Residential Heat Pump Repair in Westchase, Florida

The Department of Energy says a heat pump moves heat rather than making it from fuel. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), writing for the Department of Energy, says it uses the same refrigeration cycle as an air conditioner. Refrigerant is the fluid that carries that heat between the indoor and outdoor coils.

PNNL says that, unlike air conditioners made for cooling only, heat pumps are equipped with a reversing valve. A reversing valve lets the system run the cycle backward, pulling heat from outdoor air and delivering it indoors in winter. PNNL says most air-source heat pumps are split systems, with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit connected by refrigerant lines.

The heating side relies on the defrost control and the backup heat strips, which PNNL says supply supplementary heat if needed. Our guide to heat pumps in Florida covers the basics in more depth.

These numbers are NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Tampa International Airport station. The station sits outside Westchase, so treat the figures as the regional picture.

• January has a normal low of about 53°F and a normal high of about 71°F.
• Nights at or below 50°F average about 43 a year.
• Nights at or below 40°F average about 7.5 a year, nearly all of them from December through February.
• Nights at or below freezing average less than one a year.

PNNL says a standard central heat pump loses heating efficiency when the outdoor air drops below about 35°F, so a backup heat source is often needed. All-electric heat pumps come with electric resistance strip heaters for that backup.

At the airport station, nights that cold are uncommon. So the backup strips may go a long time without being called on. Our guide to auxiliary heat explains when backup heat comes on.

Start with what normal feels like. PNNL says heat pumps deliver air at about 80°F to 115°F, while furnaces deliver air at about 130°F to 140°F. Air from a working heat pump can feel only lukewarm against your hand.

Defrost is normal

In winter the outdoor coil can frost over. The Department of Energy says the reversing valve also changes the refrigerant flow to defrost the outdoor coil. During that cycle the refrigerant flow runs the other way. The same source says high winds on the outdoor unit can cause defrosting problems. Our guide to heat pump defrost mode explains what you may notice.

Signs that need a technician

• Cold air from the vents for long stretches while the thermostat calls for heat.
• Ice that stays on the outdoor coil instead of clearing.
• An outdoor unit that stays silent while the indoor fan blows.

Each of these is a job for a licensed contractor. Trane, a heat pump manufacturer, lists checking the defrost control as a fall service item.

The Department of Energy says heat pumps can have problems with low airflow, leaky ducts and an incorrect refrigerant charge. The charge is the amount of refrigerant sealed in the system.

• Airflow first. Trane says a clogged filter can block airflow and make the heat pump and the indoor unit work harder. The DOE says a technician must measure airflow before checking the charge, because charge readings are not accurate otherwise.
• Charge and leaks. PNNL says too much or too little refrigerant can cut efficiency and lead to early component failures. The DOE says systems should be leak-checked at each service call.
• Fix the leak. The EPA advises asking technicians to find and repair a leak instead of topping off the refrigerant.

Refrigerant work is regulated. Under EPA rules, recharging a system takes Section 608 certification, and refrigerant for home systems is sold only to certified technicians or the companies that employ them. Blume has EPA Section 608 certified technicians. See our guide to EPA Section 608 refrigerant rules.

These checks need no tools and no open panels. Stop at any step that feels unsafe.

1. Thermostat settings. Trane suggests confirming the thermostat is set to heat in winter and cool in spring. Check the set temperature as well.
2. Air filter. Trane's general guidance is to change the filter every 30 to 90 days, because a clogged one blocks airflow. Our air filter guide covers sizes and ratings.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Trane says to make sure returns are unobstructed and supply registers are open. Outside, it advises keeping shrubs and plants at least 2 feet from the heat pump on all sides. Pull leaves and storm debris away from the cabinet by hand, and leave the panels and fins alone.

If a breaker for the heat pump has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. A tripped breaker is a reason to have the electrical side checked. Do not open the outdoor unit, touch its electrical parts or try to add refrigerant.

The National Weather Service says Hurricane Milton brought 10 to 15 inches of rain over most of Hillsborough County. Its isolated maximum total, 18.82 inches, was recorded near Westchase. Peak wind gusts across the county generally ran 80 to 100 mph.

If water reached the heat pump

Leave the system off and have a licensed contractor inspect it before it runs again. Hillsborough County's disaster permitting procedures say repairing a water-damaged HVAC unit does not require a permit, while replacing one does. The county notes those procedures may change with circumstances.

Power after flooding

Under the same disaster procedures, for buildings where electrical equipment was flooded or damaged by a hurricane, the county requires a licensed Florida electrical contractor or a design professional to inspect and approve the existing electrical equipment before power is restored. The county then notifies TECO that power may be restored. Tampa Electric describes itself as the primary power provider in Hillsborough County, and your bill shows which utility serves your home.

Before the next storm season, our hurricane-season HVAC prep guide walks through what to do.

Because Westchase is unincorporated, Hillsborough County Development Services handles its permitting. The county's page on work exempt from permits draws a line that matters for a heat pump repair.

• Replacing a part. Replacing any part that does not alter the equipment's approval or make it unsafe needs no permit.
• Replacing the equipment. Replacing or relocating mechanical equipment is not a minor repair, and it requires a permit.
• Emergencies. If equipment has to be replaced in an emergency, the permit application can be submitted within the next working business day.
• State exemption. Florida House Bill 803 exempts some non-structural work on single-family homes, but the county says that exemption does not apply to mechanical work.

If you hire a contractor, the county says the contractor obtains the permits. Statewide permit rules are in our Florida HVAC permit guide. Other Blume services in the community are on our Westchase HVAC page.

Much of Westchase was built in a short span. A University of Florida GeoPlan Center report counts 837 housing units there in 1990 and 9,244 in 2010. PNNL gives the typical lifespan of HVAC equipment as 15 to 20 years. A system may have been swapped out at some point, so the outdoor unit's nameplate tells you more than the address.

PNNL also says current heat pumps likely offer much higher efficiencies than those of 15 or 20 years ago. Still, age is one factor, not a diagnosis. A failed part on a system that holds its charge can be a sound repair.

Blume gives a written, upfront price before any work and puts repair and replacement numbers side by side. We do not sell equipment a home does not need. When replacement makes sense, we size the new system with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S equipment selection. Our guide on when to replace a heat pump goes further, and nearby we cover heat pump repair in Tampa.