Heating Repair in Dunedin, FL

Most homes here heat with electricity. The US Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey estimates that electricity is the house heating fuel in 16,454 of Dunedin's 17,632 occupied homes. Utility gas heats an estimated 652, and bottled or LP gas an estimated 37.

On a heat pump system, heat comes from two places:

A heat pump. The outdoor unit that cools in summer also heats in winter. Trane notes that most of the time the heat pump is the primary heat source.

Electric heating strips. These are electric coils inside the indoor unit. On a heat pump system they are the backup heat, which Trane calls auxiliary heat.

If your home is one of the gas-heated ones, say so when you call. Gas burners and their vent pipes are work for a licensed contractor only. Not sure which you have? Our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump walks through it.

The long-record figures used here come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the Tarpon Springs Sewage Plant station, which sits north of Dunedin.

• The normal January low there is 50.7°F; December's is 53.5°F and February's is 53.8°F.
• Nights at or below 40°F average 4.8 in January, 3.0 in December and 1.9 in February.
• From April through October, the normals show no nights at or below 40°F at all.
• Nights at or below freezing average fewer than one a month, even in December and January.

The 40°F line matters on a heat pump. Trane lists an outside temperature below 40 degrees as one of the conditions that brings on auxiliary heat. When it is below 40 degrees outside, seeing AUX on the thermostat is expected, not a fault.

These are the only checks we suggest a homeowner make. They need no tools and no panels opened.

1. The air filter. Pull it out and look at it. If it is grey and clogged, replace it with a clean one of the same size. Our air filter guide covers sizes and direction.
2. The thermostat settings. Make sure the mode is set to Heat and the set temperature is above the room temperature. Trane notes that raising the setting by more than 3-4 degrees at once also brings on auxiliary heat.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Open the supply registers, move furniture or rugs off the return grilles, and clear leaves or stored items away from the outdoor unit.

If a breaker for the heating system has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. A tripped breaker is a fault for a professional to find. Do not open the indoor unit or the outdoor unit's panels.

A heat pump thermostat may show two different backup settings, and they mean different things.

AUX (auxiliary heat) comes on by itself. Trane describes it as supplementary heat that helps the heat pump reach the set temperature, under automatic thermostat control. It is triggered when the outside temperature is below 40 degrees, when the heat pump is in defrost mode, or after a large jump in the setting.

EM (emergency heat) is a setting you choose by hand. It shuts the heat pump down and makes the electric strips the main heat source. Trane says it is for a true emergency, when the heat pump has failed in real cold, and to call for service right away once you use it.

Signs that point to a repair, according to Trane:

• AUX that comes on and stays on when it is above 40 degrees outside, which can mean a heat pump or thermostat problem.
• Frost or ice on the outdoor unit that has not cleared after an hour of running.
• A heat pump that will not turn on at all.

Strip heat is less efficient and uses more energy than the heat pump, so EM heat is a way through a cold night, not a fix. More detail is on our emergency heat and auxiliary heat guides, and on the Dunedin heat pump repair page.

If you use a portable heater, the U.S. Fire Administration's heater safety guidance says:

• Keep anything that can burn, such as bedding, clothing and curtains, at least 3 feet from the heater.
• Use a heater with an automatic shut-off that switches it off if it tips over, and set it on a solid, flat surface.
• Plug it directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip, and plug nothing else into the same circuit.
• Turn it off when you go to bed or leave the room.

Carbon monoxide is another risk. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission describes it as a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It advises CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. If you suspect CO poisoning, get outside to fresh air first, then call 911. Our page on carbon monoxide detector placement has more.

Pinellas County opens cold night shelters for adult men and women when the National Weather Service expects the "feels like" temperature to hit 40 degrees or below. Families can call 2-1-1 for family shelter information.

Census Bureau estimates count 21,411 housing units in Dunedin. The 1970s were the biggest building decade, with 6,546 units, followed by the 1980s with 4,340. Another 6,453 were built before 1970, and 4,072 date from 1990 or later.

The mix of home types is wide. The same survey counts 9,790 single detached houses, 6,230 homes in buildings of five or more units, and 2,089 mobile homes.

With that range, the type and age of your home help a technician prepare before arrival. Tell us which kind of home you have, roughly when it was built, and where the indoor unit sits.

When a heating diagnosis finds a larger failure on older equipment, Blume shows the repair and replacement numbers side by side. We do not sell equipment a home 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.

In Dunedin, the city requires building permits for most work on residential buildings. Its permit page lists air-conditioning and heating system change-outs among the emergency replacements where the permit application can be submitted the next working business day. Applications go through the Dunedin Citizen Self Service (CSS) Portal, and the permit office takes calls at 727-298-3210. Our Florida HVAC permit guide explains the process in general terms.

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. Refrigerant work is done by EPA Section 608 certified technicians, and you get a written, upfront price before any work starts. 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 a cooling problem, see AC repair in Dunedin; for after-hours help, see emergency HVAC in Dunedin.

What to have ready when you call

• Whether the thermostat shows Heat, AUX or EM, and what it is set to and reading.
• Whether the outdoor unit runs, and whether it is covered in frost or ice.
• Whether a breaker has tripped. Leave it off.
• Whether the home heats with electricity or gas.
• Whether it is a house, a condo or a mobile home, and where the indoor unit is.
• When the heat last worked.