Water pooled around the drain
The strainer or pipe is slowing the flow.
Roof drain and scupper repair in New York, NY
Every drop on a flat roof has to leave through a drain or a scupper. When one clogs, cracks or pulls loose from the membrane, the roof floods and the leak shows up far below.
- We answer 24/7
- Interior drains and scuppers
- Overflow outlets
Quick answer: Roof drain problems in New York, NY usually come from a clogged strainer or leader, a cracked or rusted drain bowl, or a failed seal where the membrane meets the drain. The repair ranges from clearing and resealing to replacing the drain body or fitting a retrofit drain into the old pipe.
What the job involves
Where roof drains fail
An interior drain has three parts that matter: the strainer that keeps debris out, the clamping ring that holds the membrane to the drain bowl, and the pipe below. Leaves and grit clog the strainer, old cast iron bowls rust and crack, and the membrane seal at the clamping ring dries out.
Scuppers fail differently. They pass through the parapet, so water can get into the masonry around them if the metal box or its flashing is loose. Both need treating as part of the roof, not only as plumbing.
Cost factors
What drain and scupper work costs depend on
Drain type and age
Cast iron bowls, newer drains and scuppers each take different parts.
Retrofit or replace
An insert into the old pipe is less invasive than replacing the drain body.
Access below
Work that needs a ceiling opened adds interior repair.
Membrane around the drain
Wet insulation around a leaking drain is cut out and replaced.
Masonry at scuppers
Scuppers through a parapet can need brick repair around them.
Adding an overflow
A new opening through the parapet and new flashing.
Variations of the job
Drain and scupper work we do
Clogged interior drain
We remove the strainer, clear debris from the bowl and the leader as far as it can be reached from the roof, and refit a strainer that stays put. Deep blockages inside the building are plumbing work, and we say so.
Cast iron drain bowl
Old cast iron bowls rust through or crack around the clamping ring. A retrofit drain insert with its own seal slides into the existing pipe, so the ceiling below stays closed.
Through-wall scupper
The metal box through the parapet is replaced or resealed and flashed into both the membrane and the wall, with a conductor head and leader outside where needed.
Overflow scupper
A second, higher outlet through the parapet that lets water escape if the main drain clogs, so one blocked strainer cannot turn into a flooded roof.
Do it yourself or call
Keeping drains clear between visits
Safe to do yourself
- Lift leaves and litter off the strainer after storms, from a safe roof access.
- Check that the strainer is seated and not cracked.
- Look for water running down the outside wall below a scupper.
- Note gurgling or slow draining in interior leaders.
Leave to a roofer
- Removing the strainer and reaching into the bowl or pipe.
- Resealing the clamping ring or the membrane at the drain.
- Snaking leaders inside the building, which is plumbing work.
- Anything on a flooded roof, where the drain opening can be hidden under water.
Local conditions
One drain, one parapet-Walled roof, one record storm
When the remnants of Ida dropped a record 3.15 inches of rain in an hour on Central Park, roofs with a partly blocked drain filled faster than they could empty. On a Manhattan rowhouse roof walled in by parapets and served by a single drain, that is how a clogged strainer becomes water through a top-floor ceiling. An overflow scupper gives that water a second way out before it finds its own.
How it runs
How drain work runs
- 1
Inspect and clear
Strainer off, debris out, water run through.
- 2
Check the seal
Membrane at the clamping ring checked for splits and lifting.
- 3
Repair or retrofit
Reseal, insert a retrofit drain, or replace the drain body or scupper.
- 4
Flash it in
New membrane flashing tied into the roof around the outlet.
- 5
Water test
Flood the area around the drain and check below.
Warning signs
Signs a roof drain needs attention
Leaks directly below the drain
The seal between membrane and drain bowl has failed.
Rust stains around the bowl
Old cast iron is corroding.
A loose or missing strainer
Debris can now wash into the pipe.
Gurgling in the leader
A partial blockage inside the building.
Streaks below a scupper outside
Water running down the facade instead of into a leader.
Questions we hear
Roof drain and scupper questions
At least every spring and fall, and after big storms if trees are nearby. Autumn leaves are one of the most common reasons a sound flat roof floods.
Often, yes. A retrofit drain insert slides into the existing pipe from the roof and seals to the membrane, so the ceiling below stays closed.
It is a second, higher outlet through the parapet. If the main drain clogs, water leaves through the overflow instead of building up on the roof.
Clogs reachable from the roof we clear. Blockages deeper in the building's pipe need a plumber with a snake or camera, and we tell you when that is the case.
Usually the membrane has split or lifted at the clamping ring, or the drain bowl itself has cracked. Both are repaired at the drain, not at the ceiling.
Related services
Related roofing work
Emergency Roof Repair
Water coming in right now, a membrane peeled back by wind, a branch through the deck. We make it watertight first and scope the permanent repair after.
Learn moreRoof Leak Repair
Ceiling stains rarely sit under the hole. We trace the water back to the seam, flashing or drain that is letting it in, then fix that.
Learn moreRoof Leak Detection
For the leak three roofers have already patched. Moisture surveys, core cuts and water tests show where the roof is wet and why.
Learn moreDrain backing up?
Call any time. A clogged drain after a storm is one of the most common roof emergencies.