Let’s face it. We have a lot of really nice warm (and some unpleasantly so) weather in Florida and we’re all a tad bit spoiled. We get cold easily, don’t we? And no matter what our friends up north might think we do use our heat down here. So what do you do when that cold northern air dips down into the Tampa Bay area and your heat goes out? Don’t panic. We’ve got you covered.
Your Heat Went Out. Now What?
Call a Heating Repair Technician
The very first thing you want to do after you’ve checked all the normal things -- like your thermostat doesn’t need batteries and no one set it to AC by mistake -- once you know there’s an issue, call a Tampa heating repair specialist.
Just as sure as you know your smoke detector battery will run out in the middle of the night, calls to heating companies increase on the coldest days. Get your call in the moment you know there’s a problem. Don’t waste any time in trying to “get through the night.”
Keep Things Toasty
If it’s daytime, open all of your curtains or blinds. The sun can help keep you warm. This is also a great time to turn your oven to self-clean. That little box can heat up a house when it’s set to 500 degrees. If you haven’t done so already, block drafts using weather stripping, draft snakes, or even hanging blankets over door areas.
If you’re one of the lucky Floridians with a fireplace, lighting a fire can keep you toasty until your heating technician arrives. Taking a hot bath can also keep you warm. Put on layers of clothing and try spending most of your time in a room that faces south.
An Important Thing to Remember
It’s important to understand carbon monoxide and the dangers of it. I know it seems silly but we feel obligated to remind people, no matter how cold you are, don’t bring your grill or camping stove inside to warm you. That type of equipment requires ventilation. Check out these other heating safety concerns.
Be Prepared
Preparation is always the best way to handle things like electrical outages and problems with heating systems. This checklist contains things to help you through a heating outage but if your heating outage was caused by an electrical outage, some of these items won’t work. Still, you should always have the following on hand:
- Flashlights with working batteries (check these periodically to make sure they haven’t corroded.) Lanterns and candles work too. Make sure you have matches.
- Space heater (obviously this will not work if you don’t have electricity unless you have a generator. Some Floridians insist upon having one. If you do, test it about once a month.)
- Chemical hand warmers. These can provide instant warmth but make sure you monitor their use. Don’t send children off to bed with them or leave elderly alone with the warmers on their body.
- Electric blankets and or a heating pad. As long as you have electricity, these will keep you toasty.
- Winterize your home. Okay, so this isn’t an item you can purchase at the nearest home improvement store but winterizing your home ahead of time makes it more efficient before there’s a problem.
If your heat goes out, don’t wait it out. Call a professional in Tampa Bay heating repair. Call Easy A/C at 813-COLD-AIR (265-3247). We provide 24/7 heating and cooling repair for Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, and Polk counties.