Flat & pueblo roofs

Canales & Scuppers for Flat Roofs

On a flat roof the canale is your gutter. When it is too short, rusted or leaking, monsoon water runs straight down the stucco and pools at the foundation.

New and replacement metal canales
Scupper boxes, conductor heads and downspouts
Extensions, drip edges and splash basins

Call (505) 596-3814Free on-site measure · Written price

Galvanized metal canale pouring water clear of a pueblo-style adobe wall

Formed on siteSeamless runs cut to your roofline
Free on-site measureExact footage, no guesswork
Written priceNo surprise charges on install day
Pitched & flat roofsGutters, canales and coping

How flat roofs drain

Every drop leaves through a few openings

A flat roof is not truly flat. It is built with a slight slope toward openings in the parapet wall. Those openings are fitted with a canale, the traditional New Mexico spout that throws water clear of the wall, or a scupper, a metal-lined opening that feeds a box and downspout.

Because the whole roof drains through just a few openings, each one carries a lot of water. A one-inch monsoon storm on a 1,500 square foot flat roof sends more than 900 gallons out of maybe three or four canales.

If a canale is too short, sloped wrong, or rusted through, that water ends up running down your stucco instead of landing on the ground a couple of feet away.

Signs of trouble

When a canale needs attention

Cracked bare stucco on top of a parapet wall

Dark streaks under the canale

Water running back along the underside and down the wall leaves stains and eventually cracks the stucco.

Rainwater pouring from a canale onto a rock splash basin during a monsoon

Water pooling at the wall base

Splash and pooling at the foundation can settle slabs and patios and invite termites.

Metal scupper box and downspout on a flat-roof stucco home

Rust, holes or loose fasteners

Old galvanized canales rust out, and a loose canale can tilt back toward the wall.

What we install

Canales built to throw water clear

We fabricate metal canales in galvanized steel, painted aluminum or copper, sized to the opening in your parapet. They are set with the right pitch so water runs out, not back, and finished with a drip edge so it leaves the canale cleanly.

Most canales should project 18 to 36 inches past the wall. Where a canale lands over a walkway, patio or door, we can add a scupper box and downspout or a rain chain to carry the water down in a controlled way.

Canale replacement and extensions
Scupper boxes, conductor heads and downspouts
Sealed connections to the roof membrane
Splash basins and rock drainage at the landing point

Southwestern drainage

Canales, scuppers and rain chains

Copper link rain chain beside a chile ristra on an adobe courtyard home

Flat roof with fresh white coating and bronze parapet coping

Placitas home with pitched-roof gutters and flat-roof sections, Sandia views

Finished dark bronze coping stepping along pueblo-style parapet walls

Rock drainage swale carrying runoff away from a home

Roof + drainage

Canales work with the roof, not apart from it

A canale connects to the roof membrane, so any replacement has to be sealed into the roof properly. We check the roof surface around each opening and seal the new canale into it. If the roof itself needs coating or repair, we will tell you before we start.

Many Albuquerque homes have both a pitched roof and flat sections. We can design one drainage system with seamless gutters on the pitched parts and canales or scuppers on the flat parts. Read more about gutters vs canales and flat roof drainage.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is a canale?

A canale is a spout that carries water from a flat roof out through the parapet wall and drops it away from the house. It is a traditional part of pueblo and territorial architecture in New Mexico.

How long should a canale be?

Most should project 18 to 36 inches past the wall so water lands clear of the stucco and foundation. Taller walls and windier spots need longer canales.

Can you put a downspout on a canale?

Yes. We can add a scupper box or conductor head with a downspout, or a rain chain, where water needs to come down in a controlled way.

Do you replace canales on historic homes?

Yes. We match the look of the original as closely as practical while upgrading the metal and the seal.

What we do