AC Maintenance in Odessa, FL: Hillsborough County Side

The Census Bureau lists Odessa as a census designated place, or CDP, and places that CDP in Pasco County. The Bureau describes CDPs as closely settled, unincorporated communities with no active, functioning governmental structure. There is no Odessa city hall or city building department.

The Odessa name does not stop at the county line, though. Hillsborough County lists its Keystone Park & Recreation Center at 17928 Gunn Hwy., Odessa, FL 33556, and Lake Rogers Park at 9010 North Mobley Rd., Odessa. For a home on this side of the line, Hillsborough County is the government that matters for building permits, which it takes through its online permitting portal, HillsGovHub.

For the wider Odessa picture, including the Pasco side, see our Odessa HVAC page.

The Census Bureau lists Keystone as a CDP in Hillsborough County, sharing its name with the county's Odessa-addressed Keystone Park. The University of Florida's GeoPlan Center publishes a data report for that CDP.

Using American Community Survey estimates for 2018 to 2022, the report counts 9,507 housing units in Keystone:

• 8,986 are single-family units.
• 338 are mobile home units.
• 173 are multi-family units.
• 8,471 are occupied by their owners.

The same report counts 4,398 acres of agricultural land use beside 8,917 acres of residential land. Hillsborough County's park pages fill in the setting. Lake Rogers is among the largest lakes in the county, and the trails at Northwest Equestrian Park run through cypress and hardwood swamps, freshwater marshes and oak hammocks.

What this means for maintenance is simple. In Keystone, most homes are single-family houses and most are owner-occupied, so booking the visit usually falls to the owner. If you live in a mobile home, say so when you book, so the visit is planned around how your system is laid out.

NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for the Tampa International Airport station give a long-term picture of the local cooling load. They measure it in degree days. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center explains that a cooling degree day adds up how far a day's mean temperature sits above 65°F. Heating degree days add up how far days fall below it.

• Cooling far outweighs heating. The station's annual normal is 3,928.2 cooling degree days, against 433.5 heating degree days.
• No month is free of cooling weather. Every month has cooling degree days, including January at 60.9.
• Summer is the peak. June through September each run above 530, with August highest at 589.0, and none of those months has any heating degree days.

The National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay dates the rainy season from May 25 to October 10 for West Central Florida outside Southwest Florida. It describes the season as warm and humid, with frequent showers and thunderstorms.

ENERGY STAR recommends having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. It adds that contractors get busy once summer comes, so spring is the best time to check the cooling system. On the Hillsborough side of Odessa, a practical target is to book the visit before the rainy season begins in late May.

Daikin's homeowner maintenance section for split systems goes a step further. It recommends a bi-annual checkup by a qualified servicer before both the heating and the cooling seasons begin. A split system has an outdoor unit and a separate indoor unit. If your system is a heat pump that also heats the house in winter, a fall visit fits that advice.

Some homes are worth seeing sooner. Ask about an earlier visit if the system runs longer than it used to, if a room has stopped keeping up, or if the drain has backed up before. Blume also offers paid priority scheduling.

ENERGY STAR lists what a typical check-up should include. Here is that list in plain words, with what each item means for your house.

Thermostat, controls and start-up

The technician checks the thermostat settings and the system controls, then watches the equipment start. ENERGY STAR says the start cycle should confirm that the system starts, operates and shuts off properly.

Electrical connections

Connections are tightened, and the voltage and current on the motors are measured. ENERGY STAR warns that faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation and reduce the life of major components.

Both coils

An air conditioner moves heat from inside your home to the outdoors, much like a refrigerator. The indoor coil, called the evaporator, removes heat and humidity from the air. The outdoor coil, the condenser, releases that heat outside. ENERGY STAR says dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and make it run longer.

Refrigerant level

Refrigerant is the fluid that carries the heat between the two coils, pumped by the compressor in the outdoor unit. ENERGY STAR says too much or too little refrigerant makes the system less efficient. Blume's refrigerant work is done by EPA Section 608 certified technicians.

Blower

The blower is the indoor fan that pushes air across the evaporator and through the house. ENERGY STAR lists cleaning and adjusting its components to give the system proper airflow.

Condensate drain

The indoor coil removes humidity as well as heat. ENERGY STAR lists checking and inspecting the condensate drain as part of a typical check-up. It warns that a plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.

Blume's approach to equipment rests on measurement. The systems Blume installs are commissioned with measured airflow and refrigerant charge, among other readings, and those readings are documented.

Not every finding means a new system. Hillsborough County's list of work exempt from permits includes replacement of any part that does not alter its approval or make it unsafe. The county adds that exemptions do not waive any other building code requirements.

A full replacement is a bigger job. When mechanical equipment is being retrofitted, the county's residential alterations checklist asks for Manual J load calculations from the contractor doing the HVAC work, plus a set of R402 or R405 energy forms. The U.S. Department of Energy describes Manual J as the method a contractor should use to calculate the proper size of the equipment.

Hillsborough County says that if you hire a contractor, the contractor will obtain all of the necessary permits. It also advises checking that the contractor holds a valid license. Blume shows repair-versus-replace numbers side by side and does not sell equipment a building does not need. When replacement is the answer, Blume sizes the new system with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection, and financing is available through Synchrony Bank.

These checks are yours, and none of them needs tools.

• Filter. ENERGY STAR says to inspect, clean or change it once a month, because a dirty filter can damage your equipment. Daikin says never to run the system without one. It may sit in the blower unit or behind a filter grille in a ceiling or wall. See our guide to HVAC air filters.
• Thermostat settings. Confirm the thermostat is set the way you intend before assuming something is wrong. Our page on thermostat settings covers the basics.
• Vents and returns. Keep rugs, curtains and furniture off the supply vents and return grilles so air can move freely.
• Outdoor unit. Clear leaves, grass and anything stacked against the unit, by hand. Daikin says not to build a fence, deck or patio near or over it without first asking a qualified servicer.

Leave the rest to a professional. Daikin says outdoor coil cleaning is for a qualified servicer, because an inexperienced person can puncture the coil tubing. Keep panels closed, and leave refrigerant, capacitors, wiring and drain lines to a licensed contractor.

Do not wait for the scheduled visit if you notice any of these:

• Weak cooling, or warm air from the vents while the system runs.
• Ice on the copper refrigerant lines.
• Water around the indoor unit, or a system that shut itself off.
• A breaker that has tripped. Leave it off and call a licensed contractor.
• A new noise, or a burning or musty smell.

For a system that stops entirely, Blume offers 24/7 emergency HVAC service, with same-day response available based on location and technician availability. A person answers the 24/7 dispatch line.

Blume Mechanical Service is a Class A licensed Florida air conditioning contractor, license CAC-1822618, and is fully insured. Our office is at 2840 West Bay Drive #114 in Belleair Bluffs, and our core service area is Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. We are brand-agnostic and service all major manufacturers as a licensed contractor. You get a written, upfront price before any work starts.

For a season-by-season list, see our AC maintenance checklist for Florida homes. Plan details are on the AC maintenance plan page. Nearby in Hillsborough County, see AC maintenance in Tampa and our Westchase page.