How to Stop Condensation Dripping from Skylight?

You’ve wiped the glass. You’ve aired the room. It’s still dripping. You’re wondering if it’s time to rip out the skylight or just live with the mould. Stop right there.

The problem isn’t just the skylight. It’s how your home handles moisture, heat and airflow. This guide walks you through six targeted fixes: starting with simple tweaks like venting and heating and ending with pro-level upgrades if you still see condensation dripping from skylight glass.

You don’t need to spend big to see results. You need the right steps in the right order. Let’s dry it up.

Why Is My Skylight Dripping with Condensation?

Skylight condensation happens when moist indoor air touches a cold glass surface. It turns into droplets, then drips down. In lofts and top-floor rooms, warm air rises and gets trapped. That air is loaded with moisture from showers, cooking, laundry and even breathing.

Skylights, being the coldest surface up top, become moisture magnets. The water you see isn’t from outside it’s from inside. The real issue is often poor airflow, sudden temperature dips, or a badly insulated frame.

So, before you blame the skylight itself, check what’s going on in the room around it. Most of the time, the fix starts there.

Ways to Stop Skylight Condensation

Here’re best ways to stop skylight condensation.

Increase Ventilation Right Where Moisture Gathers

Start by giving moist air a way out. Fit or open trickle vents in nearby windows to let air move even when they’re shut. In bathrooms or kitchens, extractor fans are a must. Run them for 15 to 20 minutes after showers or cooking and not just while using it.

Crack the windows open for a few minutes on dry days. This pushes trapped humid air out and brings dry air in. It sounds basic, but airflow is your first and strongest tool against condensation dripping from roof windows.

Actively Reduce Indoor Humidity

Ventilation helps, but so does cutting moisture at the source. Use a dehumidifier upstairs or near the skylight and set it around 50 to 55% relative humidity. This keeps moisture levels healthy without drying the air too much.

Keep lids on pans when cooking. Take shorter showers. Don’t air-dry laundry in loft rooms. And always shut bathroom or kitchen doors when creating steam. These tiny habits help stop skylight condensation before it even starts to form.

Keep the Glass and Room Surface Warmer

Condensation loves cold surfaces. So make them warmer. Keep a steady background temperature in your rooms, especially overnight. Big temperature dips trigger condensation.

Use insulated blinds on skylights to keep warmth in but open them daily to let air move across the glass. If possible, position a radiator or plug-in heater near the skylight so warm air can rise past it. This not only prevents dampness but reduces condensation inside skylight corners where airflow is weakest.

Insulate and Air-Seal Around the Skylight Frame

If moisture still clings to the edges, it’s time to look behind the plaster. It’s possible that cold air may be sneaking in through gaps or missing insulation.

Try this: Add rigid boards like PIR foam to the skylight’s plasterboard reveals or upstand. Seal the gaps around the frame with expanding foam and airtight tape. And if the ceiling hasn’t got one, install a vapour control layer behind the plasterboard.

These steps can significantly reduce condensation dripping from skylight areas by eliminating cold contact points.

Upgrade Glazing & Components If They’ve Failed

If the condensation sits between glazing layers or along perished rubber seals, it’s not just airflow anymore. That’s a sign the skylight components are failing.

Upgrade to double or triple glazing with warm-edge spacers and low-E coating to improve thermal performance. Swap any old seals or gaskets letting in drafts. Some modern rooflights even have built-in channels to catch and drain moisture.

If yours is old or damaged, a replacement might finally solve that condensation dripping from the skylight that refuses to go.

Still seeing drips? Add tech to do the work. Smart humidity sensors can trigger fans when the air hits a certain RH level.

The Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) units go one step further. They push filtered, dry air from the loft into your home. This flushes moisture out gently and constantly. That means no fan noise and no switching on and off. Just slow, steady drying power that helps stop skylight moisture from forming in the first place.

Yes, but to a point. Seeing a light mist on the skylight on cold mornings isn’t always bad. It’s a sign your home is warm and your glass is doing its job.

But if it drips, puddles, or causes mould, that’s different. It means the condensation is persistent. If it happens daily, leaves stains, or never clears, it’s a problem.

Most homes suffer more in winter because the temperature gap between indoor and outdoor air widens. That’s when poor insulation and ventilation show their weak spots. It’s normal to see a little. It’s not normal if it stays.

Not usually. Replacing the skylight should be the last step and not the first. If your glazing is intact, your seals are fine and the frame doesn’t leak during rain, you can likely fix condensation with airflow, insulation and heat.

But if you’ve tried the steps above and it still drips? Or the glass is fogged between layers? Then yes, replacement could solve it. If you need more help you can call our experts at Rooflight & Skylights UK who are ready to guide you.

Conclusion

Don’t jump to expensive fixes. Condensation dripping from skylight glass is usually caused by poor airflow, indoor moisture and cold surfaces and not broken windows.

Focus on quick wins like ventilation, steady heating and simple habits. Only move to insulation or glazing upgrades if the basics don’t solve it. With the right steps, you’ll keep glass dry, mould gone and your room warm without touching the roof.