Roof drain screen

thingiverse

This is a roof drain screen to keep large debris out of downspouts. Our flat roof has several 1.5 inch openings around the edge which let rainwater drain off the roof. If these openings get clogged with leaves or other large debris, we end up with a miniature lake above our heads. None of the commercial drain screens fit or work well, so I designed this to protect our roof. Note that I haven't tested these drains on the roof yet; check back in a couple weeks to hear if they work. No warranty given that these will actually protect your roof. Caveat downloader. More details at http://makerbot216.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-practical-things.html Instructions 1) Print out several copies. 2) Clean off extra filaments from the print head travelling between the legs. 3) Paint, either to protect from UV or to ensure no one steps on one of the screens. 4) Get ladder, and place against house. 5) Climb onto roof. (Be careful!) 6) Insert one screen in each drain, with the two legs fitting into the drain to hold it steady. Make sure the screen sits mostly flush on the roof's surface. 7) Climb off the roof. (Be doubly careful!) 8) Drink beer, and enjoy not worrying about whether the drains are clogged. Update, 2/27/10: One screen has been on the roof during the recent storms, and did well - there's little (small) debris clogging the screen, but it's keeping the seed pods out of the drain. I found the springy arms broke very easily because of the small cross-section and less strength between layers. I ended up removing the legs, drilling a pair of 1/8" holes in the top, and placing a U-shaped piece of #14 gauge wire into the holes to keep the screen centered over the hole and in place. There's now four in place on our roof, with another six needed.