AC Repair in Redington Beach, FL

The town describes itself as a state chartered municipality in Pinellas County and as primarily a waterfront residential community. It sits between North Redington Beach to the north and Madeira Beach to the south. Pinellas County Economic Development's community profile, built on census data, lists 956 housing units and 670 households in 2020.

UF/IFAS Extension says that in Florida, one of the biggest problems is mold. It also says you can help control humidity by using the air conditioner, a dehumidifier or moisture absorbing packets.

UF/IFAS Extension notes that some smart thermostats give access to humidity levels on your phone. When humidity gets too high while you are away from home, it says, you can adjust the thermostat to run the air conditioner and lower the moisture level. Our page on a house that stays humid with the AC running explains what can cause it.

The town lists Duke Energy as its electric provider. In its Hurricane Milton guidance, Duke Energy Florida told customers to turn off nonessential electrical equipment that may start automatically when power is restored. The reason it gave was to avoid overloading circuits.

For a returning homeowner, that leads to a simple order of events:

• Check for water first. If the floor at the panel or the air handler is wet, leave the breakers alone and call.
• Restore power before the AC. Once the house has steady power, switch the air conditioner back on at the thermostat.
• Watch the first start. If the outdoor unit hums without starting, clicks repeatedly or smells hot, turn it off at the thermostat and call a licensed contractor.

If the system or its electrical connections sat in water, do not restart it to see what happens. Our guide to hurricane season HVAC prep covers what to do before a storm, and our page on AC surge protection explains how power events affect equipment.

None of these needs tools. Stop at any step that feels unsafe.

1. Thermostat. Set it to Cool, a few degrees below the room reading, with the fan on Auto. In a home that has been closed up, look for a vacation or hold setting left in place.
2. Filter. ENERGY STAR says to inspect, clean or change the filter once a month, and that a dirty filter can damage equipment and lead to early failure. Carrier says a clogged filter restricts airflow, forcing the system to overheat and shut down as a safety precaution. See our guide to HVAC air filters.
3. Around the outdoor unit. Trane says to keep plants and debris away from and off the unit. Pick leaves, palm fronds and storm litter away by hand. Do not use a pressure washer, which Trane says can bend or damage the fins.
4. The drain. The condensate drain carries away the water the indoor coil pulls from the air. Look at the pan under the indoor unit. Standing water there is a reason to call.

Do not open the outdoor unit's electrical panel and do not add refrigerant, the fluid that carries heat out of the house. Both are jobs for a licensed contractor. If the system will not start at all, our page on an AC that is not turning on lists other causes.

NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for the St. Petersburg airport station give a normal high of 89.6°F in July and 89.8°F in August. The normal August low there is 78.2°F. Normal rainfall at that station runs from 6.66 to 8.39 inches a month from June through September.

The National Weather Service Tampa Bay office gives the rainy season as May 25 to October 10 for the rest of West Central Florida. It says July through early September is when the rainy season peaks. It also lists heavy rainfall and frequent lightning among the season's hazards.

The outdoor coil

The outdoor coil is the set of metal fins and tubing that releases the home's heat outside. ENERGY STAR says dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer. For a home on a barrier island, our guide to coastal coil protection explains what salt air can do to a coil.

Electrical connections

ENERGY STAR says faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation and reduce the life of major components. Its checklist says to tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors.

The drain line

ENERGY STAR says a plugged condensate drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels. See why an AC leaks water.

Short cycling

Carrier describes short cycling as a malfunction where the system turns on and off frequently. It says low refrigerant is not a normal condition for a properly sealed AC system. Carrier says to contact a professional to check for refrigerant leaks or electrical faults. Blume has EPA Section 608 certified technicians, the federal refrigerant-handling credential.

The town posts elevation certificates on its website, listed by address. Its page asks visitors to click on the address to view the elevation certificate they would like to read. FEMA says a community's permit file must have an official record that shows new buildings and substantial improvements in all identified Special Flood Hazard Areas are properly elevated. FEMA encourages communities to use its Elevation Certificate for that record.

The town's Building Department lists its office at 17985 Gulf Boulevard, Redington Shores, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. For the flood rules and permit questions that apply in town, see our Redington Beach HVAC page.

Replacement deserves a look when the compressor has failed, the coil keeps leaking, or repairs land in a different place each season.

Blume sizes replacement equipment with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection, not a like-for-like swap. That matters for humidity. Carrier says an AC that is too powerful for the space will cool the air too quickly before removing humidity. New equipment is commissioned with measured static pressure, airflow and refrigerant charge.

You get a written, upfront price before any work starts, with repair and replacement side by side where both make sense. We do not sell equipment a building does not need. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank. For the general decision, see how to decide between AC repair and replacement.

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.

Before you call, note

• Whether the AC stopped while you were home, while the house was empty, or after a power outage.
• The thermostat setting, the temperature it reads and the humidity if it shows one.
• Whether the outdoor fan and the indoor blower are running.
• Water in the pan, ice on the copper lines, a burning smell or a new noise.
• Whether water reached the outdoor unit, the air handler or the electrical panel.
• Where the outdoor unit sits: on a ground pad, a raised stand or a roof.