Getting Ready for a Texas Freeze

How heat pumps and furnaces handle our cold snaps, and the settings that make a difference.

A black and gold Gold Eagle Services HVAC van is parked beside a sunny residential street lined with trees and homes.

Start With These Guides

Austin only gets a few hard freezes a year, but they’re the nights your system matters most. Heat pumps behave differently in the cold than most people expect, and a few settings and habits make a real difference.

HeatingCan a Heat Pump Keep Up With a Texas Freeze?Yes, with the right setup. A properly sized heat pump handles a typical Central Texas winter on its own and leans on built-in electric…
HeatingAux Heat vs. Emergency Heat: What Your Heat Pump Thermostat Is Telling YouAux heat is backup heat, usually electric heat strips, that your thermostat turns on automatically when the heat pump needs help. Emergency heat is…
HeatingWhy Is My Heat Pump Blowing Cold Air in Heat Mode?Often it's normal: heat pump air is warm but not furnace-hot, and a defrost cycle can blow cooler air for a few minutes. If…
HeatingHeater Smells Like Burning? What’s Normal and When to CallA light, dusty burning smell the first few times you run the heat each fall is usually normal. A strong, electrical or hot-plastic smell…
HeatingWhy Does Winter Air Feel So Dry Indoors? Causes and FixesWinter air feels dry because cold air holds very little moisture, and when it leaks in and gets heated its relative humidity drops further.…

Your Central Texas HVAC Calendar

Our climate has a rhythm: long hot summers, short mild winters with a few hard freezes, and allergy seasons in between. Here’s what to look at and when. Everything on this list is safe for a homeowner to do. Anything that involves opening a panel, refrigerant or electrical parts is a job for a licensed technician.

Winter

December to February

Check your air filter monthly during cedar season. Pollen loads it fast.
Test your carbon monoxide alarms if you have any gas appliances.
Learn the difference between aux heat and emergency heat before the first freeze.
Keep ice and debris off the outdoor heat pump. Don’t wrap it in a tarp.

Spring

March to May

Run cooling on a mild day and make sure it runs and drains normally before the first hot week.
Clear about two feet of space around the outdoor unit.
Find your condensate drain line and safety switch so you know where to look if water shows up.

Summer

June to September

Pick a steady thermostat setting and leave it. Big swings make the system work harder in our heat.
Check the filter every month and replace it when it looks gray or clogged.
Watch for ice on the lines, water near the indoor unit, or the system running nonstop at night.
Keep interior doors open, or make sure closed rooms have a path for air to return.

Fall

October to November

Run the heat once before the first cold night. A brief dusty smell on the first run is normal.
Replace thermostat batteries if yours uses them.
Look at attic insulation and duct connections if you can reach them safely.

Other Situations

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Gold Eagle Services technician servicing an outdoor heat pump at an Austin home

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