a few trainwrecks