Heating Repair in St. Petersburg, FL

NOAA's climate normals for the station named St. Petersburg AP (1991-2020 averages) show:

• January: a normal low of 55.3°F, with about 8.7 nights below 50°F.
• December: about 4 nights below 50°F.
• February: a normal low of 57.9°F, with fewer than 4 nights below 50°F.
• Freezing nights: a low below 32°F averages 0.1 nights in January and 0.0 in February and December.
• June through September: zero heating degree days in the normals.

So the heating side of your system may go many months without a call, then be needed on the few cold nights each winter. A cold snap also shows up on the power bill. Duke Energy Florida reported that in the St. Petersburg area, January 2025 averaged 6.8 degrees colder than December. Typical customers used far more energy for heating that month than in December, the utility said.

Do these before you call. They need no tools and no panels opened.

1. Thermostat settings. Set the mode to Heat and the set temperature a few degrees above what the room reads. The Consortium for Energy Efficiency advises Heat mode in winter rather than the Auto mode that switches between heating and cooling.
2. The air filter. Pull it and look. A dirty filter strains the system, according to the same guide, and for ducted systems it suggests washing or replacing filters about every 90 days, following the manufacturer.
3. Vents, returns and the outdoor unit. Open the supply registers, move furniture or rugs off the return grilles, and clear leaves, yard debris or stored items away from the outdoor unit. The guide says to keep the outdoor unit's airflow clear year-round.

If a breaker for the air handler or the outdoor unit has tripped, leave it off and call a licensed contractor. Resetting it is not one of the homeowner checks. Do not open the air handler, the outdoor unit's service panel or the electrical disconnect.

If the three checks change nothing, these are the signs that point to a repair. The Consortium for Energy Efficiency lists them as reasons to have a qualified HVAC professional look at a heat pump.

• The heat pump does not run at all, or keeps cycling on and off.
• The house never reaches the temperature set on the thermostat.
• The thermostat shows auxiliary heat all the time, not just now and then.
• A strange smell comes from the unit or the ductwork.
• The outdoor or indoor coil is frozen.
• The electric bill jumps suddenly. The guide calls this the most common and obvious sign that a heat pump is not working properly.

Auxiliary heat matters for your bill. The guide gives electric resistance heat a coefficient of performance of 1, against above 3 for a typical air source heat pump. It also says heat pumps cut heating costs compared with electric resistance heat. So a house kept warm by electric backup heat alone costs more to heat each cold night. Our St. Petersburg heat pump repair page covers heat pump faults in more depth, and our guide to auxiliary heat explains the setting itself.

On a cold St. Petersburg night, a portable heater can carry one room until the repair. Follow the U.S. Fire Administration's portable heater guidance.

• Set the heater on a solid, flat surface.
• Keep it at least three feet from anything that can burn, such as bedding, clothing and curtains.
• Check the cord and plug for cracks or damage before you use it.
• Plug it straight into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip.

The Ready.gov heating safety handout adds one more point: only use portable heaters from a recognized testing laboratory.

The City of St. Petersburg describes itself as a waterfront city that faces localized flooding and storm surge risk throughout the year. It also notes that you do not have to live on the water to be at risk.

The City's flooding page says submerged electric circuits or components will typically not be safe to energize. They must be replaced, or evaluated by an electrical inspector under a permit and inspection. If you find electrical equipment that is wet or has been under water, the City's advice is not to touch it.

If an air handler or outdoor unit sat in flood water, it is wet electrical equipment, and the City's advice applies. Leave the heat off at the thermostat and call a licensed contractor before the system runs again. For service connection issues, the City's page directs residents to Duke Energy.

The City of St. Petersburg offers a permit exemption form for some smaller jobs on a single-family dwelling, up to a dollar limit and excluding structural work. That exemption does not cover mechanical, electrical, plumbing or gas work, so heating equipment work inside city limits is not covered by it. The exemption also does not apply in a flood hazard area.

The City's flooding page adds that flood or storm damage to electrical or mechanical systems requires a permit for repair or replacement. The City's Building and Permitting office is in the MSC Building at 1 4th St. N., and its main line is 727-893-7231. Our general guide to HVAC permits in Florida covers the wider picture.

A heating diagnosis should end with one named cause and the readings that prove it. The Consortium for Energy Efficiency's list of what a heat pump service technician should be able to do covers most of it.

• Thermostat settings, confirmed at the thermostat.
• Supplemental heat: whether the backup heat comes on only when it should.
• Airflow: whether adequate airflow is being achieved.
• Electrical terminals: their condition, inspected by the technician, not the homeowner.
• Refrigerant: whether the charge is correct and whether there is a leak.

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.

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.

If the diagnosis shows a larger failure on older equipment, Blume puts the repair and replacement numbers side by side and does not sell equipment a home does not need. Replacement equipment is sized with an ACCA Manual J load calculation and Manual S selection. Financing is available through Synchrony Bank. See also AC repair in St. Petersburg.

What to have ready when you call

• What the thermostat is set to and what it reads.
• Whether the outdoor unit runs when the thermostat calls for heat.
• Whether the thermostat shows auxiliary or emergency heat.
• Whether a breaker has tripped. Leave it off.
• Whether the home or the equipment took on water in a recent storm.
• When the heat last worked.