Flat roof help needed: ideas for a foolproof anti-leaf/pine needle drainhole cover

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1

Hi all:

I need the help of the collective wisdom of the Parent Cafe to solve a vexing problem with a portion of our roof that’s flat.

There is a drain hole on the roof, and I’ve put a metal strainer there to keep out leaves and pine needles (of which there are plenty in our neighborhood). It works great until it stops working, and that occurs when it gets clogged. It gets clogged fairly frequently.

Near the drainhole, we are having a bit of ponding issue, and that is causing a leak inside of the structure. The ponding occurs when the drainhole cover strainer that I am currently using gets clogged with leaves, pine needles, and gunk. Once I clean the strainer, everything works fine. The drain empties into a downspout, and there are no issues when the drain is not clogged.

There are two solutions: 1) I need to fix the roof to keep the ponding from occurring in the first place; and 2) I need to find a drainhole cover/strainer that limits blockage by leaves, pine needles, and gunk. I am working on 1, but 2 is critical too. Even if we fix the ponding issue, the drainhole needs to be clear to work.

Do you have any ideas about an effective drainhole cover/strainer? I’ve been on the extension ladder a few times in the last couple of weeks, given the heavy rains we have had in California over the last few weeks. I don’t particularly like getting on the ladder when it’s raining, but it works. I take the current strainer and wash it clean. Everything is fine until it gets clogged again.

Any recommended solutions to the drainhole cover/strainer would be great. I’ve checked Home Depot, Amazon, and YouTube for this, and it seems like the best solution would be a square wire mesh cover, but I’m having a bit of a problem finding something off the shelf.

Thanks in advance for your guidance and suggestions.

MNIW

2

No solution for anti-clog cover (ugh!) but have you considered putting a ponding pump where the water collects as a temporary solution?

ETA: forgot to add that these pumps are used to suck water off pool covers. Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Acquaer-Automatic-Swimming-Submersible-Rooftops/dp/B09K45MLL4

IMO, if it can be fitted there, it sure beats going there on a ladder!

/So glad we never bought that ballard box we seriously considered! A flat roof in Seattle =
Major PITA in the making.

3

Indeed, I did get a pump a few days ago. I was almost going to use it yesterday, but just getting up on the ladder and cleaning out the current drainhole cover/strainer immediately solved the problem.

Family is not happy with the expense, but I rationalized that we have enough water vulnerabilities in NorCal that it’s worth it to have a pump in the event of an emergency.

I definitely need to get the ponding issue solved, and my handyperson is coming over soon to assist. Even with the very heavy rains we’re getting now, as long as the draincover is clean, there are no issues.

4

Have you tried pond bio filter material? I would wrap a few layers of this stuff around your drain filter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07FB6DVP1

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5

Maybe something like this
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Drain-Defender-Drain-Defender/5001834081?user=shopping

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6

Sakes alive, that’s exactly what I am looking at exactly now!

7

Well, these guys sell a roof drain with what looks like a piece of koi pond biofiter mesh! :laughing:

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8

Excellent! I was also exploring foam solutions for a drainhole cover too. This seems like it would work.