How to equip a drain from the roof for water? I will tell you what roof drains are and how to choose them. And finally, I will describe step by step the installation technology of the drainage system.
If you leave the installation of the drainage system until “better times”, then in a maximum of 2 years the water will knock out a groove on the ground along the perimeter of the roof, and neither paving slabs nor concrete screed will be able to withstand such an onslaught.
How to choose a drain
Drainage of water from the roof can be arranged through an internal or external system:
- The internal system, as a rule, is mounted on flat roofs of multi-storey buildings, such structures require complex engineering calculations and professional installation;
- We are interested in the external drain, everything is much simpler here. You need to mount the holders, fix the gutter into these holders, cut in the funnels and bring down the downpipes from the funnels. But first, let's figure out what materials the drain system is made of.
Choosing a material
Gutter systems are plastic and metal, both options have their pros and cons.
Let's start with a line of metal structures:
- Galvanization. The most affordable are galvanized ebbs. A galvanized steel drain is a good thing, but it can be mounted somewhere away from the city, for example, in a country house or in a village. The acid rains of a big city eat up metal in 5 to 7 years;
- Galvanized with polymer. Now for simple galvanizing there is a good alternative - this is a galvanized drain with a polymer coating. Pural is considered one of the most reliable coatings of this kind; such gutters are not afraid of either chemistry or mechanical shocks. The guarantee for normal polymer coating starts from 15 years;
- Copper. Copper drain looks luxurious, over time, such gutters become covered with patina (copper oxide), acquiring a noble greenish color. If the installation is done correctly, then the structure can stand for at least 50-70 years. If not for the high price, copper ebbs would not be equal;
- Aluminum. Aluminum drain, if not connected with copper, practically does not corrode, in addition, it is the lightest metal, only plastic is lighter than aluminum. The price of such systems is higher than for steel, but manufacturers promise that the service life of aluminum is one and a half times longer;
- titanium zinc. This overseas novelty has appeared recently and we treat it coolly. Brochures promise that the titanium-zinc alloy will last for almost 150 years, but domestic companies do not yet produce this product, and what the West offers is more expensive than time-tested copper;
- Plastic. Plastic or, as they say in the documents, PVC drain, in my opinion, has the best combination of price and quality. Polymer additives made PVC UV resistant and flexible. Such a gutter is able to withstand temperatures from -50 ºС to +70 ºС. Such a drain is installed easily, but more on that later.
Choosing a gutter shape
Here we choose from 3 directions - a semicircle, an ellipse and complex broken shapes:
- Semicircular drain for water drainage - a universal option; for do-it-yourself installation, it is best suited. At least 70% of all products are semicircular;
- Ellipse was designed as a drain for roofs with a serious quadrature and a large angle of inclination. This form is designed for a large volume of water;
- Complex broken shapes, that is, a square, a rectangle, a trapezoid, and so on, this is already a design area. Often such a drain is selected for a specific style.From a practical point of view, complex shapes are inconvenient, dirt clogs in the corners, and throughput leaves much to be desired.
Installation of a drainage system
When I was choosing a drain for my home, I had 2 evaluation criteria - an acceptable cost and simple installation instructions. As a result, I chose plastic. If you like metal more, then the video in this article has a guide for installing metal ebbs.
It is believed that plastic structures are short-lived and easily broken by ice icicles. So, if you install it correctly, then neither snow nor ice are terrible for plastic, but as for durability, I have had such a drain for more than 10 years and it looks great.
| Illustrations | Recommendations |
 | Tool:
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 | Material. As for the material, the drain with all the fittings is sold as a set, you will only need to buy glue, as well as dowels and screws for fastening. |
 | Installing brackets.
Plastic brackets for the drain are attached to the frontal board with self-tapping screws. From the edge, the first bracket is attached at a distance of 15 mm, all the rest go in increments of about half a meter. |
 | Installation scheme bracket relative to the roof is shown on the left. |
 | Screwed on first 2 extreme brackets, after which a marking cord is pulled tightly between them and the remaining brackets are attached to it.
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 | Funnel installation. The funnel is also screwed on with self-tapping screws. |
 | Deformation tolerance.
Plastic drain changes its linear dimensions when the temperature changes. Therefore, there is a temperature graduation on the funnel. For example, if you are installing a drain at 20 ºC, then the edge of the gutter is set to the appropriate division.
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 | Gluing. Whichever manufacturer you choose, all gutters for plastic drains are made with a length of no more than 2.5 m. There are special adapters for connecting sections of the gutter. Glue is applied to such an adapter, after which adjacent gutters are snapped into it and tightly joined. |
 | Gutter compensator.
If the length of the gutter is more than 10 m and there is no funnel, then a movable plastic adapter is mounted on the drain to compensate for the expansion. The adapter also has a temperature graduation. You only need to set the temperature at the time of installation and glue the gutters on both sides. |
 | Gutter plug.
Caps on the edges of the gutters are also glued. |
 | Drainpipe to drain.
There is a table for calculating when installing a drainpipe, but craftsmen often do it by eye. |
 | On the wall, the brackets for the downpipe are installed along a plumb line with a step not exceeding 2 m.
The angle of inclination of the transition is 60º, but it does not need to be measured, since both elbows are already cast at the desired angle. |
 | At the bottom, the drain is mounted at a distance of 20 cm from the ground, plus a knee is necessarily installed on the edge of the drain. |
Conclusion
According to the scheme I proposed, installing a drain from the roof for water will not be difficult. If at one time I, without having deep knowledge, coped with this, then you can too. If you have any questions, write in the comments, I will try to help.
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