Heating Repair
No heat, cold air, or a breaker tripping when the heat kicks on? Liberty Air and Electric repairs heat pumps, electric heat strips, and gas furnaces. Usually same day.
- Heat pump and heat strip repair
- Same-day service available
- No service call fee with any repair
Florida Heat Pumps Fail on the First Cold Night
Liberty Air and Electric runs the most heating calls on the first hard cold front. Florida heat sits idle most of the year. Weak parts fail the moment they finally have to work.
Most Florida heating systems sit unused for eight or nine months. When the first cold night finally hits, weak parts that have been quietly aging through summer suddenly have to work. Capacitors, sequencers, control boards, heat strips, and the same electrical components that struggle on hot summer days are now being asked to perform on a 38°F morning. A lot fail right then.
The Heat Pump Blows Cool Air
If the system is in heat mode but the air feels cool, the issue could be the reversing valve, refrigerant side, thermostat, outdoor unit, or controls.
Auxiliary or Emergency Heat Does Not Work
If the heat pump cannot keep up, the electric heat strips may need to help. When they fail, the system can run without warming the house.
The Breaker Trips When Heat Turns On
Electric heat strips draw a lot of power. A breaker trip can point to a heat strip, sequencer, relay, wiring, breaker, or panel issue that needs to be checked.
The Thermostat Calls, But Nothing Happens
A blank thermostat, dead system, failed board, bad transformer, loose wire, or control issue can stop the heating sequence before the equipment starts.
Liberty Air and Electric is here 24/7 for your heating emergencies.
- Same-day service available
- Repairs for all major brands
- Fee waived with repair
Liberty Air and Electric traces most Florida heating calls to a heat pump, electric heat strips, or both, not a gas furnace in a basement.
A heat pump runs the AC in summer and reverses to provide heat in winter. The same outdoor unit, the same indoor air handler, the same refrigerant circuit, the same thermostat and control board, the same wiring, the same airflow path. That's why a heating problem on a Florida heat pump is often traced through the same equipment that drives an AC repair call in summer. Capacitors, contactors, sensors, and boards don't care which mode is running.
A heating repair visit needs a tech who understands AC systems, controls, and the electrical side. Not someone who only services furnaces.
Heat pumps run efficiently. They also depend on parts and controls that have to work together correctly.
Reversing Valve Problems
The reversing valve flips refrigerant flow so the system can switch between cooling and heating. When it sticks, fails, or doesn't get the right signal, the system won't change modes the way it should.
Most often, a reversing valve issue feels like the system is stuck. Stuck in cooling when you want heat. Stuck in heating when the call has changed. Stuck running but not actually delivering what the thermostat is asking for.
Control Board and Defrost Board Issues
Boards fail. It's one of the more common heat pump calls we run. The control board or defrost board manages heating operation, outdoor unit behavior, defrost cycles, sensor inputs, and timing. Any one of those going wrong shows up at the homeowner end as a system that just doesn't work right.
A failed or misbehaving board can short-cycle the system, prevent it from starting, skip defrost cycles, lock out, or just act inconsistent from one cycle to the next.
Thermostat and Low-Voltage Problems
A heat pump only does what the thermostat tells it. So when the thermostat or its low-voltage wiring has a problem (bad setup, loose connection, weak transformer, damaged control wire), the heat doesn't run right even when nothing is wrong with the actual equipment. We see this one a lot when smart thermostats get installed without proper heat-pump-mode setup.
Refrigerant and Outdoor Unit Problems
A heat pump is still a refrigerant system. Low charge, outdoor fan problems, weak capacitors, contactor issues, or compressor faults. They all affect heating mode the same way they affect cooling. The difference is you only notice in heating mode for a few weeks a year, so problems can sit unfixed for a long time before they finally show.
Electric Heat Strip Repair
Electric heat strips carry most Florida systems. They run backup heat for a heat pump on cold mornings, emergency heat when the heat pump can't keep up, or primary heat on a straight-cool system.
The concept is simple: electric resistance coils warm the air moving through the air handler. The execution is less simple, because heat strips draw serious amperage. A small problem on the strip side, the wiring, or the breaker doesn't stay small for long.
Common heat strip issues:
- Failed heat elements
- Bad sequencers or relays
- Burnt wires or terminals
- Failed limit switches
- Loose connections
- Breaker trips
- Heat that runs constantly or does not come on
- Thermostat or control issues
If the breaker trips when the heat strips come on, don't keep resetting it. Something inside the air handler, at the breaker, on the electrical side, or in the wiring is taking damage every cycle.
Heat not working when you need it?
Schedule a Florida heating repair visit. We'll diagnose the heat pump, heat strips, controls, and electrical side, then explain what failed before work begins.
Furnace Repair in Florida
Furnaces are uncommon in Central Florida and rare in South Florida, but Liberty Air and Electric still services the homes that have them.
If your home has a gas furnace, oil furnace, or another dedicated heating appliance, we can diagnose the usual issues: ignition, burners, flame sensing, venting, safeties, airflow, thermostat controls, electrical. Tell us what kind of system you have when you schedule so the tech shows up with the right parts on the truck.
For most Florida homes, though, heat pumps and heat strips are the bigger conversation. Furnace service is available where it applies.
Heating Repair, Airflow, and Even Room Temperatures
Heating repair isn't only about getting warm air out of the vents. The system also has to move it to the right rooms.
The system also has to move the right volume of warm air through the home. Weak airflow, duct leakage, poor return air, or a system that's oversized or undersized for the house can leave the heating feeling uneven even when the equipment is running fine. The thermostat may say 70°F, but the back bedroom feels like 64°F.
If some rooms stay cold while others warm up quickly, the issue is probably the duct system, return air, thermostat location, or how the equipment is staging, not the heat itself. Ducts matter in heating mode just as much as they matter in cooling.
If uneven rooms, weak airflow, or leaks are part of what you're seeing, we can also look at the duct system during the visit.
Heat Pump Repair vs Replacement
Liberty Air and Electric repairs most heating problems same-day. Thermostats, boards, relays, sequencers, heat strips, capacitors, wiring connections. The decision to move to a new system only enters the picture for a smaller subset of calls.
Replacement becomes worth a real conversation when the system is older, has major refrigerant-side problems, has been racking up expensive repairs, or struggles in both heating and cooling modes.
Because heat pumps share equipment between modes, a serious heating-side failure sometimes points at the whole system rather than just the heating side. If we find that's where you are, we'll lay out both paths: what continued repair looks like vs. what a new system would actually cost. We'll also tell you if a regular seasonal HVAC maintenance plan is what you actually need to keep the existing system going longer.
What Heating Repair Typically Costs
Heating repair pricing follows roughly the same pattern as AC repair, because most Florida heating systems are heat pumps that share parts and labor with the cooling side. Below are Florida ranges for the most common heating repair calls. You'll get a flat-rate quote before any work begins.
| Repair Type | Typical Cost | What's Included |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $49 – $149 | Full system inspection, written findings |
| Minor repairs | $150 – $450 | Capacitors, contactors, sequencers, thermostat issues, low-voltage wiring |
| Mid-range repairs | $450 – $1,200 | Heat strip elements, blower motor, control board, defrost board |
| Major repairs | $1,200 – $3,500+ | Reversing valve, refrigerant work with leak repair, compressor |
Heating-side repairs tend to cluster around the lower-to-mid ranges because the most common failures (capacitors, sequencers, heat strip elements, control boards) are well-stocked on our trucks. Major heat-pump work (reversing valve, refrigerant repair, compressor) moves into the upper range.
How Liberty Runs a Heating Repair Visit
A heating repair visit should start with a real diagnosis, not a guess. Here's how a visit usually runs:
You schedule the visit
We set an arrival window and call when the tech is on the way. No wondering whether somebody is going to show.
We listen first
When did the heat stop? Is the air cool in heat mode? Did the breaker trip? Is the thermostat blank? Whatever you can tell us narrows the diagnostic before we even pull a panel.
We check the basics
Thermostat, breaker, low-voltage controls, filter, airflow, visible equipment condition. We don't skip steps just because something obvious looks fine.
We test the equipment
Depending on what we see: heat pump operation, reversing valve function, defrost board behavior, heat strips, sequencers, relays, capacitors, control voltage, amp draw.
We explain the finding
What failed, why it matters, what the repair costs. Before work begins.
We repair it when possible
Our vans are stocked for the calls we run most often, so most heating repairs are done in the first visit.
Where Liberty Provides Heating Repair
While we service most of South Florida and Greater Orlando, we have the deepest local resources in these areas:
Don't see your area listed? We likely still cover it. Call us to confirm availability.
Why Homeowners Choose Liberty for Heating Repair
Heating repair in Florida sits between air conditioning and electrical work. That's the awkward middle: too AC-flavored for a furnace specialist, too electrical-flavored for a strict mechanical HVAC shop.
The Liberty Air and Electric crew sits exactly there. We're licensed for AC and electrical work, which matters because most Florida heating calls involve a heat pump, an air handler, heat strips, breakers, disconnects, wiring, or a control board, sometimes all of those on the same visit.
Our techs are EPA certified, background-checked, drug-tested, and trained through ongoing factory and in-house programs. Our vans are stocked for the heating calls we see most, so the majority of repairs are handled in one visit.
Most Repairs Done in One Visit
Our trucks are stocked for the heating calls we run most often, so the majority of repairs are handled the first time we're out.
Air Conditioning and Electrical Licensing
Heat strips, breakers, wiring, relays, and controls can all be part of the same heating repair conversation.
Upfront Pricing
We explain what failed and what the repair costs before work begins.
Same-Day Service Available
When the heat is not working, we work to get a technician out quickly whenever scheduling allows.
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions About Heating Repair
Q: Why is my heat pump blowing cold air in heat mode?
A: The issue could be the reversing valve, thermostat setup, low-voltage controls, refrigerant side, outdoor unit, defrost board, or compressor operation. A technician needs to test the system before replacing parts.
Q: What is a reversing valve?
A: A reversing valve changes refrigerant flow so a heat pump can switch between cooling and heating. If it fails or does not receive the right signal, the system will not switch modes correctly.
Q: Why does my breaker trip when the heat turns on?
A: Heat strips pull serious current. That's why they're the most common cause of breaker trips on the heating side. The trip could be a heat strip problem, a bad sequencer, a loose or burnt connection, a weak breaker, or a panel issue. Don't keep resetting it. Each cycle puts more stress on whatever is already weak.
Q: What are heat strips?
A: Heat strips are electric resistance heaters inside the air handler. They can provide backup heat for a heat pump or primary heat for some straight cool systems.
Q: Is emergency heat expensive to run?
A: Yes. Emergency heat usually leans entirely on the electric heat strips, which pull a lot more power than normal heat pump operation. It's there for the times the heat pump can't keep up, not for everyday use. If your system runs in emergency heat mode all winter, something on the heat pump side probably needs to be checked.
Q: Do you repair furnaces?
A: Some Florida homes do have furnaces, especially in parts of Central Florida. Furnaces are rare in South Florida, so tell us what type of heating system you have when scheduling.
Q: Should I repair or replace my heat pump?
A: Repair usually makes sense for isolated failures like thermostats, boards, relays, heat strips, capacitors, or wiring issues. Replacement becomes worth discussing when the system is older, has major refrigerant-side problems, or has repeated expensive failures.
Q: Can heating maintenance prevent these problems?
A: Maintenance can catch some issues early, especially weak electrical parts, airflow issues, thermostat problems, and visible wear. It cannot prevent every failure, but it can reduce surprises and build service history.