Residential Heat Pump Repair in Plant City, Florida

Colder winter mornings than at Tampa's airport

Plant City is located in northeast Hillsborough County, approximately 25 miles east of Tampa and immediately west of Lakeland. NOAA publishes 1991-2020 climate normals for a weather station in Plant City, and they show a cooler winter than at Tampa International Airport.

• Cold nights. The Plant City station averages 17.8 nights a year with a low of 40°F or colder. Tampa International Airport averages 7.5.
• January. The normal January low in Plant City is 50.0°F, against 52.8°F at the airport. January alone averages 6.9 nights at or below 40°F.
• The cold-night months. December averages 4.3 such nights and February 3.3. From April through October the count is close to zero.

NOAA also counts heating and cooling degree days, both with a base of 65°F. Plant City's normal year has 436.4 heating degree days and 3,847.5 cooling degree days. Cooling is most of the work, but the heating side still gets called on.

How a heat pump heats, and why it can fail at one job

Unlike furnaces or boilers that generate heat, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another, the University of Maryland Extension explains. In winter, refrigerant (the working fluid sealed inside the system) absorbs heat from outdoor air and carries it indoors. In summer the heat pump reverses direction and works like an air conditioner, removing heat from your home.

The part that switches direction is the reversing valve. Carrier describes it as the component that switches the system between heating and cooling modes. Carrier's signs of trouble include: the heat pump works in one mode but not the other, and the valve does not shift. Carrier also says reversing valve issues are not DIY repairs.

So a Plant City heat pump that cooled well all summer and blows cool air on a cold morning has not proved itself healthy. Carrier lists a heat pump that works in one mode but not the other as a sign of reversing valve trouble. A technician should confirm which part has failed before anything is replaced. Our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump helps if you are not sure what is installed.

Frost, steam and backup heat on a cold morning

Lennox explains that the outdoor coil surface can get so cold that moisture in the air freezes onto it. The defrost cycle periodically melts this frost by briefly reversing operation, sending heat back to the coil outside.

While it does, you may notice steam rising from the outdoor unit. Warm air production pauses briefly while the system melts frost outside. Many heat pumps switch on backup or auxiliary heat strips during defrost, Lennox says, and a typical cycle runs 5 to 15 minutes.

Defrost cycles that keep repeating and run long are a different matter. Lennox says repeated long defrost cycles should be checked out by an HVAC professional. See heat pump defrost mode for more.

Aux heat, Em heat and what the thermostat is telling you

Trane notes that if you have a heat pump, there will be a setting for Em Heat, Aux Heat, or both. The two are not the same thing.

• Aux heat is for when the heat pump needs help heating your home, in Trane's words. Lennox says auxiliary heat comes on when the heat pump cannot keep up with the space heating demand.
• Emergency heat comes on only if you manually make the switch, Trane says. It shuts down the heat pump and the auxiliary heat system becomes the primary system.

Aux heat showing briefly during defrost or on one of Plant City's colder mornings can be normal. Aux heat that seems to run whenever the system heats is worth a call, because it can mean the heat pump itself is not carrying the load. Our guides to auxiliary heat and emergency heat explain the settings in more detail.

Older homes north and west of downtown

The Plant City comprehensive plan, published by Plan Hillsborough, describes a city predominantly developed with single family homes. That development began with the historic neighborhoods to the north and west of downtown Plant City. The plan says the detached single family home is still the preferred housing type, now joined by townhomes, cluster developments and apartments.

The plan also names a housing issue it calls atypical for the Tampa Bay Region. Plant City has a large inventory of older dwelling units built prior to 1969 that are beginning to show signs of wear.

When a repair turns into a replacement question, Blume sizes new equipment with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection. We commission it with measured static pressure, airflow and refrigerant charge, and we document the readings.

You get a written, upfront price before any work, with repair and replacement side by side where both are realistic. See when to replace a heat pump.

Permits, refrigerant and power in Plant City

The City of Plant City runs its own permitting. The permit process is managed through the city's Maintstar portal, and required inspections are scheduled there too. The city reviews building plans against the 8th (2023) edition of the Florida Building Code.

On its disaster-permitting page, the city answers a question about a/c units damaged by water intrusion. Repair of an HVAC unit does not require a permit, it says, while replacement of an HVAC unit requires a permit. Flood zones and the city's flood rules for damaged buildings are covered on our Plant City HVAC page.

Refrigerant work is regulated. Under the EPA's Section 608 rules, technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release ozone depleting refrigerants must be certified. Blume has EPA Section 608 certified technicians. See EPA Section 608 refrigerant rules.

Tampa Electric's Storm Protection Plan, filed with the Florida Public Service Commission, divides its system into seven service areas, and one is the Plant City Area.