Heater & heat pump repair
Pool Heater Repair in Sarasota
Heat pumps and gas heaters that will not start, cut out after a few minutes, or run all day without reaching temperature. We find out which it is before quoting a new one.
Most heater call-outs in Sarasota are a flow problem, not a heater problem. A heater will refuse to fire if the water moving through it is below what the pressure switch wants, and that is usually a dirty filter, a half-closed valve or a tired pump, all cheaper than anything inside the heater.
So we check flow first, every time, and we tell you if the fix is on the pump rather than the box you called about.
Heat pump or gas, they fail differently
Heat pumps are what most Sarasota pools have, because they are cheap to run in a climate this mild. They fail at the fan motor, the reversing valve, the contactor, or on low refrigerant after a coil corrodes, and coils corrode faster within a few miles of the Gulf. A heat pump that will not keep up below about 50°F is not broken; it is at the edge of what the technology does.
Gas heaters heat fast and are usually installed where a spa shares the plumbing. They fail at the igniter, the flame sensor, the pressure switch, or on a heat exchanger that has scaled up. Scale is the Florida one: hard fill water plus high temperature equals deposits inside the exchanger, which then overheats and shuts down.
What the fault codes usually mean
- No flow / low flow: filter, valve position, pump speed, or an air lock. Start here.
- High limit: the heater is making heat it cannot move away, scale or restricted flow.
- Ignition failure, gas: igniter, flame sensor, gas valve, or supply pressure.
- Short cycling: the heater reaches a limit, stops, cools, restarts. Almost always flow or scale.
- Runs but no heat, heat pump: refrigerant, reversing valve, or the compressor.
Repair or replace?
The decision point across the trade is about half of replacement cost, and sooner than that once a heater is past fifteen years. A compressor or heat exchanger on an older unit usually costs enough that replacing makes more sense than repairing.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit, credited against the repair | $95–$175 |
| Igniter, flame sensor or pressure switch | $250–$600 |
| Fan motor or contactor, heat pump | $350–$900 |
| Control board | $450–$1,200 |
| Descale the heat exchanger | $300–$700 |
| Typical repair, all causes | $250–$1,800 |
| Heater or heat pump, supplied and installed | $1,500–$5,500 |
These prices are estimates. What a pool repair costs depends on the part that failed, how buried it is and what it is attached to. A heater fault starts with a diagnostic visit, and that fee comes off the bill if we do the repair.
Heater & heat pump repair, questions
My heat pump runs all day and the pool is still cool. Is it broken?
Not necessarily. A heat pump moves heat rather than making it, so it works slowly and it works less well on a cold morning. A pool with no cover loses most of what it gains overnight, a cover is usually the cheapest fix in that situation.
How long should a pool heater last here?
Eight to twelve years for a heat pump and ten to fifteen for a gas heater, shorter near the water where salt air corrodes the coil and the cabinet.
Is it worth descaling instead of replacing?
If the exchanger is sound, yes, descaling is a fraction of a new heater and often brings back the output. If it is already leaking, no.
Can you work on any brand?
The common ones in this market, yes. If a unit needs a sealed-system refrigerant repair we will tell you when that is a job for a licensed refrigerant technician rather than something we should be doing.
Talk to someone who does this every week
Repair is all we do, so the person who looks at your pool has seen this failure before. We diagnose on site, explain what went and why, and put the price in writing before anything starts.
We cover Sarasota, the keys, Palmer Ranch and Lakewood Ranch, and run south to Venice and North Port.