01/23/2026
❄️ WINTER WEATHER PREP❄️
A significant snow and ice storm is moving into our area, and we want to help you know what’s normal for your heating system during extreme cold, and how to best protect it.
🔥 HEAT PUMPS
• Heat pumps are not designed to perform like furnaces in extreme cold.
• When outdoor temps drop, especially below 20°F, it is normal for your system to fall behind your thermostat set point.
• Below ~15°F, we strongly recommend switching to Emergency Heat.
• This runs the heat strips only, allowing your home to stay warmer.
• It also prevents the outdoor unit from constantly defrosting and struggling to keep up.
⚠️ Important: Emergency Heat uses more electricity, but it is often the most effective option in very cold weather.
❄️ MINI-SPLIT HEAT PUMPS
• Mini-splits will struggle in freezing temperatures, even when operating correctly.
• It is normal for them to:
• Blow warm air
• Stop
• Restart and repeat
• This happens because the system must pause to build heat and pressure.
• A flashing red light is normal and usually means the unit is pre-heating or defrosting.
• Mini-splits may also fall behind your set temperature during extreme cold, this does not mean the unit is broken.
🔥 GAS FURNACES
• Gas furnaces should generally keep up in cold weather.
• ⚠️ The most common cold-weather issue we see is a frozen condensate drain line.
• Please keep the outside drain line free of ice and snow.
• We recommend setting your blower fan to “ON” instead of “AUTO” to help keep the drain line from freezing.
✅ COLD WEATHER TIPS
• Avoid frequent thermostat adjustments, pick a temperature and leave it.
• Make sure snow and ice are cleared away from outdoor units and vents.
• If your system is running but struggling, that is often normal in these conditions.
🚰 FREEZING PIPE PREVENTION
• When temperatures drop into the teens or below, pipes, especially those on exterior walls or in crawl spaces, are at risk of freezing.
• We recommend letting one faucet drip slowly (a steady drip, not a stream) during extreme cold to help prevent pipes from freezing.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air to circulate around plumbing.
• Make sure any exposed pipes are insulated, and disconnect/cover outdoor hoses and spigots if possible.
• If you lose heat, address it immediately, frozen pipes can burst quickly once temperatures drop.
📞 If you lose heat completely or have concerns, call or text us as soon as possible. With storms like this, call volume can be high, thank you for your patience.
Stay safe and warm,
Mountain Home Heat & Air ❄️🔥
