The proper way to take a curb mount skylight apart, measure the acrylic domes for replacement and re-assemble the skylight. Full Curb Mount Units - www.aiaindustri... Domes Only - www.aiaindustri...
Thanks ya'll! I'm dry in Texas because your video showed me the assembly of my skylight and I was able to fix the leaking silicone seal. If I need to replace a dome in the future I'll get in touch.
we took a look at our skylight today and saw...sky. My hubby measured the inside opening at 38x38. Outer measurements were 39.5 without taking anything off or apart. Does it matter whether we get a gradual rise or vertical rise replacement? Also, I saw there are things like inner, outer, double and triple ...choices....choices.
HELLO! There are a lot of choices ... way to many to be able to cover here. Please go to www.aiaindustries.com/index.html and fill out the contact us section on the left. Someone from the office will email you all of the information.
Hello! This company has changed ownership and I no longer have access to this account. Yes, using a thin strip of metal (putty knife, razor knife) at one corner and start to "cut" the seal between the outer piece of plastic and the outer aluminum retainer. Generally by the time you get about half way around, the dome will come loose. The more silicone that is used to assemble the unit, the harder it is to cut free. Be careful not to bend that outer retainer. Be sure to clean off all the old silicone before you reassemble the unit.
We have not had any issues with using standard silicone on Acrylic but we have had bad results using it on Polycarbonate. To be safe, we suggest always using a "neutral cure" silicone when working with plastic.
After reading series of comments, I felt I likely cause the crack on my dome skylight. About two years ago, I went up to the roof and clean up leaves around my skylight, I find out some ants were going out back and forth around the edge of skylight and metal frame, so I applied some caulk around that. Now, the caulk is pealing off, the around the edge, shylight is showing small cracks. Don't know mine was made of Acrylic or Polycarbonate, I guess it was Poly. So far, the bottom layer seem ok, but I know I have to replace it very soon.
I just opened my 2 piece dome (finally), and learned that the inner part is flat. It is also cracked. So can I simply replace it with a piece of plexiglass?
+Jake Jones ... Yes, you can use just a flat piece of Plexiglas (acrylic) to replace that inner flat piece. You SHOULD put some foam tape between the two pieces with gaps in the corner. This will allow the plastic to expand and contract without making noise. The gaps in the corner allow air to move freely with helps limit condensation.
+AIAIndustries Hey, thanks a lot for the instruction. I didn't realize it was flat until I opened it up. All the two piece assemblies I found in my research were both domed, so I just assumed mine was too. But no reason why the inner one can't be flat. I think it reduces the cost as well. Again, thanks.
@@jakejones5736 how it worked out for you. My current dome skylight was having small crack on outside layer, and both layer was domed. I happened to have a same size one, it looks like, the difference is: it is not clear and its bottom is flat. Any big advantage if both shall be domed, if so, I may go to order a news one. By the way, can you still use the old frame when you replace the old one. I can tell mine was just screwed onto bottom frame. Thank you!
@@MrJinbai Yes. Absolutely, you can reuse the frame (known as the "curb"). That is what I did. And you're correct; just remove the screws connecting it to the curb. Easy! Funny this old thread comes up as I was just on the roof the other day cleaning gutters and checking skylights. Anyway, I ended up just replacing it with a dual pane dome rather than single pane and then adding a flat piece. The reason was because Lowe's already had a double dome ready to go. Otherwise, I would have had to order a single dome and STILL measure, have cut, and attach to skylight. Much more work and probably more cost too! I think the flat panel/dome is the old design as everything is now double dome. I might add, if you're wondering whether or not yours is tinted, odds are it IS. You will know because a clear skylight looks like there is nothing there. So if you see the slightest hint of darkness... it IS tinted. Been a few years, but I was ecstatic to not worry any more about cracks and constantly sealing them. You will be happy too!
I live in Albuquerque NM. I had the outer part of my skylight get broken in the wind. I went up there and from the outside to outside of the aluminum frame was 27x27. There is a clear inner dome that wasn't broken. This skylight has a hinge and a screen under it. I think the thing was loose and was banging in the wind and broke. Anyway. I need to replace it. Any ideas?
+Echo Lib ... You can go to www.aiaindustries.com/replacementdomeskylightform.html to see our standard replacement domes. If that will work for you, just fill out that form and we will email you back a price.
I think my domes are from the 60s and they wrap around the frame. one has a screen under it and a crank but it does not seem to work. Do you think you have any type of dome like this?
Putting the silicone between the frame and domes will not create a "water tight seal" longer than six month before the sealant lets go of the acrylic. If it hasn't let go of the acrylic by then then it will cause the acrylic to craze and eventually crack. The only thing the silicone might do is slow the water from getting into the skylight system, keeping the drainage system within the skylight from getting overwhelmed. I've only ever seen that happen on flat roofs with a ton of debris that has gotten inside the skylight system.
Mattcharison80 ... that is NOT an accurate statement. Neutral cure silicone will not cause any crazing problems with acrylic. The average life expectancy of our standard acrylic domed skylights are 25 to 30 years. If a brand new skylight leaks water within the first year of being installed, it was either not put together properly (Our warranty would cover this) it was not installed properly (installer's warranty should cover this) or something hit the skylight and broke It which is not covered by warranty.
mattcharlson80 Last year we removed 12 skylights we manufactured in 1986 and installed in a house in Aspen Colorado. The plastic was at the end of its life expectancy and those skylights were still water tight. 28 years of constantly changing temperatures and conditions without a single failure.
AIAIndustries No water ever made it inside the base curb mounted frame? If that is the case then congratulations (I mean that sincerely). I specifically am talking about the seal from retaining frame to curb frame being a "water tight" seal. I have never seen that happen in any skylight I have ever taken apart in the D/FW over the 20+ years I have been doing this. If you could get a water tight seal there, then there would be no need for the base frame of a curb mounted skylight with drainage tracks and weep holes.
mattcharlson80 That is correct. The only water that ever made it into the system was from condensation formed on the INSIDE of the skylight. Of course that condensation just dripped into the gutter and then drained through the weep holes. As long as you use a good sealant, there is no reason for the seal between the retainer and the outer dome to fail. We have been manufacturing our skylights the same way since 1977, not because we are overly good salespeople but because the system works.
You have to put a bead of silicone between the top dome and outer metal frame. That bead of silicone is what provides the watertight seal. Yes the dome needs to expand and contract but it if you use a good glazing sealant or other silicone for exterior use it will allow the plastic to expand but still provide the seal you need.
While some manufacturers used a rubber seal that would allow moisture to enter the skylight and then expell it through the weep holes, that is not how our system is designed. Why intentionally let water into the skylght? Instead, our system requires a water tight seal between outer dome and metal frame and our weep holes are strictly used to expell any condensation if/when its needed.
Never use caulking on an acrylic dome because petroleum products found in the caulking causes a chemical reaction between the caulking and the dome and the acrylic dome will fail, causing small cracks. The gasket tape between the domes does not affect the domes. Also the dome should be allowed to move, if it can't move again the dome will crack,
This is correct. The existing dome on my home had no sealant/caulking on the top glass between the glass and aluminum top frame. Solar Industries is the original manufacturer and I bought the replacement domes from them via Home Depot. I replaced both domes even though the inner one looked ok. Why? Because the rubber seal/gasket baked the two domes together to the point where I did not want to spend the time trying to separate them only to break the inner dome and have to place a separate order.
+J & D Productions ... Right now we are running about 3 weeks for delivery. You can go to www.aiaindustries.com/replacementdomeskylightform.html and fill out the worksheet and we will email you back a price.
