How to Tell If Your Furnace Element Is Dying
An electric furnace heats your home by passing current through metal heating elements (heat strips). When one starts to fail, the symptoms are usually easy to spot if you know what to look for.
1. Weak or insufficient heat
The most common sign: the furnace runs, but the air coming out isn’t as warm as it should be. Electric furnaces often have multiple elements staged in sequence — if one fails, you lose a chunk of your heating capacity.
2. A tripped breaker
Heating elements draw a lot of current. A shorted or failing element can trip the breaker for that circuit. If you’re resetting the same breaker repeatedly, an element is a likely culprit.
3. Visible damage
With the power off and locked out, inspect the elements. Look for:
- Broken or sagging coil wire
- Burn marks or scorching
- A gap where the coil has snapped
4. Higher electricity bills
A partially failed element or one with a bad connection can run inefficiently, quietly driving up your power bill.
5. Frequent cycling
If the furnace short-cycles (turns on and off rapidly), a failing element or its limit switch may be to blame.
6. No continuity
A technician can test an element with a multimeter. No continuity means the element is broken internally and needs replacing.
Before you replace it
Rule out the simple stuff first — a tripped breaker, a dirty filter choking airflow, or a faulty sequencer/limit switch can mimic a dead element. If you’ve confirmed the element itself, send us your make and model and we’ll ship a replacement anywhere in Canada.
Related guides
- Electric Furnace Not Heating? A Troubleshooting Checklist
- Furnace Sequencer vs. Element: Which One Is Failing?
Related products
- Furnace Elements
- Lennox Furnace Replacement Elements
- Trane Replacement Heating Elements
- Goodman Replacement Heating Elements
- Rheem Replacement Heating Elements
Need a replacement element? We ship across Canada and build custom elements for hard-to-find equipment.