Heating Repair in Wesley Chapel, FL

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks which fuel heats each home. For the Wesley Chapel CDP, its 2019-2023 estimates are:

• Electricity: about 18,800 of roughly 23,900 occupied homes.
• Utility gas: about 4,200 homes.
• Bottled, tank or LP gas: about 200 homes.
• No fuel used: about 550 homes.

These are survey estimates with margins of error, not a count of every house.

The Energy Saver Guide says electric heating includes central forced-air electric furnaces, as well as wall-mounted or baseboard heating, and that if electricity is the only choice, heat pumps are preferable in most climates. ENERGY STAR describes a heat pump as a system that brings heat in from outside in winter and pulls heat out of the home in summer. Carrier describes auxiliary heat as a secondary heating stage, often electric resistance strips or a backup gas furnace.

In a gas-heated home, the heat comes from burning fuel, and that changes the safety advice further down this page. If you are not sure what you have, our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump walks through the signs. Our page on furnaces versus electric strip heat explains the difference.

NOAA publishes 1991-2020 climate normals for its station at Saint Leo, a Pasco County town north of the Wesley Chapel CDP. The figures describe that station, not every street in Wesley Chapel.

• Nights at 50°F or colder: about 58 a year, and about 40 of them fall in December, January and February.
• January: about 16 such nights.
• December and February: normal lows of 52.2°F and 52.0°F.
• November and March: about 6 and about 8 such nights.

The same normals show no heating degree days from June through September. Our guide on when to turn on the heat goes further.

No tools and no panels off. Stop at anything that feels unsafe.

1. Thermostat settings. Set it to Heat, with the set temperature above the room temperature.
2. Air filter. The Energy Saver Guide says to clean or replace furnace filters once a month or as recommended. Carrier notes that dirty filters restrict airflow. Our air filter guide covers sizes and types.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. The Energy Saver Guide says warm-air registers should not be blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes. Clear the return grilles as well. On a heat pump, clear leaves and stored items away from the outdoor unit.

If a breaker for the heating system has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. Do not open the air handler, the furnace cabinet or the outdoor unit.

If you use a space heater while you wait

The U.S. Fire Administration says to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources. It also says to turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

A dusty smell on first use

Carrier explains that heating parts warm up quickly and the dust on them burns off, which can cause a burning smell at the registers. Carrier says this burning-dust odor is typically temporary, lasting from about 30 minutes to a few hours.

A plastic or electrical smell

Carrier's advice for a smell like burning plastic or electrical wiring is to turn the system off and have it inspected. Switch it off at the thermostat and call a licensed contractor.

A rotten-egg smell in a gas-heated home

Gas utility Peoples Gas tells customers who suspect a leak to leave immediately and not try to find or stop it. It says to get everyone out of the building, report it to 911 and then call the gas company. It warns against anything that could cause a spark, such as switching electrical devices on or off or using telephones.

Carbon monoxide

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. It lists headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion as symptoms. If you suspect CO poisoning, the CPSC says to get outside to fresh air immediately and then call 911.

Carrier says a heat pump thermostat brings on auxiliary heat when the indoor temperature falls two to three degrees below the setpoint. The thermostat shows "Aux" while that backup stage runs.

Emergency Heat is a different, manual setting. Carrier says it disables the outdoor heat pump compressor and makes the system rely entirely on backup heat. Carrier also says it should only be used if the heat pump is broken or frozen.

Backup heat costs more to run. Carrier says running on Emergency Heat is highly inefficient and expensive to run continuously. The Energy Saver Guide warns against turning a heat pump's thermostat down by hand if that makes the backup electric-resistance heat come on. Carrier says Emergency Heat should only be used if the heat pump is broken or frozen, so a house that stays warm only on Emergency Heat needs a diagnosis. Our guides to emergency heat and auxiliary heat go further.

The Census Bureau's year-built estimates for the Wesley Chapel CDP count about 25,600 housing units. About 10,400 were built from 2000 to 2009, the largest group. About 6,600 followed from 2010 to 2019, and about 1,300 in 2020 or later.

A home from the 2000s that still has its first heating equipment has equipment about two decades old. The Energy Saver Guide suggests considering replacement when a heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, or a furnace more than 15. Age is a reason to ask questions, not a diagnosis.

The University of Florida GeoPlan Center's report on the CDP counts 1,049 mobile home units in 1990, more than the 983 single-family units that year. For 2019-2023 it counts 1,471 mobile homes and 3,155 multi-family units. Tell us which kind of home you have when you call, so the technician knows what to expect.

The EPA requires technicians who maintain, service or repair equipment that could release refrigerants to be certified. Blume has EPA Section 608 certified technicians. You get a written, upfront price before any work starts. If the equipment is old, we show repair and replacement side by side, and 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, and financing is available through Synchrony Bank. See also why a heater stops working in Florida.

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. For other heating and cooling work, see our Wesley Chapel HVAC page.

What to have ready when you call

• Whether your heat is a heat pump, electric heat or gas.
• What the thermostat is set to, what it reads, and whether it shows Aux or Em Heat.
• Any smell, and whether it faded or stayed.
• Whether a breaker has tripped.
• Whether the home is a house, a mobile home, a condo or an apartment.
• When the heat last worked.