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Warning: I used to test pitot heat with just my hand and I got lucky for way too long
For years I checked pitot heat by touching the probe for a few seconds and feeling it warm up, and if it felt hot I signed it off. Back in March I was on a 172 in the hangar at Riverside and the tube felt hot after a 30 second touch test, but the amp draw was only 4.1 amps when the book calls for 6 to 7. Turns out half the element was gone and I never would have caught it by feel alone. I still do the touch check out of habit, but now I clamp a meter on the circuit and compare the draw against the spec every time, no exceptions. If you are still going off feel, please pull out the meter, it takes two minutes and it catches stuff your hand never will. What is your go to check for heat elements that you can not see inside of?
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