Family owned in Tampa Bay since 2017
Hablamos español
Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing is a family-owned HVAC and plumbing company at 1408 W Linebaugh Ave in Tampa, Florida. Aridel Morales and his son Richard founded it in 2017, and today Aridel and his sons Richard and Alejandro own and run it. We have completed more than 12,000 jobs since 2020, fixing and installing AC, heating, ductwork and plumbing across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. We were called The AC Therapist until January 2025.
Company facts
Our co-founder, Aridel Morales, started doing HVAC in Cuba in 2005. He worked on the big systems, the chillers and air handlers in the resort hotels along Varadero’s coast, the kind of equipment most home techs never touch. He fell in love with the trade because HVAC is not just electrical or refrigeration or airflow: it is all of them at once, and you cannot fake your way through it.
In 2011, Aridel and his family moved to Tampa Bay. He kept working in HVAC, now on homes, in a market where too many contractors cut corners: homeowners were told they needed a whole new system when the unit only needed a capacitor, and charged just for a tech to show up. Aridel knew there was a better way.
Meanwhile, his son Richard was working as a licensed massage therapist in Tampa. (Yes, really.) When Aridel talked about opening an HVAC company built on doing things right, Richard saw the parallel: both jobs are about finding what is actually wrong, treating it correctly, and never selling people things they do not need.
In 2017, Richard earned his Florida Class B Air Conditioning Contractor license (CAC1819196), and he and Aridel founded the company together. They named it The AC Therapist, a nod to Richard’s first career and a promise about how they would treat customers: therapy, not transactions. Aridel’s other son, Alejandro “Alex” Morales, joined from a marketing and operations background to build the customer side of the business.
A few years in, customers started asking us to handle their plumbing too: water heaters, polybutylene repipes (Tampa has a lot of that 1978 to 1995 plastic pipe), drain clogs and slab leaks. In 2021, Alex earned his Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor license (CFC1431159), so our plumbing is done in house under our own license, not sent to a subcontractor.
Once plumbing became a real part of our work, we changed our name to Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing in January 2025. Same family, same standards, broader scope.
Early on, a Hyde Park homeowner had been told by three contractors that her 8-year-old AC needed a $14,000 replacement because it kept losing refrigerant. Two of them had already charged her about $1,500 each to find and seal the leak.
Aridel did not start by opening the unit. He listened to it run, checked the indoor coil, walked the line set, and pulled the caps off the service valves. The suction-side valve core had a slow seep that only shows up when the system is running under full pressure. He replaced the valve core, put on a sealing cap and weighed in the correct charge, and the leak stopped. Her AC ran another six years before she replaced it on her own terms.
That is the difference between selling equipment and diagnosing systems. We learned it in Cuba: do not replace what you can fix.
Home Therapist is owned and run by a father and his two sons.
Co-founder, co-owner, runs operations
Aridel founded the company with his son Richard in 2017, after more than a decade in HVAC that started with commercial systems in Cuba. Today he runs operations from the Linebaugh shop: dispatching, inventory and training new field techs.
Co-founder, co-owner and HVAC license holder
Richard holds our Florida Class B Air Conditioning Contractor license (CAC1819196), which covers residential and light commercial HVAC up to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 BTU of heating. Before HVAC he spent eight years as a licensed massage therapist, which taught him to listen before he diagnoses.
Co-owner and plumbing license holder
Alex holds our Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor license (CFC1431159), earned in 2021. He runs marketing, partnerships and the customer side of the business, including the photo system that documents our jobs and our relationships with Daikin, Goodman and Rheem.
These are the Tampa Bay techs who come to your home. Every one of them is background-checked and drug-tested, factory-trained, and trains with us every week.
HVAC technician
With us since March 2023. Diagnostic calls, motor and capacitor replacements, tune-ups, refrigerant work and warranty service.
HVAC technician
With us since September 2026. Runs AC and heating repair and maintenance calls across Tampa Bay.
HVAC and plumbing technician
With us since January 2023. Our cross-trained tech, handling HVAC repair and maintenance plus plumbing service on the same call.
Plumber
With us since August 2026. Handles our plumbing service calls under Alex’s license: drains, water heaters, faucets, toilets and leaks.
Recent reviews from Tampa Bay homeowners, refreshed every day from Google. See all our reviews.
Excellent Service ! High Quality Workmanship, Very Efficient and Professional. Reasonably Priced. Would Highly Recommend AC Therapist. Great Company! Jandiel is a Great Technician. He is Honest, Knowledgeable, Kind and Professional!! I…
Amazing service #1
We have been using The Home Therapist for eight years now. Richard and his crew are knowledgeable and professional. We will always call them with any issues.
Roberto was excellent, very thorough and did such a beautiful job!
PlumbingI have wonderful experience with home therapist. They did a whole plumbing project for me at my business location a year ago. Everything is wonderful up to this day. Lester did an…
Water heaterI had a great experience with Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing. We were getting our house ready to sell and the home inspection identified several plumbing issues that needed to be…
Water heaterHad a new water heater installed and the job was done perfectly. Micheal took extra care because we just had new carpet installed. He was extremely professional and did an excellent job.…
AC installI was in need of air conditioning for my detached garage. My AI search for the most trustworthy mini-split AC installer led me to Home Therapist; my expectations were exceeded. Scheduling a…
AC installExcellent service from Richard! He was professional, courteous, and very knowledgeable. He fixed my A/C problem quickly and explained everything clearly. I highly recommend Richard for anyone needing A/C service. had a…
We repair, maintain and install heating, cooling and plumbing systems for Tampa Bay homes and businesses. Estimates and diagnosis are FREE on every call.
AC repair, $89 tune-ups and new systems. Our preferred brands are Goodman and Daikin.
AC servicesHeat pump and furnace repair, maintenance and replacement.
Heating servicesLeaks, drains, toilets, faucets and repipes, with FREE leak detection.
Plumbing servicesTank and tankless repair, $89 flushes, and new Rheem water heaters.
Water heater servicesDuct replacement finished in one day, duct cleaning, UV lights and whole-home dehumidifiers.
Ductwork and air qualitySofteners from Rheem, Halo, North Star and Safety Zone, and we install softeners you already bought.
Water treatmentKeep it running with the Home Therapy Club ($20 a month per AC system), see our current specials, or pay over time with financing.
Every HVAC company says it cares about quality. These are the things we actually do differently.
Many Tampa companies charge a service call fee just to show up. We used to charge $49, and we dropped it. Estimates and diagnosis are FREE on every call, at any hour, and you approve a written quote before any repair begins.
Calls are answered 24/7, and during the day you talk to our Tampa Bay team, never an offshore call center. There is no after-hours, night or weekend fee.
Our HVAC license (CAC1819196) is held by Richard and our plumbing license (CFC1431159) by Alex, two of our three owners; every tech is background-checked and drug-tested, and we carry $1M in general liability insurance plus workers’ comp.
Our techs photograph their jobs, and many become the job records on our blog: what we found, the part we used and the neighborhood. Never your name or house number.
We install and service all brands. When you ask what we recommend: Goodman and Daikin for AC and heat pumps, Rheem for water heaters, and Rheem, Halo, North Star or Safety Zone for water softeners.
Like the Hyde Park story above, we tell you when a repair is the better deal. If replacement is the right call, you get the options in writing, and financing if you want it.
Were you told you need a new system? We will look at it for FREE and tell you straight whether it can be repaired. Call or text, day or night.
These are the rules our installs and repairs follow, whichever tech comes to your home.
You should not have to take our word for any of this. Here is where to check it.
Want real Tampa Bay prices from our own job records? Read our Tampa Bay HVAC and plumbing cost report.
We serve the three counties of Tampa Bay from our shop at 1408 W Linebaugh Ave in Tampa.
Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood, Town ‘n’ Country, Plant City, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Apollo Beach, Valrico, Lutz, Seffner, Thonotosassa
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Tarpon Springs, Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach
Wesley Chapel, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Holiday, Hudson, Trinity, Zephyrhills, Dade City
Our shop is at 1408 W Linebaugh Ave, Tampa, FL 33612 (see us on Google Maps). See every city and ZIP code we serve.
Aridel Morales and his son Richard Morales founded the company in May 2017. Aridel started in HVAC in Cuba in 2005, working on commercial chillers and air handlers in resort hotels in Varadero, and moved to Tampa Bay in 2011. Richard earned his Florida Class B Air Conditioning Contractor license (CAC1819196) in 2017. The company was called The AC Therapist until January 2025, when it became Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing.
Home Therapist is family owned by Aridel Morales and his sons Richard and Alejandro “Alex” Morales. Aridel co-founded the company with Richard in 2017 and runs day-to-day operations from our shop at 1408 W Linebaugh Ave in Tampa. Richard holds our HVAC license and Alex holds our plumbing license.
Yes. We were The AC Therapist from 2017 until January 2025, when we changed our name to Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing because plumbing had become a big part of our work. It is the same family, the same licenses and the same team.
Two Florida contractor licenses, both listed on the Florida DBPR website (myfloridalicense.com): Class B Air Conditioning Contractor CAC1819196, held by Richard Morales, and Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1431159, held by Alejandro Morales. Both are current through August 2028. We also carry $1M in general liability insurance plus workers’ compensation.
Yes. Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing has been a BBB Accredited Business since November 5, 2025, and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. You can see our profile at bbb.org.
Home Therapist Cooling, Heating, and Plumbing is a member of the Tampa Bay Chamber, the South Tampa Chamber, the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber and the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce.
No. Every service call gets a FREE diagnosis and every install gets a FREE estimate, at any hour, with no trip fee and no after-hours fee. We used to charge a $49 service call fee and dropped it. You approve a written quote before any repair begins.
Yes. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no after-hours fee. Calls are answered 24/7, and during the day you talk to our Tampa Bay team. You can also text (813) 343-2212 or book online at any time.
Yes. Our office speaks English and Spanish, and so does the Morales family. Call or text (813) 343-2212. Sí, hablamos español.
We are a 14-person, family-owned team: our HVAC technicians and plumber, the office team that answers calls and schedules visits, and the Morales family. You can meet our field team on this page.
Yes. Every Home Therapist technician is background-checked and drug-tested before they work in a customer’s home. Our techs are factory-trained, and the field team trains with us every week.
Our records show more than 12,000 completed jobs since 2020, from AC repairs and tune-ups to water heater, plumbing and ductwork jobs across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. We opened in 2017, so the full total is higher.
We serve Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, including Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, Wesley Chapel, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey and Zephyrhills. Our shop is at 1408 W Linebaugh Ave in Tampa. Our service area page lists every city.
We install and service all brands. Our preferred brands, the ones we recommend first, are Goodman and Daikin for air conditioning and heat pumps, Rheem for water heaters, and Rheem, Halo, North Star and Safety Zone for water softeners. We also install water softeners that customers buy themselves.
At Home Therapist, our team covers both. We hold a Florida plumbing license (CFC1431159) and an HVAC license (CAC1819196), so one company can handle your heating, cooling and plumbing, and one of our technicians is cross-trained in HVAC and plumbing.
We are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Estimates and diagnosis are FREE, with no after-hours fee.
Hablamos español. Llámenos o envíenos un texto al (813) 343-2212.
