Springtalis getting in through Skylights, how to seal them?

[strangways]

Hi, I have a bug problem in my house in the north east, tiny springtails are getting in. We've had exterminators spay for the springtails but they still get in. I've noticed they appear in rooms with skylights and sometimes can be seen crawling around the ceiling near them. The house was built in the 80s and the skylights are original. I had some roof work done recently and replacing the skylights was considered, but the roofer said that they often don't have great outcomes when replacing older skylights (leaks) and suggested just sealing the glass with clear caulk which he did. These bugs are tiny, So I think its probably the case that the closed skylight just doesn't seal that well anymore. Anyone have an idea about how to restore the seal?

Thanks

[invalid unparseable]

On Mon, 13 Jul 2020 11:28:57 -0700 (PDT), [e-mail] posted for all of us to digest...

when replacing older skylights (leaks) and suggested just sealing the glass with clear caulk which he did. These bugs are tiny, So I think its probably the case that the closed skylight just doesn't seal that well anymore. Anyone have an idea about how to restore the seal?

What are springtails and did you do anything with the gutter?

[TimR]

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 2:29:01 PM UTC-4, [e-mail] wrote: the skylights are original. I had some roof work done recently and replacing the skylights was considered, but the roofer said that they often don't have great outcomes when replacing older skylights (leaks) and suggested just sealing the glass with clear caulk which he did.

I just had my roof replaced, and the roofer insisted on putting a new cap on the skylight. He said if he doesn't he gets too many callbacks, and it's better just to do it upfront.

[trader_4]

Some points.

I assume these skylights open? I'd take a look at the seals, see what's going on there. If they are deteriorated replacements may be available from the manufacturer or you may be able to use some general purpose weatherstripping type seal.

The roofer is an idiot. There is absolutely no reason that an old skylight can't be replaced and not leak. Especially when you're doing a new roof, that is the ideal time. It's a new skylight, new flashing, new shingles, so why should it leak? In fact, a competent roofer would rather have new skylights go in, to avoid problems developing with the old ones and then they get called back because the "roof" is leaking. I hope that's all that he was ignorant about. If it were my house and it was built in the 80s, I would have replaced the skylights while the new roof was being done. That's about the lifespan. IMO, there is only one skylight I would use, that's Velux.