Keeping Leaves Out of Your Condenser — A Simple Fix That Works

Florida homes are surrounded by oaks and other trees that shed leaves year-round. While they may seem harmless, leaves falling into your outdoor condenser can block airflow, reduce efficiency, and even shorten the life of your system.

What We Do-At Cool Air M.D., we keep it simple and effective. Instead of expensive gadgets or screens that restrict too much airflow, we recommend using ¼-inch hardware cloth (Not 3/8 or 1/2 in)— a wire mesh you can find at most hardware stores.

• It allows air to escape from the top of your condenser with minimal restriction.

• It prevents oak leaves and other debris from falling in.

• It’s cheap, easy, and most importantly — it works.

A Year Later-The photos here show a customer’s system we outfitted with hardware cloth over a year ago. The solution has held up, and she’s still pleased with how well it keeps her unit clean.

The Cool Air M.D. Difference We don’t just talk about maintenance — we help homeowners with practical solutions. In fact, if we’re already at your home for a tune-up or service call and you’ve got a roll of hardware cloth handy, we’ll install it for free while we’re there.

👉 Schedule your HVAC tune-up and ask about easy solutions that extend the life of your system.