In order to efficiently and efficiently drain rainwater from the roof, preventing walls and windows from getting wet, special designs are designed, for example, plastic roof drains. This article will tell you about the materials from which plums are made, what features their design has, and also how their self-installation is carried out correctly.
In order to make a roof drain, one of the following materials is usually used:
- Ceramics;
- Sheet galvanized steel;
- copper sheets;
- Natural or artificial stone;
- Lead;
- Roofing roll materials;
- Cement.
The choice of what material a do-it-yourself roof drain will be made of depends entirely on the preferences of the developer, but some nuances should also be taken into account.
So, the most popular are lead drains, which have good resistance to temperature changes, are quite easy to install and can be used for any type of roof.
A roof drain made of zinc sheet is less expensive, but at the same time it is more susceptible to external weather influences, has a shorter service life, and the installation procedure is rather complicated and time-consuming.
For soft roofing, the most suitable materials used to drain water from the roof are soft rolled materials impregnated with bitumen.
The cement roof drain system is reliable in operation, but the constant shrinkage of the material requires periodic repairs, although the low price and fairly simple installation procedure make it possible for such drains to remain quite popular in roof construction.
When installing drains, the following rules and requirements must be observed:
- To ensure efficient operation of the drain, it should be given a certain slope angle of at least 10º;
- In the case of the manufacture of a metal drain, its ends must be sealed into the wall by bending the edges of the profiles in the shape of the letter "C";
- When using non-metallic materials, the places where the drain is adjacent to the walls should be completely sealed with special mastics. If the material used does not allow sealing, these places are glued with a film or strip of roofing material, or they are caulked with expanding cement;
- The drain should be installed on a specially prepared mortar bed;
- With a drain length of more than one and a half meters, expansion joints filled with mastic with a width of 50 millimeters are made at its ends.
Depending on the material from which the roof drain is made, other installation features may occur.
Features of the design of plums
There are various options for the design of drains, the choice of which depends on where exactly the roof drains are installed. Let us consider in more detail the device of plums made of lead.
In order to ensure the tightness of the place where the slope is connected to the adjoining wall, drains with a double overlap are used.
In the case of covered tiles or slate roof tiles, the slope of which exceeds 30º, drains are used, made of covering flashings and corners - plastic or lead plates bent along at an angle of 90º, the length of which is equal to the length of the tile overlap.
In this case, the width of the part laid on the tiles should be at least 10 cm, and the vertical part - at least 7.5 cm.
The installation of the welded corner is carried out at the end of the tile during the laying of a row, while its central part is pressed against the masonry, overlapping with a stepped drain,
In the case of profiled tiled roofs with a single overlap, a drain similar in design, but also with a single overlap, is used.
When making it with your own hands, the lead sheet is inserted into the brickwork, after which it falls down to the level of the tiles.The overlap is selected in accordance with the angle of inclination of the roof and the profile of the tiles used.
After the installation of the sheet, it is given a shape corresponding to the shape of the tiling and laying steps, after which the remaining free end is wound up behind the next ridge.
Another type of structure that answers the question of how to make a drain from the roof is grooved drains.
Some of the roofing tiles on the market are equipped with special grooved tiles, but a more common option is when metal drains are installed on the flooring from the boards, located from the overhang of the eaves to the roof ridge.
In this case, a sheet of lead is laid out around the drain wooden slats, nailed as boards, and for a ridge equipped with two grooves, a saddle is equipped. In addition, the edges of the tiles are cut to form a groove, as a result of which the distance between them is 10 centimeters.
Further, with the help of an apron solution, the upper part of the roof, which is at an angle and adjacent to the wall, is sealed.
In this case, the upper edge of the sheet used is built directly into the masonry joint located two rows from the roof surface, then the entire sheet is lowered along the wall and the roof surface is overlapped by 15 centimeters.
Important: in the case of a wavy roofing, drain profiled sections should be used, giving them the previously required shape.
It is also possible to use plastic drains, the vertical flat pole of which can be easily attached to the required place on the roof, regardless of its location, after which the drain is covered with lead or sealed with adhesive tape for additional security.
Drain Reliability Recommendations
Water falling in the form of rain and formed during the melting of snow can cause significant damage to the roof, to prevent which it is necessary not only to install a high-quality and efficient drain for the roof, but also to maintain its performance during operation.
So, it is very important to ensure that the drainage of water from the roof is not disturbed by various blockages formed in the drains, especially if they are made of cast iron.
Blockages should be cleared as soon as they occur, as a heavy pipe can increase its weight due to accumulated pipe, which can damage or even collapse the drain.
Clean drains of a design such as gable standard roof, from blockages it is possible with the help of a special scoop made, for the manufacture of which an oil canister is required, the neck of which turns into a scoop handle, and the container itself becomes directly a scoop by cutting.
This tool is more convenient in clearing clogged drains than a standard garden scoop, and the garbage removed from the drain is placed in a bucket fixed on the stairs.
Important: blockages of roof drains can be prevented by covering their mouths with a special drainage net, you can also make a plug from rags, but it is not recommended to use it all the time.
In order to prevent such troubles, you should carefully control how water is drained from the roof.
Water leaks gable mansard roof, arising at the joints on the drain, indicate the formation of a blockage between this joint and the point of water release. Therefore, it is urgent to eliminate the blockage by thoroughly cleaning the pipe, which is desirable to start from the bottom.
Cleaning the drain for the roof in this case consists of several stages:
- The sewer well is closed to avoid clogging;
- A piece of thick wire or a garden hose is pushed into the pipe and oscillatory movements are made to extract debris from the pipe;
- If the blockage could not be eliminated, it is recommended to use special flexible rods designed for cleaning sewer pipes.
Protecting the pipes with a plastic mesh helps prevent large debris such as fallen leaves from clogging the drain. To avoid damage to the gutter, a ladder with a stop should be used when cleaning this mesh.
The causes of the collapse of the drain may also be the sagging of the drain and the wrong angle of its slope, at which water stagnates.
In case of drain sagging from a structure such as four-pitched hip roof, it is necessary to install additional supports in increments of 60-90 centimeters, for which water is first removed from the gutter, after which the installation sites of the holders are marked with a ruler or rope with markings.
Next, holders are installed in the marked places.In the presence of stagnant water, the angle of inclination of the drain should be corrected.
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