If you thought natural disasters were the most significant risk to your home’s integrity and long term value you’d be incorrect. However, and perhaps most surprisingly, the most significant and costly risk to your property is one of the simplest systems in your house. The rain gutters.

Water damage resulting from clogged, defective or non-existent rain gutters is estimated to cause in excess of $56 billion per year. This is more financial ruin than all natural disasters combined, according to statistics generated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For example in 2006 the combined cost in terms of property damage from fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes amounted to about $43 billion. That is around 13 billion less than the effect of water damage from ineffective and/or malfunctioning gutters.

Many are surprised by these statistics because the damage occurs silently and usually without any discernible warning. Many times homeowners are not even aware of the underlying damage until they attempt to sell their property. Due to the high elevation of the gutters both homeowners and building professionals are prone to incorrectly identify basement leaks or foundation floods that are actually caused by improperly functioning gutter systems. These errant gutters and downspouts are also a fundamental cause of mold, dry rot, erosion and premature siding, paint and exterior trim damage. So, how does this happen?

Well, it turns out gutters are by far the most important element of the exterior water distribution systems of the home. This system includes the roof, flashings, gutters, downspouts and splash blocks (or sub-drains at the foundation level). Gutters have to collect all the rain being shed off the roof and transport it safely to the ground making them the critical link in the system. A leak or overflow at the gutter level means everything below the leak is a target for damage from cascading, wind-driven water. The usual victims are the windows, doors and exterior trim, but this cascading water can also erode the foundation, flood the crawlspace and find its way into the basement. A leak in a gutter at the back of the house can easily go unnoticed for many years.

These leaks often are a result of the design of gutters and leaving them unprotected. For example, standard gutters are open and exposed to the weather so they clog up easily with all kinds of debris like pine needles, leaves, twigs, bird nests, toys, balls etc. As soon as large debris enters the gutter it is only a matter of time before the downspout is plugged and the water begins to build up and overflow. This can be prevented by using a gutter protection system such as GutterBrush. Using a system like GutterBrush simple gutter guard can also help prevent the heavy weight of the water pulling at the gutter mountings and deforming them causing sagging. This weight will eventually break the sealed joints in the gutters making for even more leaks.

What can you do to make these critical parts work right? First, the gutters need to be designed and installed properly and they need a system like GutterBrush to keep them from clogging and overflowing. The simple gutter protection system like GutterBrush is made to keep debris out and water flowing. Basically filters, this product is a do-it-yourself solution. GutterBrush is worthwhile investments and the California Department of Forestry apparently agrees. The CDF determines fire codes in all urban/forest interface areas and in January 2008 they instituted new building codes requiring gutter protection and proper maintenance in all new construction in these fire prone areas. Apparently, gutters loaded with dry debris can easily catch fire and ignite the roofing substructure, even with fire-proof roofs. Typical gutter protection systems cost about $1500 but GutterBrush costs much less and works much better! However, considering the risks and damage associated with bad gutters and their 90% likelihood of failure, gutter protection should be standard on every building. And, as always, the GutterBrush Guys insist of putting safety first so be sure you take adequate precautions before you climb the ladder to inspect your gutters and/or install a gutter protection system.