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K-Guard Kansas City Blog

How K-Guard Protects Against Whirlybirds & Leaves

Whirlybirds & Leaves in Home Gutters - K-Guard Heartland

September is upon us and the autumnal equinox is just days away, marking the first day of fall. Whether you want to hang on to summer a little longer or if you’re ready to decorate for fall, it’ll be here before you know it. Chiefs football, fall festivals, and outdoor adventures in the cooler weather will fill our free time all season long.

While fall brings beautiful things like cooler weather and NFL football, unfortunately, it means leaves and whirlybirds start to fall. The fall colors are beautiful here in Topeka, Kansas City, Shawnee, and surrounding cities, however, falling leaves and whirlybirds are a nuisance to homeowners especially when it comes to gutters. Keep reading to learn how K-Guard protects against whirlybirds and leaves so you can protect your home from drainage issues.

 

What are Whirlybirds?

Known as a samara, a whirlybird or helicopter is a dry fruit that carries seeds inside of a shell to disperse them and grow more trees. Samaras around the Greater Kansas City area are from red maple trees, one of the most beautiful trees in The Heartland. These red maples are found everywhere, easily taking our breath away with their fiery red and bright orange hues.

Whirlybirds that grow on red maples have an aerodynamic design that allows them to travel long distances to plant their seeds directly in soil far from the tree they originated from. Whirlybirds don’t start to fall from red maples until the fruit inside is dryusually in late summer and fallallowing them to travel further since the dry fruit is so lightweight.

 

What Deciduous Trees are in Kansas City?

There are many deciduous trees here in the Greater Kansas City area with the most common being dogwood, ashes, maples, and hickories. These deciduous trees reach their peak fall colors anywhere from late September through late October/early November depending on the weather. Once they reach their peak color the leaves will begin to fall before the harsh winter weather arrives.

 

Damage Whirlybirds & Leaves Pose to Gutters

While leaves are beautiful and whirlybirds are fun to watch and play with as a child of any age, these two fall things can pose a significant threat to your gutter system, causing extensive damage.

Most homeowners in the Greater Kansas City area have multiple trees on their properties, maples being one of the most common types. Red maples will inevitably shed samaras—and leavesand if one is on or near your property, they’ll likely fall into your gutter system. Whirlybirds collect rapidly inside a gutter system causing clogs that impede water flow, forcing water inside the gutters to overflow.

Leaves from those deciduous trees mentioned earlier will always find their way into a half-round gutter system, collecting rapidly. Once they multiply, they’ll impede water flow, creating a clog that can cause issues like foundation damage, roof damage, damage to the soffit and fascia boards, landscaping damage, etc.

 

How Can I Keep Them Out?

While you can’t keep whirlybirds and leaves out of half-round gutter systems, one way to keep them at bay is to clean your half-round gutters often to decrease the chance for clogs to form. Clean them at least two times per year – more if your home is surrounded by trees. A ladder is required to clean a gutter system, so use caution and consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning service if you don’t feel comfortable.

The only permanent solution to keep whirlybirds and leaves out of your gutter system is to install the K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System. Our system has a curved hood that allows debris like leaves and whirlybirds to slide off the gutter rather than enter the gutter system. Only water adheres to the hood and enters through a narrow opening. Our gutter product is so effective and durable that it comes with three-lifetime guarantees: clog-free, paint, and no pull-away warranties!

Knowing the dangers that whirlybirds and leaves pose to your gutter system, don’t you want to do everything you can to prevent damage to your home? The K-Guard System is the only permanent solution to keep debris out of your gutters. K-Guard is the Greater Kansas City area’s number one gutter company, providing gutter installation services to homeowners in Olathe, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, and surrounding cities.

Contact our team today or call (913) 380-1616 to schedule your free estimate for installing the K-Guard System. We’ll examine your current gutter system and will offer an assessment as well as our recommendations for installing the K-Guard System in your home. We offer our gutter installation service to homeowners across both Missouri and Kansas including, but not limited to, the following locations:

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