What to Do If Your Heater Stops Working During a West Texas Cold Snap

If your heat just quit during a freeze, run a few safe checks first — a thermostat setting, a tripped breaker, or a clogged filter is sometimes the whole story — then call for help and take simple steps to stay warm while you wait. The February 2021 freeze proved that "it doesn't get cold here" is not a plan. Here's the calm, step-by-step version for a West-Texas cold snap.

First: the safe two-minute checks

• Thermostat: set it to Heat, a few degrees above room temperature, and replace the batteries if the screen is dim or blank.
• Breaker: find the furnace/air-handler breaker and reset it once if it tripped. If it trips again, stop — that's an electrical fault for a tech.
• Filter: a badly clogged filter can choke airflow enough to shut the system down. Swap it.
• Gas supply / pilot: make sure gas service is on. Never relight anything if you smell gas — leave and call your gas utility.
• Vents: open and unblock supply vents and returns.

When to stop and call immediately

• A gas smell anywhere → leave the house and call your gas utility, then us.
• A burning or hot-electrical smell, sparks, or a breaker that keeps tripping.
• No ignition after the basics, or the system is iced (for a heat pump).

These are not DIY situations — call our team and we'll prioritize a no-heat call in a freeze.

How to stay warm and safe while you wait

• Close off unused rooms and gather the household into one space.
• Block drafts at doors and windows; open south-facing blinds during the day for free solar heat.
• Drip faucets and open cabinet doors under sinks if a hard freeze threatens pipes.
• Use only safe heat. Never run a gas range, oven, or outdoor/portable propane heater indoors for warmth — that's a carbon-monoxide risk. Plug space heaters directly into the wall, keep them clear of fabric, and don't leave them unattended.

Where it goes wrong

• Repeatedly resetting a tripping breaker — it's protecting you from a fault.
• Improvised heat sources (ovens, camp heaters) indoors — a genuine CO danger.
• Waiting it out when there are vulnerable family members, pets, or freeze-risk pipes.

What should I do next?

• Need help now → call our (432) 580-6342 line, or see 24/7 priority service.
• Want to prevent the next one → read Why Your Heater Struggles in West Texas Winters.
• System aging or unreliable → use the Repair or Replace framework.