Heating Repair in Plant City, FL

Plant City is in northeast Hillsborough County, about 25 miles east of Tampa, according to the City of Plant City. NOAA publishes 1991-2020 climate normals for a weather station in the city, and its freezing-night counts are low but not zero.

• Freezing nights. The station averages 3.2 nights a year with a low of 32°F or colder.
• January. January accounts for 1.9 of those nights. December and February average 0.6 each.
• Heating demand by month. The National Weather Service counts heating degree days by how far a day's mean temperature falls below 65°F. Plant City's normals give January 150.0, December 104.1 and February 86.4.
• Winter's share. December through February average 340.4 heating degree days, out of 436.4 for the whole year.

From May through September the station's heating degree days are close to zero. So most of the station's yearly heating degree days (340.4 of 436.4) fall in December, January and February.

The Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey estimates 14,711 occupied homes in Plant City. Of those, 13,842 are estimated to heat with electricity. The same survey estimates 373 homes on utility gas and 371 that use no heating fuel at all.

This page covers two electric setups:

A heat pump. The outdoor unit heats in winter as well as cooling in summer. Trane describes the matching air handler as an inside coil and a blower fan, with additional recommended electric heat strips for backup heat when the temperature drops below freezing.

Straight cooling with heat strips. The outdoor unit only cools. The heat comes from electric elements in the indoor air handler.

To find out which you have, Trane suggests going to the outdoor unit and finding its nameplate, usually on the top or side. Note the model and serial numbers, and look for the words heat pump, which some manufacturers print there. Our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump gives other signs, and furnace vs electric strip heat explains the strip-heat side.

Only these three. No tools, and no panels off.

1. Thermostat settings. Choose Heat and set the temperature above what the room reads.
2. The air filter. ENERGY STAR advises homeowners to inspect, clean or change air filters once a month. It warns that a dirty filter can damage your equipment and lead to early failure.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Open the supply registers, move furniture and clutter away from the returns, and clear leaves from around the outdoor unit.

If a breaker for the heat or the air handler has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. Do not open the air handler's electrical compartment.

Trane explains that a furnace may sit dormant for months, allowing dust to accumulate, and that the dust burns when the unit is switched on again. Its advice is to let the unit run for about 10 minutes. If the smell fades or goes away, Trane says you are likely in the clear.

A smell that persists or gets worse is different. Trane says to turn the unit off and get help from an HVAC professional. If you suspect an electrical problem, Trane's advice is to turn the unit off at once and contact a licensed HVAC professional. More on this in our guide to burning smells from an AC or heater.

The U.S. Fire Administration's heating fire safety messages are short:

• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources, including space heaters.
• Never use an oven to heat your home.
• Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

Tampa Electric adds its own space heater advice. Do not use light-duty extension cords with a space heater, and keep it away from drapes, furniture and other flammable materials.

Hillsborough County opens cold weather shelters when the National Weather Service expects local temperatures to dip to or below 40 degrees with wind chill in Hillsborough County. They are for the homeless and for people who live in homes without adequate heat.

Tampa Electric's Storm Protection Plan, filed with the Florida Public Service Commission, names Plant City among the municipalities in its service area. Its January 2026 cold weather tips open with a plain warning: when temperatures drop, home heating can have the biggest impact on your electric bill.

Two of those tips concern how your system runs:

• With a heat pump, Tampa Electric suggests minor, periodic thermostat adjustments to limit how often the supplemental heat strip comes on.
• Fan on auto. Set your central heating unit's fan to auto.

Trane describes aux heat as the backup system the thermostat calls when the heat pump needs help heating your home. Our guides to auxiliary heat and emergency heat explain those thermostat settings.

The City of Plant City's Building division publishes a list of work that needs no permit. Under mechanical work, the list includes portable heating appliances. It also includes replacement of parts that do not alter equipment approval or safety.

Beginning July 1, 2026, as specified by Florida House Bill 803 and Section 553.79, Florida Statutes, the City of Plant City recognizes additional permitting exemptions for qualifying residential projects. The city says that exemption does not apply to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work. It also does not apply to a property partly or fully in a flood hazard area.

For a heating repair, the city's no-permit list includes replacement of parts that do not alter equipment approval or safety. For other work, check with the city's Building division. Flood zones and the city's storm-damage rules are covered on our Plant City HVAC page.

The same Census survey estimates 807 mobile homes in Plant City. Federal rules in 24 CFR 3280.707 say a manufactured home shall be provided with a comfort heating system. The same section requires heat producing appliances in manufactured homes to be listed or certified for residential use by a nationally recognized testing agency.

Tell us it is a manufactured home when you call.

ENERGY STAR's contractor checklist includes tightening all electrical connections and measuring voltage and current on motors. It says faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation and shorten the life of major components.

You get a written, upfront price before any work starts. If the diagnosis points toward replacement, Blume shows repair and replacement side by side and does not sell equipment a building does not need. New equipment is sized with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank.

Blume Mechanical Service, LLC is a Class A licensed Florida air conditioning contractor (license CAC-1822618) and is fully insured. We are brand-agnostic and service all major manufacturers' equipment. Our office is at 2840 West Bay Drive #114, Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770, and our core service area is Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

What to have ready when you call

• Whether the outdoor unit runs when the thermostat is set to Heat.
• The model number from the outdoor unit's nameplate, if you can read it.
• Whether a breaker has tripped. If one has, leave it off.
• Any burning smell, and whether it faded or stayed.
• Whether the home is a house or a manufactured home.
• When the heat last worked.