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he American Society of Home Inspectors

July, 2013 Inspecting

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Flat Roof Drainage

FROM ASHI@HOME BY CARSON DUNLOP

Roofs should not be dead flat. They should slope to the perimeter or interior
drainage. Any roof that still has water on it 48 hours after a rain is defined as a
ponding roof. If there has been no rain for a considerable amount of time, there
may be no water, but you may be able to determine that there has been ponding.
Circles that are particularly dirty on the roof, or show algae or vegetation growth,
are indications that water ponds on the roof.

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Ponding may be caused by:

1. Poor design with no slope.
2. Sagging of the structure, disrupting the slope.
3. No drains or an inadequate number of drains.
4. Drains that are blocked or are at high points on the roof.

Ponding on flat roofs has a number of implications including reduced life expectancy of
the roof, structural damage, leakage and possible vegetation growth.

Water on the roof is your first clue that there is a ponding problem. Dirt, algae and
vegetation are other indications. Look at the roof slope and evaluate the drainage
opportunities for water to escape. Have emergency secondary drains, where an interior
drainage system is used. This is often in the form of scuppers through parapet walls. The
scupper drains are 2 inches above the low point of the roof so that they do not act as
primary drains. They will allow roughly 2 inches of water to accumulate on the roof
before discharging. Watch for and be critical of vegetation growing on the roof.

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Drainage from roofs can include:

1. Gutters and downspouts.
2. Internal drains.
3. Scuppers.

Gutters and Downspouts

Gutters and downspouts carry water from the roof away from the building, protecting
the cladding system and the foundation. Gutters are also called troughs or eavestroughs.
Downspouts are also called rain water leaders, leaders or conductor pipes. These are
handled exactly the same way for flat roofs as they are for sloped roofs. Gutters and
downspouts can be made with several materials, the most common of which are
aluminum, galvanized steel, vinyl and copper.

Internal Drains
Internal drains are typically connected to pipes that go down through the house and
discharge into a storm sewer. These are often laid into a roof similar to how a stack vent
flashing is installed, except that the flange is at the top, and the sleeve extends down
below the membrane inside the roof drain in the building. The roof membrane is laid up
to the edge of the drain opening. The drain, which includes a 3-inch flange around the
top, is set into the membrane and then stripped in.

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Internal drain on this built up roof with evidence of ponding adjacent to drain.

Drains are typically provided with a strainer to catch debris. This very simple roof drain
can become more complex with the addition of such things as a flexible sleeve at the top
of the drain pipe. This allows the roof to move up and down and sideways slightly,
relative to the drain without disturbing the connection. In some cases, a sediment collar
is provided that will catch the sediment in the drain, allowing water to drain down
through holes or spill over the top of the pipe, but holds the sediment around the
outside of the pipe. In some cases, the strainer has a hinged top to allow for easy
cleaning. Many people maintain that metal roof drains are better than plastic, which may
be prone to breakage.

Water is not able to fully drain to the scuppers on this roof and cabling feeding through
scuppers may inhibit drainage.

Scuppers
Scuppers are simply openings through parapet walls or perimeter curbs that allow water
to drain into a downspout running down the exterior of the building. Scuppers are
essentially a continuation of the roof membrane. The scupper itself is usually surrounded
with a metal box that acts as a flashing and allows water to run through the wall. Good
roofing practice includes having primary scuppers at the elevation of the roofing
membrane, and secondary scuppers about 2 inches above the low point, to act as
emergency drains in case the primary scuppers are obstructed.
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Metal gravel stop commonly used for roofs transitioning from flat to sloped.

Flat Roofs That Drain Onto Steep Roofs Below

Where a built-up flat roof is located above a steep roof, the proper detail is to provide a
gravel stop at the top and a counter flashing that extends down over the steep roof for
several inches. If the slope of the steep roof is relatively low and wind-driven rain is a risk,
a base flashing can be provided that extends from the flat roof membrane down across
the sloped roof under the counter flashing. Ice and water shield is commonly used for
such a transition.

The gravel stop in this case may be used not only to prevent the gravel from escaping off
the flat roof, but also to prevent asphalt from flowing off the edge of the flat roof down
across the steep roof.

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Steep Roofs That Drain Onto Flat Roofs Below

Where there is a steep roof discharging onto a flat roof, the flat roof membrane should
extend about 3 feet up under the steep roofing shingles or tiles. Depending on the
material, the shingles may extend down to the flat membrane, but if rigid tiles are used,
they should not contact the membrane for fear of piercing it during differential building
movement.
Some roofers like to use a metal flashing extending up the steep roof a few inches. This
recognizes the possibility that water and/or snow may accumulate at the junction
between the flat and steep roof, and many steep roofing materials are not intended to
be wet over the long term. Where this detail is used, the top of the metal is overlaid by
the shingles or tiles.

We have briefly introduced the topic of drainage for a flat roof system and discussed
issues with ponding when flat roofs are not properly drained. More information is in the
ASHI@HOME training program, which details conditions related specifically to all flat
roof systems and their associated implications and strategies for inspection.

About ASHI@Home
This article is from the ASHI@Home education system, a comprehensive distance-learning
program developed by Carson Dunlop with ASHI. Individual modules are approved for
ASHI CE credits. Choose the printed version or the online learning program. Call 800-268-
7070, Ext. 251, to learn more.

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