my heat tape stopped working once. It turned out one of the connections just wasn't fully seated down into the metal strip on the heat tape. Since you're getting new stuff anyway, pull out a hammer and try to lightly tap down at the connection points for the flex watt, if you break any sort of protective cover, add a bit of electrical tape over top, plug it in to the wall socket and see if it works. If it does, great you have free heat tape on the way - if not... Hey, you have free heat tape on the way! But that's all it was for me.