Roof Drain Piping Design

National Centers for Environmental Information in the United States reports that millions of dollars are lost almost every year to disaster-related costs. In 2018 alone, there have been 6 weather disasters wherein 4 severe storms were involved in aggravating the damages. Such disastrous events are signs of inclement weather conditions ubiquitous in the United States. Thus, homeowners need to be vigilant and arm their homes with efficient and functional roof drainage systems.

Roof drainage systems are essential to safeguard many households from unexpected and costly water damage. Rainfalls occur every year and, if not properly rainproof, your house could be among the stats of damaged properties. Water can either penetrate your roof and ruin the interior furniture, or soak your foundation and weaken the basement. What will be the end result? Of course, a shattered home, could have been prevented by installing roof drains.

There are many benefits associated with roof drain installation: prevent property damages, save maintenance/repair costs, save energy costs, prevent mold build-up, protect electrical wiring, and increase the value of your home.

Prevent Property Damages

Water damages are the worst enemies of perfectly designed and constructed buildings. Any building is incomplete without a proper and efficient drainage system to divert water away from the house. If not attended to, water can make the walls wet, weaken the foundation, and basements, lead to mold growth, and cause more related problems that could end up costing the homeowner exorbitant repair costs.

Although many homes especially the sloped designs have gutters, these gutters can still be clogged by debris and trees nearby if there is no proper drainage system. A proper roof drain will allow maximum flow of water away from the property. Combine the perfectly installed gutters and the roof drains then you are safe from any rainfall damages notorious in the United States. However, since these drains involve a network of pipes that direct water to proper channels, qualified plumbers are a must-have.

There are different types of roofs: sloped and flat. Nonetheless, they all require drainage systems, but in different designs. Sloped roofs are more advantageous since the drainage system can be installed at the sides while the gravitational force plays a huge part in directing the water to the roof drain. A flat roof design demands a unique solution, which qualified engineers can provide with ease.

Save Maintenance Costs

Roofs require scheduled maintenance for their duration. An inefficient drainage system can prompt frequent maintenance and thus incur significant costs. To prevent this, roof drains can save more costs and lessen the frequency of maintenance. If water leaks into the interior, maintenance costs could skyrocket and could even include insulation and other major HVAC systems hence you need the drainage system urgently.

Protect Electrical Wiring

Water and electrical wires are the worst combinations in any building. The house might be set on fire if water drips to the exposed electrical wires, or one of the family members could face burns or even death. All these can be disastrous hence the homeowner needs efficient roof drains.

Electrical wires could lead to corrosion or mildew growth if exposed to water over time. This could also cost the homeowner lots of money for repairs. Water damage is worse and needs to be prevented at all costs by installing drainage systems.

Prevent Molds Growth

If water leaks into the interior house, it can lead to an accumulation of molds and mildew. The interior side of the building could, therefore, turn into a breeding ground. Eventually, family members can contract diseases by inhaling these molds, and so to safeguard the health of family members, one needs to install drains so as to minimize any leakage.

Not only health is affected, but also clothes and furniture. The ventilation system in the house can exacerbate the mold problem by spreading it across the entire unit.

Save Energy Costs

When water enters the building, it could compromise the insulation. As a result, the house will be inefficient with insulation: it will lose the warmth in colder months and cool air in the summer months. Such instances can prompt the homeowner to lose more on energy costs due to insufficient insulation exacerbated by water leakage, which is caused by a lack of roof drains.

Increase the value of your home

Prospective buyers of homes are looking for value-added amenities or moderation to the building. The proper drainage system can add to and increase the value of the home if intended to be sold in the future. Even when it’s time to renovate the home, no major refurbishments will be necessary as huge damages have been prevented by the roof drainage system.

There could be many benefits to installing the drainage system for your roof in addition to the most important ones aforementioned. Also, note that you need to maintain the drains after installing them. Below are the steps you need to take into account to make sure you lengthen the durability of the drains:

• Always inspect the drains for a potential risk of tree leaves clogging them. At least twice a year would be great
• If the house is built under the trees, make sure the trees are trimmed regularly to prevent the leaves from clogging the drains
• If there is a build-up of debris on the roof, remove it as soon as possible before it goes into the drainage system
• After severe storms, inspect the roofs to ensure that the drains are still working efficiently. This could help you find out if it’s time to call plumbing services for drainage replacement.
• Constantly inspect the gutters to see if there is any water build-up. It could be a sign that the drain got blocked.
• Aim for large diameters of gutters to ensure the maximum of water during heavy rainfall.