Most of the year in Rio Grande City, the heating side of your system just sits there. Then a norther pushes through, the temperature drops overnight, and you find out whether those heat strips, that heat pump or the old gas furnace in the hall closet still works. Our heating services cover all three, from a fall check-up to a repair on a cold night to a full replacement matched to your AC.
956 Multi Service is a small HVAC crew based in Rio Grande City, and we look after homes across Starr County and western Hidalgo County. The National Weather Service counts a hard freeze in the Valley in January three years running, 2024 through 2026, so that idle heat matters more than the calendar suggests.
What heats most homes between Roma and Rio Grande City?
Winters here are short, so most houses were built around cooling, with heat added to the same system rather than as its own appliance.
| Heating type | How it makes heat | Where you find it | What tends to go wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric heat strips | Coiled wire elements glow inside the air handler, warming air the blower pushes through the ducts | Most central AC homes, block and frame | Burnt elements, failed sequencers, tripped limit switches, breaker trips |
| Heat pump | The outdoor unit runs its refrigerant cycle in reverse, pulling heat from outside air | Newer homes, replacements, mini-splits | Defrost faults, reversing valve trouble, strips taking over too often |
| Gas furnace | A burner heats a metal heat exchanger; the blower moves air across it | A smaller share of homes, where gas service is available | Weak ignitor, dirty flame sensor, venting problems |
| Space heaters / wall heaters | Stand-alone units in single rooms | Add-on rooms, manufactured homes | Overloaded outlets, fire risk near bedding |
Heat strips are simple and cheap to put in, but they draw a lot of electricity. Heat pumps cost more up front and use less power for the same warmth, as long as the weather isn't extremely cold. The U.S. Department of Energy puts the difference at roughly half the heating electricity when a heat pump replaces resistance heat. That trade-off is why many owners ask about heating at the same moment they're pricing a new AC.
Our three heating services and when you need each
Every heating call falls into one of three buckets. Picking the right one up front saves a second trip.
Heating repair
If the heat is blowing cold, cycling on and off, or tripping a breaker, start with heater and furnace repair. For a no-heat situation during a hard freeze, see emergency heater repair.
Heating installation
When the elements are burnt out more than once, the furnace is past its useful life, or you're replacing the AC anyway, heating system installation puts in a new heat kit, furnace or full system sized to your home and your electrical panel.
Heat pumps
A heat pump replaces both the AC and most of the heat-strip use with one outdoor unit. Our heat pump installation and repair page explains defrost cycles, emergency heat, ducted versus ductless options and how they hold up in a Valley winter.
What a fall heating check-up covers
A heating check is the cool-weather cousin of AC maintenance: short, mostly testing, and best done before you need the heat. On a typical electric system it covers:
- Thermostat settings and wiring. Heat, auxiliary and emergency heat should each call the right equipment. Miswired thermostats are a common reason strips never turn on.
- Heat strip elements. Each element is checked for continuity and for current draw while running, so a single dead stage doesn't hide behind the others.
- Sequencer and limit switches. The sequencer staggers the elements so they don't all hit the breaker at once; the limit switch shuts heat off if the air gets too hot. Both wear out.
- Breakers and wire connections. Loose lugs and heat-darkened wire at the breaker are a frequent cause of nuisance trips and a real fire concern.
- Filter and blower. Heat strips overheat fast without good airflow, so a clogged filter matters even more in winter.
Our post on the fall heating check before Valley cold snaps covers timing in more detail.
How a heating visit runs, start to finish
- History. When the heat last ran, any breaker trips or smells, and whether you have strips, a heat pump or gas.
- Call for heat. Heat, then emergency heat, set at the thermostat, with each signal traced to the equipment.
- Power off. Elements, limits, the sequencer and every wire lug checked for continuity and heat damage.
- Run and measure. A clamp meter reads each element's draw, and supply and return thermometers show the temperature rise.
- Heat pump or gas extras. Reversing valve and defrost, or burners, ignitor, flame sensor and flue.
- Findings before fixes. What passed, what is wearing and what failed, with any repair priced first.
First cold night: smells, trips and short cycling
Many first-cold-night calls are a system doing something normal for the first time in months. Others need a technician.
A burning-dust smell when the heat first runs is usually just that, a season's worth of dust cooking off the elements. It should fade within the hour. Our article on why a heater smells like burning on the first cold night goes further into what's normal.
A breaker that trips right as the heat starts is different. Heat strips are one of the largest electrical loads in the house, and a trip can point to a shorted element, a failing breaker or a loose connection getting hot. Resetting it once is reasonable. Resetting it again and again is not.
On homes with a heat pump, a quiet outdoor unit with steam rising off it on a cold, damp morning is usually a defrost cycle, not a breakdown. Uri in February 2021 showed many Valley owners how heat pumps lean on their backup strips in deep cold, and how any electric heat stops when the power goes out.
Gas safety
If you smell rotten eggs near a gas furnace, water heater or stove, leave the house right away without flipping switches or using the phone inside, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. If a CO alarm sounds, or people feel dizzy, sick or headachy when the heat runs, get everyone into fresh air and call 911.
What affects the cost of heating work
We don't post prices because heating jobs vary too much from house to house. What changes the cost most:
- Type of system. A heat strip element, a heat pump control board and a furnace ignitor are very different parts.
- Access. An air handler in a hall closet is quicker to work on than one in a hot, cramped attic.
- Number of stages. Larger heat kits have more elements, sequencers and breakers to test or replace.
- Age and parts availability. Older or discontinued equipment can mean waiting on parts or using approved substitutes.
- Combining visits. Pairing a heating check with AC service on a heat pump system can mean one trip instead of two.
Heating licences and gas rules to know in Texas
Heating and AC work done for hire in Texas falls under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Its free online search shows whether a contractor's A/C licence is active.
Gas is a separate trade. Texas plumbing law treats gas supply piping as plumbing, so a new or moved furnace gas line goes to a plumber licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and propane (LP-gas) work is licensed by the Railroad Commission of Texas. Heat pump repairs that open the refrigerant circuit follow EPA Section 608 rules. Before a full replacement, check with city hall inside Rio Grande City limits, or the county outside them, on whether a permit is needed.
Why Valley homeowners call 956 Multi Service for heat
We opened in July 2024, and most heating calls come from neighbors whose AC we already service.
- Close by. Starr County and western Hidalgo County are a short drive, so a heater fix often wraps up the day you call, schedule allowing.
- Cold-snap hours. Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM; on Sunday, leave your town and what the heat is doing.
- Reviews first. A 5.0 rating across 41 Google reviews.
- Payment. Cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover, with financing on bigger jobs like a new heat kit or heat pump.
Heating Services: pick the service you need
Heating Repair
Heater blowing cold air or tripping the breaker? Heater repair on heat strips, heat pumps and furnaces in Starr County.
Learn more
Heating Installation
Heating installation in Rio Grande City: heat strips, furnaces and heat pumps matched to your AC, priced up front.
Learn more
Heat Pumps
Heat pump installs, repairs and defrost fixes for Starr County homes: efficient cooling in summer, heat in a cold snap.
Learn moreGoogle reviews that mention work like heating services
5.0 out of 5 from 41 Google reviews
“Both gentlemen arrived punctually and were exceptionally well mannered and explained the whole process. They diligently completed the service I needed and delivered an exceptional job! I will definitely reach out to them again for any future work I may need. Highly recommend!”
Response from the owner: Thank you 💯
“Great service!! They were very responsive and helpful, and they were able to resolve my issue quickly. I would definitely recommend this company to others.”
“Great work, very detailed, clean and efficient job well done. 10/10 would recommend anyone needing minisplit work or any other work around the house.”
What do Rio Grande City homeowners ask about heating?
What kind of heating do most Rio Grande City homes have?
Most homes here heat with electric heat strips built into the indoor air handler, working alongside a regular central AC. A growing number use heat pumps, which cool in summer and reverse to heat in winter, with strips as backup. Gas furnaces are in a smaller share of homes, and many add-on rooms and manufactured homes rely on mini-split heat pumps or space heaters.
When should I schedule a heating check-up?
Fall is the right window, ideally in October or early November before the first strong cold front arrives. Booking ahead of the rush means any worn sequencer, weak element or dirty burner gets found on a mild day rather than the first night you need heat. Heat pump owners can combine the check with their regular AC service, since the same equipment runs all year.
Why does my heater smell when I first turn it on?
After months of sitting idle, dust settles on the heat strips or furnace burners and burns off the first time they glow. A dusty, toasty smell that fades within about an hour is normal. A sharp smell of hot plastic or melting wire, smoke, or a smell that keeps coming back is not. Turn the system off at the thermostat and have it checked before using it again.
Does my heater need a check if it worked fine last winter?
Usually, yes. Idle heat fails quietly as sequencer contacts pit and strip coils turn brittle. Rio Grande City hit 25°F on January 26 and 27, 2026, and weak parts give out on exactly those nights, when every heater in town runs at once.
Do you service gas furnaces as well as electric heat?
Yes. Most of the heating we see in the area is electric, either heat strips or heat pumps, but gas furnaces get the same attention: ignitor, flame sensor, burners, blower and a look at the venting. If you ever smell rotten eggs near a gas appliance, leave the house first and call the gas utility or 911 from outside, not a contractor.
Still have a question about heating services? Ask us directly.
Call (213) 423-7827Where we handle heating services
- Heating Services in Starr CountyMost homes in our home county heat with strips inside the air handler.
- Heating Services in Roma, TXMasonry walls without duct chases make mini-split heat pumps the usual winter heat.
- Heating Services in Las Lomas, TXCaliche dust packs filters all summer, then trips heat strip limit switches in winter.
- Heating Services in Escobares, TXBlock homes swapping window units for mini-splits gain heat pump warmth over space heaters.
- Heating Services in La Grulla, TXOlder frame houses leak warm air through attic duct runs during a cold front.
- Heating Services in Mikes, TXManufactured homes run small strip kits, and crushed belly ducts leave back rooms cold.
- Heating Services in San Isidro, TXNWS notes freezes hit the ranchlands north of the Valley more often than the river towns.
- Heating Services in Alamo, TXWinter Texans expect heat by January, so park-model heat pumps get checked before arrival.
- Heating Services in Mission, TXCitrus-era houses and RV parks split between heat strips and heat pumps.