What is Roof Drainage?

Your roof is the first line of defense to protect your home against whatever the elements throw at it, whether it be snow, rain or even hail. Unfortunately this precipitation can’t just sit on your roof, it needs to go off somewhere. That’s where the roof drainage system comes into play. So what is roof drainage? Let’s look what roof drainage is, what it is made up of and what you can do to make sure your roof drainage is up to snuff.

What is Roof Drainage?

We don’t have to get technical here, the roof drainage system is simply the different components of the roof designed to flush water, debris and any other type of precipitation off of the roof and into appropriate areas.

What Makes Up the Roof Drainage System?

The roof drainage system starts with the design of the home. A roof will contain different ridges, valleys and other areas that use gravity to push water into the appropriate areas. In a sloped home these components will usually simply rely on gravity to move the water but on a flat roof that can’t use pitch a system of drainage pipes, scuppers and other components will be utilized.

On top of the roof structure there are many other components that work with the drainage system. Flashing, gutters and downspouts direct the water into appropriate areas instead of having water and debris drain off chaotically all over your property or driveway.

The gutter and downspout system is not just bolted onto the roof system either, it is actually engineered in a way that moves the water and debris off of your roof with efficiency to insure that gutters don’t get backed up with material but are able to move large quanitities efficiently so that water doesn’t pool up on the roof itself.

What If My Roof Drainage is Poor?

If you are regularly contending with backed up or standing water you may need to have your roof drainage system checked up on. Get a certified roofing contractor out to your home so they can make recommendations on what components can be utilized to give you the best roof drainage possible.