Video · Crew Culture, Humor and Motivation
HVAC Technician Summer Heat: Working on Heat Strips in a Baking Attic
HVAC technician summer heat is no joke in an attic: this tech is sweating over an air handler with its electric heat strips exposed. Those strips are your heat pump's backup heat in winter.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Crew Culture, Humor and Motivation
- Length
- 0:16
- Posted
- October 1, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
A young tech with shaggy dark hair, a black t-shirt over red long sleeves, works on an attic air handler with the panel open and the electric heat strip coils in plain view.
Selfie shots cut in of him dripping sweat, while a voice jokes that money outranks health right now and begs for sports drinks.
Heat strips are bare resistance coils, a lot like a toaster's, inside the air handler of a heat pump system. They kick on when the heat pump can't keep up on a cold night or during defrost, and a burned strip or stuck relay shows up as cold air or a spiking winter bill.
Why it matters in your house
- Techs handle attic heat with early starts, water before they're thirsty, cooling towels and breaks on the ladder. Booking summer attic work for the morning helps the job go faster.
- If your heat pump's emergency heat light comes on, or the bill jumps in a cold snap, the strips may be carrying the whole load. That's worth a call.
- Strips draw heavy current and get very hot. Panel off means power off, so leave the cabinet closed and let a tech open it.
What are heat strips in a heat pump?
They're electric resistance heaters inside the indoor air handler. Your heat pump does most of the work, and the strips add heat when it's very cold outside, during defrost, or when you switch to emergency heat. They work, but they cost a lot more to run than the heat pump itself.
Thinking about the trades? See careers at SwiftPro, or book a visit at (703) 997-9757.
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