In Florida, your heat comes from one of two setups. With a heat pump, the outdoor unit does most of the heating and heat strips inside help out. With a straight air conditioner, common in beachside condos, the outdoor unit only cools and all of your heat comes from the heat strips.
“That phone call goes like this: ‘I want to turn my heat on today and I’m getting nothing. I’m just getting cool air. It’s not cold, but it’s not hot either.’ What they’re experiencing is the air inside the home just circulating because the heat strip has failed.”
Jason Healy, Operations Manager
What a sequencer does
A heat strip is a high-voltage heating coil, often in two stages. The sequencer decides how many stages turn on.
“On a 10 kW heat strip, you’ve got two sets of coils. The sequencers tell that coil to continue to heat past the first phase to the second phase. If the thermostat only calls for one or two degrees, the sequencer tells just the first coil to come on. If you turn the thermostat up higher for a quick demand of heat, the sequencer opens up that second coil.”
Jason Healy
Signs your heat strip or sequencer has failed
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Air is room temperature with the heat on | Strip | Heat strip isn’t heating. Call. |
| Some heat, but not what you’re used to | Stage | One stage may be out. Have it checked. |
| Heat takes a while but the room rises a degree in 20 minutes | Normal | Florida heat warms gradually. Keep monitoring. |
| Burning plastic smell or debris from vents | Urgent | Turn the system off and call. |
“When those sequencers fail, you sometimes may get the one coil and not the other. So the customer will call and say, ‘I’m getting a little bit of heat, but not that much, not what I’m used to.’ That’s a good indicator one of the sequencers has gone bad.”
Jason Healy
Why it’s a faster diagnosis with us
A sequencer isn’t something you can test yourself, and it isn’t something our phone team can confirm. But knowing your setup lets the technician go straight to the right part.
“If I see the outdoor unit is just an air conditioner, we know they’re getting their full heat from the heat strips, so we go right for the heat strips when we get there. That saves time for the customer, and less they have to pay in labor for us to diagnose for an hour or an hour and a half.”
Jason Healy
Call us if
- The heat is on but the air is room temperature
- You’re getting less heat than usual
- The room hasn’t risen a degree after two 15–20 minute checks
- You smell burning plastic or see debris from the vents
Living near the beach? Read why beachside condos use heat strips instead of heat pumps, or start with our 6-step heating checklist.
Heat not as warm as it should be?
Flat $129 diagnostic. Serving Volusia County since 1976.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my heat blowing lukewarm air?
Your electric heat strips may not be working fully, often because a sequencer has failed. If the room still rises about a degree every 15 to 20 minutes, your system may just be warming gradually, which is normal.
What is a heat sequencer?
A small control that tells your heat strip how many heating stages to turn on, based on how much heat your thermostat is calling for.
Can I replace a sequencer myself?
No. Heat strips run on high voltage. Have a licensed technician diagnose and replace it.
How much does it cost to have it checked?
Total Comfort charges a flat $129 diagnostic fee and gives you a price before any repair begins.
