AC Maintenance and Air Conditioner Tune-Ups in Lutz, FL

The U.S. Census Bureau lists Lutz as a census-designated place, or CDP. The Bureau describes CDPs as unincorporated communities without an active, functioning governmental structure of their own. The GeoPlan report lists two counties for Lutz: Hillsborough and Pasco.

For a home on the Hillsborough side, the county's Development Services department is the place to start. It describes itself as the customer service center for development and construction for all of unincorporated Hillsborough County. Its permit process runs through the online HillsGovHub portal, and its call center number is (813) 272-5600.

Does a maintenance visit need a permit?

Hillsborough County's list of work exempt from permits includes routine internal and external maintenance that does not alter or install structural components. Replacing or relocating mechanical equipment is a different matter: the county lists it among repairs that do require a permit.

If maintenance turns up a system that has to be replaced in an emergency, the county says the permit application can be submitted within the next working business day. Both sides of the community are covered on our Lutz HVAC page.

The GeoPlan report breaks down the Lutz housing count. Alongside the 8,375 single-family houses, it counts 1,545 multi-family units and 374 mobile homes. Most occupied homes are owned rather than rented: 7,710 owner-occupied against 2,163 renter-occupied.

The same report puts Lutz at 0.68 housing units per acre. Residential land covers 7,907 acres, and agricultural land another 1,649 acres.

Why the yard is part of maintenance

The outdoor unit, called the condenser, releases the heat your system pulls out of the house. It does that by moving air through a coil of thin metal fins. Trane, an equipment manufacturer, says a dirty condenser coil can decrease the performance of your cooling system and make it work harder.

Trane's advice for the yard is specific. Keep landscaping plants trimmed to at least two feet away from the unit on all sides. If you use a side-discharge mower, mow so the grass is thrown away from the unit. That habit helps keep clippings off the coil between visits.

If yours is one of the 374 mobile homes, our guide to mobile home air conditioning covers what differs.

ENERGY STAR, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's efficiency program, recommends an annual pre-season check-up by a contractor. It says contractors get busy once summer comes, so it's best to check the cooling system in the spring. Trane likewise recommends an AC tune-up every spring.

The local heat record shows why. NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Tampa International Airport average no 90-degree days in March and 1.0 in April. These are airport readings, not measurements taken in Lutz.

By May the airport averages 9.6 such days, and June through September each average more than 17. A normal October still has 4.4, and the airport averages about 94 a year in all.

So a March or April visit lands before the long run of hot afternoons begins. A worn part found then can be dealt with on your schedule, not on the first hot weekend in May.

ENERGY STAR publishes a list of what a typical check-up should include. Here is that list in plain words, with what each item protects.

• Thermostat settings. Confirm the system keeps you comfortable at home and saves energy while you are away.
• Electrical connections and motors. Tighten the connections and measure voltage and current on the motors. Faulty connections, ENERGY STAR warns, can make the system unsafe and shorten the life of major parts.
• Moving parts. Lubricate them, because parts without lubrication cause friction in motors and raise electricity use.
• Controls and start-up. Check that the system starts, runs and shuts off properly.
• Coils. Clean the indoor coil, called the evaporator, and the outdoor condenser coil. Dirty coils make the system run longer and cool less well.
• Refrigerant. Refrigerant is the fluid that carries heat from inside the house to outside. The level is checked and adjusted if necessary.
• Blower. The blower parts are cleaned and adjusted so the system moves the right amount of air through the house.
• Condensate drain. Inspect the drain while the system is cooling. ENERGY STAR says a plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.

The drain and the overflow switch

Trane explains that a drain line or pan can clog with dirt, debris, mold growth or even spider webs. Water can then reach the floor of an attic or utility closet. Some systems have a condensate overflow switch that shuts the system down before that happens, but Trane notes that not every air handler has one. During a routine visit, Trane says, the technician checks the drain line and pan for clogs or cracks.

Measured, not guessed

Refrigerant work at Blume is handled by EPA Section 608 certified technicians. When we install equipment, we size it with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection. We commission it with measured static pressure, airflow and refrigerant charge, documented. Static pressure is the resistance the indoor fan pushes against, and those readings give later visits a baseline to compare with.

Three checks are yours, and none of them involves opening the equipment.

• Air filter. ENERGY STAR says to inspect, clean or change the filter once a month, and notes your contractor can show you how. A dirty filter can damage the equipment and lead to early failure. To pick the right one, see our guide to HVAC air filters.
• Thermostat. Make sure it is set to cool and to the temperature you want. Our thermostat settings guide gives a starting point.
• Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Keep sofas, beds and rugs off the supply vents and return grilles. Outside, clear leaves and clippings away from the unit by hand and keep plants two feet back.

Leave coil cleaning to the technician: Trane recommends hiring a professional to inspect and clean the unit. Wiring, capacitors, drain lines, refrigerant and anything behind a panel belong to a licensed contractor.

Trane notes that if your system has a condensate drain switch and suddenly shuts off in the heat of the day, a clogged condensate line or pan may be the cause. Call rather than switching it back on again and again.

Also call if you notice:

• The vents blow warm air while the system is running.
• Water collects around the indoor unit or sits in its pan. Our guide to the AC drain pan explains what it does.
• Ice forms on the copper refrigerant lines or on the indoor coil.
• The air conditioner's breaker has tripped. Leave that breaker off and phone a licensed contractor.
• A new noise or a burning or musty smell when the system starts.

For a system that has stopped altogether, Blume offers 24/7 emergency HVAC service, with same-day response available based on location and technician availability. Day or night, a person answers the 24/7 dispatch line.

Blume Mechanical Service holds Florida license CAC-1822618 as a Class A licensed air conditioning contractor, and the company is fully insured. Our office is in Belleair Bluffs. Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties make up our core service area, so Lutz is covered on either side of the county line.

Blume is brand-agnostic, servicing all major manufacturers' equipment as a licensed contractor. When a maintenance visit finds a problem that cleaning and adjustment will not fix, you see repair and replacement side by side. We do not sell equipment a home does not need, and paid priority scheduling is available.

The full seasonal split of homeowner and technician tasks is in our AC maintenance checklist for Florida homes. Our AC maintenance plan page has the plan details. For Tampa itself, see our page on AC maintenance in Tampa.