Skylight Drip

Q: I have Andersen double-pane skylights recessed about five feet into my vaulted ceilings. When the evening temperature falls below 40 degrees, we get condensation that drips onto the furniture below. I have tried running the ceiling fan all night but it does not seem to pull the air from the recesses. I am thinking of drilling some small holes into the attic area to allow the hot moist air to escape the recesses that the skylight is in. Will this solve the problem, or is there a better solution?

— Rick, Niles, Ohio

A: Tom Silva replies: You're running the fan to pull air out, but you should try reversing the fan to push air in, creating cross-ventilation that will keep moisture from forming. Drilling holes into the attic is not a good idea, because that will trap all the warm air in the house and create a potential moisture and mildew problem up there. Above all, make sure your skylight is tightly closed. I knew a guy who owned a condo in Acton with electric heat. He couldn't get the bathrooms warm at all and bought two portable heaters to add heat in those rooms. His electric bill was costing him a fortune. He lived there for eight years before we discovered that the two bathroom skylights were in vent mode —letting all the heat right out the ceiling.