Heating Repair in Seffner, FL

Seffner is not a city. The U.S. Census Bureau counts it as a census-designated place, a statistical area for a closely settled, unincorporated community that is locally recognized and identified by name, with no active, functioning government of its own. A University of Florida GeoPlan Center report on Seffner lists no city jurisdiction, only Hillsborough County. For permits and inspections, that means Hillsborough County.

Heating fuel

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks households which fuel heats the home. Its 2019-2023 estimates for Seffner:

• Electricity: 2,476 of 2,796 occupied homes.
• Utility gas: 184 homes.
• Bottled, tank or LP gas: 6 homes.
• No fuel used: 68 homes.

The gas and no-fuel counts are survey estimates with wide margins of error, so treat them as rough. The pattern is clear, though: most Seffner homes heat with electricity.

Age and type of home

The same survey dates Seffner's 2,971 housing units by year built. The largest single group, 674 homes, went up from 2000 to 2009. Another 565 date from the 1970s and 548 from the 1980s. The survey also counts 168 mobile homes. If you are not sure what kind of heat your home has, our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump walks through it.

NOAA publishes 1991-2020 climate normals for a station at Plant City, east of Seffner. The figures describe that station, not Seffner itself.

January is the coldest month there. Its normal high is 74.8°F and its normal low is 50.0°F. The normal low is 53.3°F in December and 52.8°F in February.

Freezing nights are few. The station averages 1.9 days in January with a low of 32°F or below, and about 3.2 such days in a whole year. Lows of 40°F or below come on about 6.9 days in a normal January and about 17.8 days a year.

Those numbers matter when you read your thermostat. At the station, most winter nights stay well above freezing. Carrier says Aux heat running in mild weather, above 40°F, may point to a problem, as the section on Aux heat below explains.

Only three things belong to the homeowner. Everything else is work for a licensed contractor.

1. Thermostat settings. Make sure it is set to Heat, with the set temperature above the room reading. Tampa Electric suggests setting the fan to Auto. With a heat pump, it advises raising the setting only two degrees at a time, so the supplemental heat strip does not switch on.
2. The air filter. Tampa Electric's winter advice is to inspect air filters regularly and replace them monthly. A U.S. Department of Energy guide for heat pump owners says a dirty filter strains the system. See our guide to HVAC air filters.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Open the supply registers and move furniture off the return grilles. Pull leaves and branches away from the outdoor unit by hand. The Department of Energy guide says not to cover a heat pump in winter, so it gets the airflow it needs.

If a breaker for the heating system has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. Do not open the air handler or the outdoor unit, and do not touch wiring or refrigerant lines.

Carrier, the equipment manufacturer, describes auxiliary heat as a backup that turns on when the heat pump cannot pull enough warmth from the outside air. It says the backup is usually electric resistance heat. Two thermostat settings use it, and they work differently.

Aux heat comes on by itself

Carrier describes auxiliary heat as automatic. It runs alongside the heat pump to add heating power. Carrier says it can also come on when the thermostat is raised several degrees, or during a defrost cycle. The point where it starts depends on the heat pump, the home and the system design.

Carrier adds that Aux running when it is above 40°F may point to a dirty filter, a refrigerant leak, a faulty sensor, or a thermostat raised too quickly. The Department of Energy guide lists Aux heat constantly displayed on the thermostat as a sign the heat pump is not working properly. Our page on auxiliary heat has more detail.

Emergency heat is a manual switch

Carrier says Emergency Heat shuts the heat pump off and runs only the backup. It should be used only when the heat pump has broken down. Carrier recommends contacting a qualified HVAC professional instead of running Emergency Heat in place of the heat pump. See emergency heat.

Frost on the outdoor unit

The Department of Energy guide says frost forms when the outdoor coils drop below 32°F. The heat pump then runs a defrost cycle, which it says typically takes 5 to 15 minutes. If the unit is stuck in defrost or covered in ice, the guide says to consult an HVAC professional. Our heat pump defrost mode page explains what you may see and hear.

Some Seffner homes heat with gas. The CDC says to have your heating system, water heater and other gas, oil or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year. It also says to install battery-operated or battery back-up carbon monoxide detectors near every sleeping area. Our guide to carbon monoxide detector placement covers where they go.

If you use a space heater while you wait for a repair, use it carefully. The U.S. Fire Administration says to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heat sources. It also says to turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Tampa Electric advises against light-duty extension cords for space heaters. It also suggests a heater that shuts off if it is tipped over.

The Department of Energy guide lists what a heat pump service technician should be able to do.

• Refrigerant: confirm the charge and look for leaks. Refrigerant is the fluid that carries heat between the indoor and outdoor coils. Blume's EPA Section 608 certified technicians hold the federal refrigerant-handling credential.
• Airflow: verify that enough air is moving through the system.
• Coils and drain: clean both coils and check the condensate drain pan for clogging.
• Electrical: inspect the electric terminals.
• Controls: confirm the thermostat settings, and that supplemental heat comes on only when needed.

The same guide lists warning signs: Aux constantly displayed, frozen coils, strange smells, or a sudden jump in electricity use. You get a written, upfront price before any work starts.

If replacement is an option, Blume lays out the repair and the replacement side by side. We do not sell equipment a building does not need.

Replacement equipment is sized with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection, not a like-for-like swap. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank.

Because Seffner is unincorporated, building permits come from Hillsborough County. Its Development Services department handles permitting and building inspection for all of unincorporated Hillsborough County. The county says the permit process is managed through its HillsGovHub portal. Our Seffner HVAC page covers permits and the area's flooding history.

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.

Before you call, note

• Whether the home heats with electricity or gas, and whether it is site-built or a mobile home.
• What the thermostat is set to, what it reads, and whether Aux or Em Heat is lit.
• Whether the outdoor unit runs in Heat mode, and whether it is covered in ice.
• Whether a breaker has tripped. Leave it off.
• Any burning smell, and whether it faded or stayed.
• When the heat last worked.