Heating Repair in Oldsmar, FL

The Weather Service's Tampa Bay office keeps long records of when the first cool air arrives each year. It puts the long-term mean date for the first arrival of cooler, drier air in mid-October. It adds that this first shot of cool air usually lasts only a day or two.

Its table includes Tampa and Tarpon Springs. At the Tampa site, the mean date of the first low below 50°F is November 10. At Tarpon Springs it is November 4. Both sites share the same earliest freeze on record, 31°F on November 16, 1940.

The Weather Service says the real cool down does not usually occur until November. Pinellas County's own year-round planner lists "check heating equipment" as a December task. If you can, switch to Heat on a cool afternoon and confirm warm air at the vents before the cold night arrives. Our guide on when to turn on the heat covers the timing in more detail.

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

1. Thermostat mode and setpoint. Set it to Heat, with the set temperature above what the room reads. Tampa Electric suggests setting the central heating fan to "auto." Replace the batteries if the display is blank or faint.
2. Air filter. The U.S. Department of Energy says to clean or change filters once a month or as needed. Tampa Electric says to inspect air filters regularly and replace them monthly.
3. Supply vents and returns. The Department of Energy says to make sure warm-air registers are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes. Clear the return grille the same way.
4. The outdoor unit. If you have a heat pump, turn the system off at the thermostat and pull leaves and yard debris away from the cabinet by hand.

That is where homeowner checks end. If a breaker has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. Do not open the air handler, the outdoor unit's electrical panel, or any cover held on with screws. Our guides to thermostat settings and HVAC air filters go further.

The answer changes what a failure means, so it helps to know before you call.

A heat pump. The Department of Energy says a heat pump heats your home by collecting heat from outside and concentrating it for use inside. It does double duty as a central air conditioner.

Electric heat. The Department of Energy says electric heating includes central forced-air electric furnaces, as well as wall-mounted or baseboard heating.

Gas heat. If your home has a gas furnace or another fuel-burning heater, say so when you call. The section on gas heat below applies to you.

If you are not sure which you have, see our guide on how to tell if you have a heat pump, or compare a furnace and electric strip heat.

A heat pump may also have backup electric heat, often called heat strips. The Department of Energy calls heat pumps the most efficient form of electric heating, providing up to three times more heat than the energy they use. It also says backup electric-resistance heating is more expensive.

How you set the thermostat matters. Tampa Electric's advice is to adjust a heat pump only two degrees at a time, to avoid activating the supplemental heat strip. The Department of Energy says not to set back a heat pump's thermostat manually if it makes the backup heat come on.

A higher bill in a cold week does not always mean a fault. Tampa Electric says a cold snap can raise your bill even if the thermostat stays the same, because the system has to run longer. A different pattern is worth a call: the backup heat runs whenever the system is on, or the house only stays warm on Emergency Heat. Our guides to auxiliary heat and emergency heat explain both settings.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to have a professional inspect all fuel-burning heating systems each year. That includes furnaces, water heaters, flues and vents. It describes carbon monoxide as an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas.

The CPSC says CO alarms should be on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, and should be tested every month. Pinellas County suggests replacing alarm batteries at the spring and fall time changes.

If a CO alarm sounds, do not try to find the cause yourself. Burner, flue and venting work belongs to a licensed contractor. Our guide to carbon monoxide detector placement covers where alarms go.

If you use a space heater while you wait, Pinellas County's guide gives these rules:

• Keep children away from it.
• Keep it at least 3 feet away from anything or anybody.
• Choose one with a thermostat and an automatic shut-off if it tips.
• Place it on a solid, flat surface, away from foot traffic, and never block an exit.
• Plug it into a wall outlet, never an extension cord.
• Turn it off and unplug it when you leave the room or go to bed.

Tampa Electric adds three points. Do not leave a space heater on all night, because the fire hazard is too great. Keep it away from drapes, furniture and other flammable items. Avoid using it in the bathroom. Our guide to convection and radiant space heaters compares the two types.

• Controls: the thermostat's call for heat and the relays that bring the heat strips on.
• Heat strips: the current each one draws, and the condition of its safety limits and wiring.
• Airflow: blower operation, filter condition and the temperature rise across the air handler.
• Heat pump operation: refrigerant pressures in heating mode, the reversing valve and the defrost control.
• Electrical supply: the breakers and connections that feed the heat.

Refrigerant work is done by EPA Section 608 certified technicians, the federal refrigerant-handling credential. You get a written, upfront price before any work starts.

The city does not issue building permits itself. Oldsmar's Building Division says all Florida Building Code permits for the city are issued by Pinellas County. That arrangement comes from an interlocal agreement that took effect on September 1, 2021.

The city lists mechanical and A/C changeouts among the permit types that may be submitted directly to the Pinellas County Building Department. Pinellas County Building Services is at 440 Court Street in Clearwater, and its phone number is 727-464-3888. The city's Building Division can be reached at 813-749-1100.

Ask before work starts whether your job needs a permit. Our Florida HVAC permit guide explains the statewide rules, and our Oldsmar HVAC page covers the city more broadly.

Because the real cool down does not usually come until November, it is tempting to leave a heating fault until next winter. On a heat pump, that is a poor bet, because the same machine does the cooling.

One failed part is a repair. If the diagnosis finds a larger failure on older equipment, Blume shows the repair and the replacement side by side and does not sell equipment a building does not need. Replacement equipment is sized with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank. If cooling is the problem instead, see AC repair in Oldsmar.

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.

What to have ready when you call

• Whether the outdoor unit runs when the thermostat is set to Heat.
• What the thermostat is set to, what it reads, and whether AUX or Emergency Heat is showing.
• Whether a breaker has tripped.
• Whether the home has gas heat, and whether a CO alarm has sounded.
• Any burning smell, and whether it faded or stayed.
• When the heat last worked.