Heating Repair in Temple Terrace, FL

The regional record comes from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for the Tampa International Airport station. The station is in Tampa, not Temple Terrace, so treat its figures as a guide to the area rather than a reading for your street.

January is the coldest month there, with a normal low of 52.8°F. On average, January has 3.8 nights at or below 40°F, December has 1.6 and February has 1.5.

The National Weather Service counts heating need in degree days. A day whose average temperature falls below 65°F adds heating degree days. At the airport station, the normals show zero heating degree days from June through September.

Cold nights still come. In March 2026, Hillsborough County said it had activated its Cold Weather Shelter Plan 23 times that winter, beating the previous season's record of 16. The county activates the plan when the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures at or below 40 degrees with wind chill. That forecast has to last at least two consecutive hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

What a failure means depends on the equipment, so it helps to know which system you have before you call.

A heat pump. Carrier explains that its reversing valve lets a single unit warm your home in winter and cool it in summer. Trane notes that heat pumps don't blow hot air like furnaces, so warm rather than hot air from the vents can be normal.

Backup electric heat. Carrier describes auxiliary heat, often shown as AUX on the thermostat, as a secondary heating source built into a heat pump system. It typically uses electric resistance heating strips, which Carrier compares to the coils in a toaster.

A gas furnace. In a dual-fuel system, Carrier notes, the backup heat source might be a gas furnace instead of electric strips. If your home has gas heat, say so when you call.

Not sure which you have? Our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump walks through it.

These three checks need no tools and no ladder. Stop at anything that feels unsafe.

1. Thermostat settings. Trane says the first thing to check is the thermostat. Make sure it is set to Heat, with the set temperature above the room temperature. Set the fan to Auto; Trane notes that on On, the system blows air even when it is not heating.
2. The air filter. Carrier warns that dirty filters let dust and debris build up and restrict airflow. Swap a grey, matted filter for a clean one of the same size.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Open the supply vents and move furniture off the return grilles. Turn the system off at the thermostat, then clear leaves and debris from the top of the outdoor unit, as Trane advises.

If a breaker for the heating system has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. A contractor should find out why it tripped.

Do not open the air handler or the outdoor unit, and do not touch wiring, capacitors, the drain line or refrigerant. Those jobs belong to a licensed contractor.

A burning smell when the heat first comes on

Carrier explains that dust settles on heating components and can cause a burning smell from the registers as it burns off. It says the odor can last anywhere from about 30 minutes to a few hours when a furnace is first turned on for the season. A smell like burning plastic is different. Carrier recommends stopping use and having a qualified HVAC professional inspect the system before running it again.

Cool air from a heat pump

When frost or ice builds on the outdoor unit during heating, Carrier says the system can enter a defrost cycle. Trane notes that while the thermostat shows Defrost, the system will blow cool air, and heating should resume afterward. Our guide to heat pump defrost mode explains the cycle. If the heat pump is still not heating, Trane's advice is to call an HVAC professional.

AUX showing on the thermostat

Carrier says auxiliary heat automatically activates when the heat pump cannot efficiently reach your thermostat's set temperature alone. If AUX seems to run all the time, mention it when you call. Our guide to auxiliary heat covers the settings.

A portable heater can carry a room through a cold night, but it brings its own risks. The Temple Terrace Fire Department publishes a home safety checklist with these points on heaters:

• Keep flammable objects at least 3 feet from heating sources, including heaters.
• Do not plug space heaters into extension cords.
• Choose a heater with a tip-over shut-off.

The U.S. Fire Administration adds one more: turn space heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed. Our guide to convection and radiant space heaters explains the two main kinds.

A cold night is a good time to check the alarms. The city fire department's checklist calls for working smoke detectors inside all sleeping areas, replaced every 10 years. It says carbon monoxide detectors should be on each level of the home and replaced every 7 years.

The Temple Terrace Fire Department has partnered with the American Red Cross to provide free smoke alarms to city residents. The program is for homes, not commercial buildings. The department assesses the alarms you already have and installs new or additional ones as needed. The alarms it installs have a 10-year sealed battery. To request a free in-home evaluation and safety briefing, the checklist gives the number 813-506-6692.

State law also applies to newer homes. Florida law requires every separate building or addition to an existing building, other than a hospital, an inpatient hospice facility, or a nursing home facility licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration, constructed on or after July 1, 2008, that has a fossil-fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, an attached garage, or another feature that emits carbon monoxide as a byproduct of combustion, to have an approved operational carbon monoxide alarm within 10 feet of each room used for sleeping in the new building or addition, or at other locations the Florida Building Code requires. See our guide to carbon monoxide detector placement.

Temple Terrace has a Residential Rental Permit Program, and the Temple Terrace Fire Department's Risk Reduction Division answers questions about it. It covers single-family rentals, attached or detached, along with two- and three-family dwellings. A rental property is subject to an annual site inspection for compliance with the city's minimum housing code. The division's number is (813) 506-6690.

Florida law also speaks to heat. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the landlord of a dwelling unit other than a single-family home or duplex must make reasonable provisions for functioning facilities for heat during winter. If you rent, report the problem to your landlord or property manager before booking a repair yourself.

A diagnosis should end with one named cause and the readings behind it.

• Controls: the thermostat's call for heat and the controls that bring backup heat on.
• Backup heat: the current each heating element draws, and the condition of its safety limits and wiring connections.
• Airflow: blower operation, the temperature rise across the air handler, and static pressure, which is the resistance the blower pushes against in the ducts.
• Heat pump operation: refrigerant pressures and temperatures in heating mode, and the defrost control.
• Electrical supply: the breakers and connections that feed the heat.

Refrigerant work is done by EPA Section 608 certified technicians, the federal refrigerant-handling credential. You get a written, upfront price before any work starts.

One failed part is a repair. If the diagnosis finds a larger failure, Blume shows repair and replacement side by side and does not sell equipment a building does not need. Replacement equipment is sized with an ACCA Manual J load calculation, the room-by-room method for working out how much heating and cooling a house needs, and selected with Manual S. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank.

For permits, flood planning and other local questions, see our Temple Terrace HVAC page. Our heating tune-up guide covers what a pre-season visit checks.

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

• What the thermostat is set to, what it reads, and whether it shows AUX, Defrost or Emergency Heat.
• Whether the outdoor unit runs when the thermostat calls for heat.
• Whether a breaker has tripped.
• Any burning smell, and whether it faded or stayed.
• Whether the home has gas heat.
• Whether you own the home or rent it, and who can give access.