{"id":623640,"date":"2026-11-12T10:12:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T10:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/story\/623640\/rolandos-hvac-explains-why-tampa-bay-heating-systems-often-fail-on-the-first-cold-night.html"},"modified":"2026-11-12T10:12:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T10:12:44","slug":"rolandos-hvac-explains-why-tampa-bay-heating-systems-often-fail-on-the-first-cold-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/story\/623640\/rolandos-hvac-explains-why-tampa-bay-heating-systems-often-fail-on-the-first-cold-night.html","title":{"rendered":"Rolando’s HVAC Explains Why Tampa Bay Heating Systems Often Fail on the First Cold Night"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Rolando's<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
An HVAC technician inspects a home heating air handler in a Tampa Bay house.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Tampa heating and cooling company Rolando’s HVAC explains why furnaces and heat pumps across Tampa Bay often fail the first time they are switched on each season, and which checks ENERGY STAR and the CDC recommend before the next cold night.<\/div>\n

TAMPA, FL – November 12, 2026 – Rolando’s HVAC<\/a>, a family-owned Tampa heating and cooling company, is explaining why home heating systems across Tampa Bay, from furnaces to heat pumps, can fail the first time homeowners switch on the heat as the season’s first cold fronts reach the region. The company says the problem is rarely the cold itself. After months without heating, previously unnoticed problems can surface when a furnace starts up or a heat pump switches from cooling to heating.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay heating systems get an unusually long break from heating duty. According to the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay<\/a>, the first shot of cooler, drier air typically arrives in mid-October and usually lasts only a day or two, and the real cool-down does not usually occur until November. In Tampa, the same NWS tables put the mean date of the first overnight low below 50 degrees at November 10. For many homes, that may be around the time homeowners first need to run their heat for more than a few minutes in months.<\/p>\n

“A furnace that hasn’t fired up since March may have problems nobody’s noticed, and a heat pump can cool the house all summer without ever switching to heating mode,” said Rolando Mojarrieta, owner of Rolando’s HVAC. “Then the first cold night hits, people turn on the heat, and whatever was marginal in the spring may be the thing that quits.”<\/p>\n

The company says the parts that tend to give out are ordinary ones: a dirty filter restricting airflow, a worn igniter or dirty flame sensor on a gas furnace, a tired capacitor or blower motor, a thermostat that has drifted, or a heat pump that needs a check before it is called on to heat the home. Rolando’s HVAC installs, repairs, replaces, and maintains heating systems, including furnaces and heat pumps, and says a fall service visit is the time to catch these problems before they show up as a cold house.<\/p>\n

Customer feedback also reflects the company’s experience working with heating equipment. In a February 2020 review on Angi<\/a>, a homeowner identified as Fab P. gave Rolando’s HVAC five stars for a heat pump installation and replacement project. The customer described the technicians as “very detail oriented” and reported that the crew arrived on time, completed the installation without issues, and tested the cooling system before leaving.<\/p>\n

ENERGY STAR<\/a> advises checking the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall, and recommends having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. For a gas furnace, it says that check should include gas connections, gas pressure, burner combustion, and the heat exchanger. The program also advises inspecting, cleaning, or changing the air filter once a month in a central furnace or heat pump during the season.<\/p>\n

“People in Florida think of a heating check as optional because the cold nights are few,” Mojarrieta said. “But those few nights are exactly when you don’t want to find a problem, and a fall visit is easier to schedule than a repair in the middle of a cold snap.”<\/p>\n

A first cold night also raises a safety issue for homes with fuel-burning heating equipment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that gas- and oil-burning furnaces produce carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, and advises homeowners to have a qualified technician service their heating system every year and to install battery-operated or battery-backup carbon monoxide detectors near every sleeping area. The CDC says to replace detectors according to the manufacturer’s instructions or every five years. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 204 people in the United States died in 2021 from accidental, non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning associated with consumer products.<\/p>\n

Rolando’s HVAC recommends Tampa Bay homeowners take these steps before the next cold night:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Replace the air filter, then check it monthly through the heating season.<\/li>\n
  2. Run the heat for a short test before the forecast turns cold, and note any unusual smells that don’t clear, noises, or a system that won’t start.<\/li>\n
  3. Schedule a professional heating system check, including gas connections and burner combustion on a gas furnace.<\/li>\n
  4. Test every carbon monoxide detector and replace it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.<\/li>\n
  5. Confirm the thermostat is set to heat and responds when the temperature setting is raised.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    “The test run is the cheapest thing a homeowner can do,” Mojarrieta added. “If it doesn’t start on a mild evening, you have time to fix it. If you find out on the coldest night of the year, you don’t.”<\/p>\n

    Additional information about heating system repair, maintenance<\/a>, and replacement in Tampa Bay is available through Rolando’s HVAC website or by calling (813) 373-6804.<\/p>\n

    About Rolando’s HVAC<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Rolando’s HVAC (legally Rolando’s H.V.A.C., LLC, Florida license CAC1820272) is a family-owned heating and cooling company based at 5117 W Rio Vista Ave, Tampa, FL 33634. Its NATE-certified technicians serve the Tampa Bay area, including Tampa, Brandon, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and surrounding communities. The company provides heating repair, heater and furnace installation, replacement, and maintenance; heat pump services; air conditioning repair, installation, replacement, and maintenance; ductless mini-split systems; ductwork; and indoor air quality solutions. Rolando’s HVAC is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating.<\/p>\n

    Media Contact<\/span>
    Company Name:<\/strong>     Rolando’s H.V.A.C., LLC<\/a>
    Contact Person:<\/strong> Rolando Mojarrieta
    Email:<\/strong>     Send Email<\/a>
    Phone:<\/strong> (813) 373 6804
    Address:<\/strong>5117 W Rio Vista Ave
    City:<\/strong> Tampa
    State:<\/strong> FL, 33634
    Country:<\/strong> United States
    Website:<\/strong>     https:\/\/www.rolandoshvac.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    An HVAC technician inspects a home heating air handler in a Tampa Bay house. Tampa heating and cooling company Rolando’s HVAC explains why furnaces and heat pumps across Tampa Bay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623640\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}