f you’re like many RVers, walking into a dim, dank RV with a dirty, faded and scratched skylight is downright depressing. From a practical standpoint, unmaintained skylights are a leading cause of water damage. Aesthetically, things aren’t much better; the amount of light an ignored or overlooked skylight allows inside does little to enhance the joy of RV ownership.

So, what goes wrong with RV skylights, and why should we replace them? Quality RV skylights are generally made of an impact-resistant polycarbonate plastic that can remain in service for years. But as time goes on, they can become scratched and faded — and many crack as a result of UV exposure. The more brittle they get, the easier they can break from hail or branch hits. Of course, once they crack, they leak. A skylight dome that has a crack is already brittle, so while repairing it with a waterproof tape like EternaBond may work temporarily (and it won’t be pretty), the rest of the dome is likely to fail quickly.

We removed the inner trim from the skylight and the vent. The project included rebuilding the vent while adding a fan, switch, new lid and gasket. This also allows occupants to see the thickness of the roof, look for damage and take measurements of the openings.

RV skylight domes come in a number of sizes and are available in clear, smoke, dark smoke or translucent white. Some manufacturers also use various shapes in their designs. Most skylights consist of an inner and an outer dome; the outer dome is of most concern because it’s exposed to the environment.

If you have an inner and outer translucent skylight setup and would like to have more light in the RV, consider replacing both with either clear or smoke-colored domes. The clear model will bring in the most light, but both allow occupants to look up at the trees and the stars, enhancing the “outdoor experience.”

When replacing a skylight, make detailed measurements of the existing one. Often, removing the inner dome will give you the best access to the opening for detailed measurements. If you’re replacing both the inner and outer domes, make sure to measure the roof thickness as well as the outer dimensions so you can make the best choices when buying the replacement parts. While RV skylights can be found on many sites like Amazon, eBay or your favorite dealer’s site, if you’re looking for some help in getting a new match for your RV, Icon Direct is a great choice, and its products are always top notch.

Carefully cut and separate the skylight from the sealant on the roof. It’s okay to scrape on aluminum and fiberglass roofs, but don’t do it on a membrane roof. A heat gun used carefully can help to soften the sealant. Use a flat tool to carefully pry up and remove the skylight, working your way around. A long plastic pry tool should be used on membrane roofs to avoid cutting the membrane. If you do happen to cut it, don’t sweat it. EternaBond is your friend!

Once the skylight is off, remove as much of the remaining sealant as you can without damaging the roof. Warming the sealant can help.

Icon Direct also makes a trimmable garnish. The garnish can be cut on a table saw, and then a U-shaped gasket or trim is added to the edge against the inner side of the skylight. We opted to utilize what we had in the shop, which included white aluminum shower trim molding and 1-inch white outer-corner trim. We then sealed around the seam between the skylight and the aluminum with clear Lexel sealant. This was better than using an inner dome, providing more light and more headroom in the shower for six-footers.

The completed bathroom ceiling renovation includes the new skylight and trim (the snaps are for vinyl covers), a reconditioned vent now fitted with an exhaust fan and a new LED light. The sealant was touched up around the perimeter while we were at it.

Sources:

Dicor Products
(800) 837-2059
dicorproducts.com

Icon Direct
(888) 362-4266
icondirect.com