Leaking or Foggy Skylight in Kelowna: Repair, Reseal or Replace?
A skylight that drips is not always a skylight that leaks. That sounds like a technicality until you have paid to replace a unit that was working perfectly and watched the water come back the following winter.
In Kelowna the distinction matters more than it does in a lot of places, because our winters produce exactly the conditions that cause condensation to be mistaken for a leak: cold nights, dry indoor air fighting a humidifier, and a glass surface that is the coldest thing in the room.
Here is how to tell the difference and what each version costs to fix.
Leak or condensation?
It is probably condensation if:
- The water appears on cold mornings and stops by afternoon.
- It is worst in winter and absent in summer.
- The moisture is on the room side of the glass and you can wipe it off.
- It shows up after showers, cooking, or when a humidifier is running.
- The skylight is over a bathroom, a kitchen, or a stairwell where warm moist air collects.
- Beads form evenly across the glass rather than running from one corner.
It is probably a leak if:
- Water appears during or right after rain, or during a melt, regardless of season.
- Staining runs down one side of the shaft or appears on the ceiling beside the opening rather than directly below the glass.
- The drywall at the shaft is soft, or the paint is blistered.
- There is a mark that grows after a storm and dries between storms.
- It started after a roof, gutter or chimney job.
It is probably a failed sealed unit if:
- There is haze, streaking or a mineral looking film between the panes that you cannot wipe off from either side.
- The view through the glass looks permanently dirty.
- The fogging clears in some conditions and returns in others.
That third one is its own category. A failed sealed unit is not a leak into the house; it is the seal around the insulating glass losing its integrity so moisture gets between the panes. It does not damage the building, but it does cut both the light and the insulating value, and it cannot be repaired. The unit or the glass gets replaced.
Why Kelowna gets condensation on skylights
Three things stack up here.
Cold, clear winter nights. Under a clear sky, a roof surface radiates heat and drops below the air temperature. The glass gets colder than the room.
Very dry outdoor air, and humidified indoor air. Okanagan winters are dry, so many households run humidifiers. That raises indoor moisture right when glass surfaces are at their coldest. A house at a comfortable humidity level for skin can be well above what the coldest glass in the building can tolerate without condensing.
Warm air rises into the shaft. A skylight shaft is a chimney for warm moist air. Whatever the bathroom fan does not remove goes up.
The fixes for condensation are not skylight fixes. They are ventilation and humidity fixes: run the bathroom fan longer, check that it actually vents outside and not into the attic, keep indoor humidity down in cold weather, insulate the skylight shaft properly, and improve airflow in the room.
What repairs cost in Kelowna
Broad 2026 ranges. Roof pitch, height, whether the unit is curb mounted or deck mounted, and whether interior finishing is involved all move the number.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection and diagnosis | roughly $150 to $400 |
| Reseal and reflash an existing unit | roughly $500 to $1,500 |
| Replace flashing kit with unit reinstall | roughly $800 to $2,000 |
| Replace a fixed skylight, like for like | roughly $1,500 to $3,500 |
| Replace a venting or motorized skylight | roughly $2,500 to $6,000 |
| Add or replace a tubular skylight | roughly $1,200 to $2,800 |
| Shaft drywall repair and repaint after a leak | roughly $500 to $1,500 |
The single largest hidden variable is roof access and roofing material. Working around asphalt shingle is straightforward. Working around tile, metal or a low slope membrane is a different job with a different price.
When a reseal is enough, and when it is not
A reseal or reflash makes sense when the glass and frame are sound, the unit is not especially old, and the water is entering at the perimeter. This is common: the flashing or the sealant is a maintenance item, and it is often what failed rather than the skylight.
Replacement makes more sense when the sealed unit has failed, the frame or curb has water damage, the unit is old enough that parts and gasket profiles are no longer available, or you are having the roof redone anyway. That last case is the important one. Replacing a skylight during a reroof is much cheaper than doing it as a standalone job, because the flashing has to come off either way. If your roof is within a few years of replacement and your skylights are original, sequence the two together and save the duplicate labour.
The other option for a dark room
If the actual goal is light rather than a view or ventilation, a tubular daylighting device is worth understanding. Instead of a large opening in the roof and a framed shaft, a tubular unit uses a small roof dome and a reflective tube to bring daylight down through the attic into a diffuser in the ceiling.
The trade offs, honestly:
- In favour: far less roof opening, no framed shaft, less heat gain and heat loss than a comparable glass skylight, much easier to route around trusses, and generally a smaller job. Good for hallways, closets, stairwells, ensuite bathrooms and interior rooms with no exterior wall.
- Against: no view, no ventilation, and the light is diffuse. If you want a bright rectangle of sky over a living room, this is not that.
For a windowless Kelowna hallway or a dark interior bathroom, the tubular route often solves the actual problem better than a traditional skylight does.
Frequently asked questions
How long do skylights last?
The sealed glass unit and the flashing generally define the lifespan rather than the frame. Ask whoever inspects yours what they see at the seal and at the flashing, since those are the two things that usually decide it.
Can a failed sealed unit be defogged?
Some services drill and vent hazy units. Opinions differ on durability and it does not restore the original insulating gas. On a roof mounted unit that is difficult to access, most people replace.
Will a new skylight make my house hotter in summer?
It can, and in this valley that matters. Ask about the glass coating and solar heat gain, and consider a blind or an integrated shade on any west or south facing unit.
Do skylights need permits in Kelowna?
Replacing an existing unit in the same opening is usually maintenance. Cutting a new opening involves the roof structure and may need a permit. Confirm with the City before anyone cuts.
My skylight leaks only in a driving wind. Is that still a leak?
Yes, and it usually points at flashing or at the upslope side of the unit rather than the glass.
A Kelowna option worth calling
*Disclosure: Solar Centre is a business listed on the Okanagan Trade Directory. The description below comes from their own published information.*
Solar Centre is a Kelowna based daylighting and shade specialist that has served the Okanagan since 2004. The locally owned shop is a Solatube Premier Dealer and a Somfy Expert Dealer, and installs Solatube tubular skylights and Solar Star attic fans alongside STOBAG retractable awnings, Mirage retractable screens, and Graber and Maxxmar motorized window fashions. It is located at 16-1771 Cooper Rd in Kelowna and holds a 5.0 Google rating across 50 reviews. Worth knowing despite the name: Solar Centre is not a photovoltaic solar electricity contractor. It specializes in sunlight management, daylighting and outdoor shade.
See their Okanagan Trade Directory listing or visit solarcentre.ca.
Before you spend anything, spend a week noting exactly when the water appears. Rain or cold morning is the whole diagnosis.