If your electric bills spike every winter in Sarasota and your Heil system has heat strips, the strips are the prime suspect. Heat strips, electric resistance heating elements usually made of nichrome, are the backup and auxiliary heat inside your air handler. When they fail, they fail in ways that either leave you cold or quietly run up your electric bill. This page explains what heat strips do, how they fail, and what replacement involves.

Heat strips do two jobs. As auxiliary heat, they supplement the heat pump on the coldest nights when the outdoor unit cannot keep up alone. As emergency heat, they take over entirely when the heat pump cannot run. In both roles they work the same way: electric current through resistance elements produces heat directly, like a giant toaster inside your ductwork. Simple, reliable, and more expensive to run than the heat pump, which is why a strip problem shows up on your electric bill before it shows up anywhere else.

How heat strips fail

  • Burned-out elements. Nichrome elements eventually burn through like an old lightbulb filament. A burned-out element produces no heat; the system compensates by running longer or leaning on the remaining elements.
  • Failed sequencers. Sequencers stage the elements on and off in sequence to avoid slamming your electrical panel with the full load at once. A stuck sequencer can leave elements energized continuously, the classic cause of a shocking electric bill with no obvious symptom, or prevent them from energizing at all.
  • Failed contactors and relays. The high-current switching components wear with every cycle. Pitted or welded contacts cause intermittent heat or strips that will not shut off.
  • Tripped breakers and fuses. Heat strips draw serious amperage. A breaker that trips repeatedly is protecting you from a fault, often a shorted element, not misbehaving.
  • Control and limit-switch faults. High-limit switches shut the strips down when airflow is restricted or temperatures climb too high. A failed limit can disable heat; a bypassed one is a fire risk. Limits are safety devices, never to be jumped out.

Why failed strips show up on your electric bill

Electric resistance heat is the most expensive way to heat a home, which makes strip faults uniquely visible in billing. A sequencer stuck closed keeps elements drawing full current around the clock. A heat pump fault that forces the system onto emergency heat shifts the entire heating load to the strips. Even a partially failed strip bank, one element burned out, makes the remaining elements and the heat pump work longer to meet the thermostat. If your winter electric bills jumped without a change in rates or weather, the strips deserve investigation before anything else.

What replacement involves

Heat strip replacement is electrical work. No sealed system is opened. The technician de-energizes the air handler and verifies zero voltage, then tests each element for continuity, each sequencer for proper staging, and the contactors, limits, and wiring for faults. Failed components are replaced with genuine Heil parts matched to your air handler’s model: correct wattage, correct staging, correct physical fit. Breaker sizing and wire gauge are verified against the strip kit’s requirements, because the most common installation error with heat strips is an electrical supply that does not match the load. The system is then run through a full heating cycle to confirm each stage energizes and de-energizes in sequence, and that the high-limit safeties trip and reset correctly.

Getting it fixed in Sarasota

If your Heil system’s heat strips are not heating, will not shut off, or are driving your electric bills up, the next step is an electrical diagnostic, not a guess. Our technicians test elements, sequencers, contactors, and controls in order, carry genuine Heil parts on the van, and follow warranty-safe practices that keep your manufacturer coverage intact. Same-day dispatch across Sarasota, and 24/7 emergency service when a no-heat situation cannot wait.

What are heat strips?

Electric resistance heating elements, usually nichrome wire, mounted inside your air handler. They provide auxiliary heat on the coldest nights and emergency heat when the heat pump cannot run. They heat by passing current through resistance elements: simple, reliable, and more expensive to operate than the heat pump.

Why did my electric bill spike this winter?

The most common cause is a heat strip fault: a sequencer stuck closed keeping elements energized continuously, or a heat pump problem forcing the system onto emergency heat. Both shift heating to electric resistance, the costliest way to heat. A diagnostic identifies which one it is.

Can I replace heat strips myself?

No. Heat strips draw high amperage at 240 volts, and the work involves high-voltage electrical, breaker sizing, and safety-limit verification. This is licensed-technician work. The panels stay closed until a professional arrives.

How long does replacement take?

Usually a single visit of one to two hours: diagnostic testing, component replacement with genuine Heil parts, breaker and wiring verification, and a full staged heating cycle to confirm proper operation.

Do you offer same-day service in Sarasota?

Yes. Same-day dispatch across Sarasota for heat strip diagnostics and replacement, backed by 24/7 emergency service when a heating failure cannot wait.