The short answer
Shut the cooler down before freezing nights start. The National Weather Service's 1991–2020 averages put the first 32°F night around Nov 3 at the Albuquerque Sunport, but about Oct 23 in the Foothills and Oct 24 in the South Valley. Those are averages, so an early cold snap can come sooner.
If you're reading this after the first frost and the cooler still has water in it, it's not too late. Get it drained and shut down as soon as you can.
Why it matters
- Standing water can freeze. Water left in the pan, the pump and the supply line can freeze on cold nights, and a frozen line can split and leak.
- An open cooler lets heat out. The cooler's duct is a straight path to the outside. Closing the damper or covering the cooler helps keep furnace heat inside.
- Pads and parts last longer dry. A drained, clean pan sits better over the winter than one holding mineral-heavy water.
What a fall shutdown usually covers
- Turn off power to the cooler and shut off its water supply.
- Drain the pan and the water supply line.
- Check the belt, motor and pads so you know what spring needs.
- Close the damper and set up the cover, as your equipment allows.
Rooftop work is a fall risk. If the cooler is on a roof, especially a two-story or pitched roof, it's a good job to hand off.
Then the furnace side
The same week the cooler goes off, the furnace usually comes on. A careful first start includes a filter check, watching ignition and heating operation, checking the thermostat, and a carbon monoxide (CO) test. It's also a good time to test the CO alarms in your home. Leave gas-side adjustments and repairs to a qualified contractor.
Do both in one visit
Our cooler-to-furnace changeover does the cooler shutdown and the furnace startup together, with a CO test and a completed written checklist that records the actual readings. It's $99 + tax, and anything extra is quoted first.
Source: NWS Albuquerque fall freeze table (1991–2020 averages, not a forecast). This guide is general information, not a substitute for an on-site check.