What happens when a roof drain fails
Hopefully, it won’t last that long because Spring does indeed appear to be making a comeback, and with it warmer temperatures that will, hopefully, melt the snow quickly.
And this is the GOOD NEWS!
Water floods this flat top roof after a drain backs up causing water damage to the units below
And, taking these steps helps to prevent water damage to homes with traditional “peaked” roofs.
BUT . . .
In our Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, we have lot of older buildings with flat roofs.
In fact, many commercial and industrial buildings are built that way.
It’s a very efficient way to cover a large area economically.
The flat top roofs usually don’t present a problem, as long as the drains are kept clear.
Roof drain failure outside means ceiling water damage inside
As a result, the first indication that there is a problem usually occurs when it begins raining water inside a building.
Several years ago when we had a lot of snow, and a condominium in Cherry Hill, NJ had a roof drain that failed.
Apparently, it had gotten clogged earlier in the year.
The water from the roof caused the paint to “blister” in the walls. The meter measures the moisture in the walls
. . . the warmer spring temperatures started to melt the snow.
Then, the water had nowhere to go – except down . . .
. . . damaging 7 of the condo units below.
The failed roof drain up above these condo units in Cherry Hill, NJ caused water damage below
Walls . . .
Carpets . . .
. . . And even the hard wood floors!
The meter tells the story: the roof drain failure caused water damage to these hard wood floors in the condo unit below
So, if you’re a
property manager,
a maintenance manager,
or a condominium homeowner
living or working in a flat top roofed building,
you might want to take a few minutes before the storm hits our region tonight to check those flat top roof drains to make sure they are clear of debris and draining freely.
Taking a few minutes now, before the storm hits and the snows begin to melt might save you thousands of dollars later in water damage restoration costs.
