Reversing valve
The component that lets one machine both heat and cool. When it sticks, you get cooling when you asked for heat, or the reverse. It is a heat-pump-specific failure that a technician unfamiliar with them will misdiagnose.
Heat Pump Repair and Installation
Almost every home in Tampa Bay heats with a heat pump, whether the owner knows it or not. It is the same outdoor unit that cools you in August, running in reverse.
A heat pump does not create heat, it moves it. In summer it pulls heat out of your house and dumps it outside; in winter it runs the cycle backwards and pulls heat out of the outdoor air, even air that feels cold, and brings it inside. Because moving heat takes far less energy than generating it, a heat pump is substantially cheaper to run than electric resistance heat.
That efficiency is why Florida standardized on them. The standard objection to heat pumps is that they lose capacity as outdoor temperatures fall, which is a real limitation in a northern winter. Here it barely applies: our winter lows rarely challenge a modern unit, and the handful of near-freezing nights a year are covered by backup.
How to tell what you have
If your outdoor unit runs in winter, you have a heat pump. A straight air conditioner sits idle when you call for heat; a heat pump runs the same compressor and fan it uses in July.
If your thermostat has an "emergency heat" or "aux heat" setting, that is another confirmation. That setting bypasses the heat pump and runs electric resistance strips in the air handler instead, which is the backup for the coldest nights.
What fails, and what it costs you when it does
Defrost control
A heat pump ices up in cold damp weather and runs a defrost cycle to clear it. A unit encased in ice that never clears means the defrost board or sensor has failed. Frost that comes and goes is normal.
Strip heat stuck on
The expensive one. If the control calls for auxiliary heat when the heat pump alone would do, you pay resistance-heat rates all winter. It often shows up as a bill rather than a symptom.
Coil corrosion
Near the water, salt attacks the outdoor coil continuously. A heat pump runs more total hours than a cooling-only system, so coastal corrosion costs it capacity faster.
Sizing matters more here than the efficiency rating
The temptation is to buy capacity. In this climate that backfires. An oversized heat pump satisfies the thermostat quickly, shuts off, and never runs long enough to pull moisture out of the air, so the house reaches 74 degrees and still feels damp. Since removing humidity is half the job here, a correctly sized unit is more comfortable than a bigger one.
A Manual J load calculation on the actual house is the only honest way to size a replacement. Square footage alone gets it wrong, particularly on older homes where the ductwork and returns constrain what the equipment can actually deliver. We do the calculation before we quote, and if the duct system is the real limitation we will tell you that instead of selling you a bigger unit.
What we install
Single-stage units are the least expensive and run flat out or not at all. Two-stage and variable-speed units can run at partial capacity for long stretches, which is exactly what you want in a humid climate: longer, gentler run times remove far more moisture than short bursts.
Florida requires a minimum of 14.3 SEER2 on new residential systems under 45,000 BTU, and 13.8 SEER2 between 45,000 and 65,000 BTU. Anything quoted below that cannot legally be installed here. We are factory-certified across the brands we carry, and we will explain what the tier difference actually buys you rather than just quoting the highest number.
Common questions
Do heat pumps actually work in Florida winters?
Yes, and this is close to the ideal climate for them. The standard objection is that heat pumps lose capacity as outdoor temperatures drop, which matters in a northern winter. Tampa Bay lows rarely challenge a modern unit, and on the handful of near-freezing nights a year the electric backup covers the gap.
What is the difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner?
Mechanically, a reversing valve. A heat pump is an air conditioner that can run its cycle in both directions, so the same equipment cools in summer and heats in winter. That is why your outdoor unit runs in January if you have one.
Why is my heating bill so high if heat pumps are efficient?
Usually because the system is running on auxiliary strip heat rather than the heat pump. Strip heat is electric resistance heat and costs several times more to produce the same warmth. It should engage only on the coldest nights or during defrost. If it is running routinely, something is wrong with the controls or the heat pump is not keeping up, and that is worth diagnosing.
My outdoor unit is covered in frost. Is it broken?
Probably not. Heat pumps ice up in cold damp weather and run a defrost cycle to clear it, which can be loud and produce visible steam. That is the system working. What is not normal is a unit encased in ice that never clears, which usually means a failed defrost control. Never chip ice off the coil, because the fins and the refrigerant tubing behind them puncture easily and a repair becomes a replacement.
How long should a heat pump last in Tampa Bay?
Ten to fifteen years is realistic here, shorter than the national figure because our equipment runs roughly double the hours. Coastal installations sit at the lower end of that range unless the coil is protected and serviced twice a year, because salt corrosion tends to end the unit before anything mechanical wears out.
Related services
Heat pump repair and installation across Tampa Bay
R.M. Mechanical is a licensed Florida mechanical contractor (CAC1820870) working across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. Open your area for the local details that actually change the job: which building department issues the permit, what the housing stock is like, and what the climate there does to equipment.
Ask about heat pump repair and installation
Tell us what you need and we will come back with a realistic scope. For an urgent failure, call instead 727-306-1700.
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