Getting Ready for a Texas Freeze

What a heat pump or furnace does on Austin’s coldest nights, and the settings that help.

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

Start Here Before the Next Cold Snap

Austin gets only a few hard freezes a year, and those are the nights your heat earns its keep. In a cold snap a heat pump runs long, blows air cooler than a furnace would and calls on aux heat, all easy to mistake for a breakdown. Start with aux versus emergency heat.

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, and in a hard freeze it leans on…
HeatingAux Heat vs. Emergency Heat: What Your Heat Pump Thermostat Is Telling YouAux heat is backup heat, usually electric heat strips, that the thermostat turns on by itself when your heat pump needs help, such as…
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 defrost can blow cooler air for a few minutes. If it stays…
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 and fades within a few cycles.…
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

Long summers, mild winters broken by a few hard freezes, pollen in between. Everything below is safe to do yourself; panels, refrigerant and wiring are a technician’s job. If the heat pump leans on aux heat all day, Gold Eagle repairs heat pumps and furnaces around Austin: schedule online.

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.

Not a Cold-Weather Problem?

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