Nothing’s worse than waking up to an unusually cold home. This could happen if your furnace isn’t performing the way it should — or worse — not working at all.

A broken furnace will not work, while the signs of apoor performing furnace on the verge of breaking could be a little less obvious. They include:

• The heating system will not reach the desired temperature
• Furnace is switching on and off frequently (this is called “short-cycling”)
• Weak or surging airflow
• Fluctuating temperatures

Below are five reasons why your furnace may not be working or isn’t functioning correctly.

• Faulty thermostat: While a faulty thermostat won’t cause a furnace failure, it could hurt its function. Checking your thermostat should be the first step in trying to diagnose the problem. Check battery life and electrical connections and see if that solves your problem.
• Pilot light failure: The function of the pilot light or electrical ignition system is to ignite the burners and produce heat. If it’s not working correctly, you most certainly will have problems. Gas and fire are things best left to experts, so call a licensed HVAC contractor immediately.
• Damaged/broken blower motor: The blower motor is an essential component in circulating warm air through your home. If that fails, heat will not reach the rooms of your home. Blower motor failure can be due to reasons such as broken belts or bad bearings. 
• Dirty filters: Clogged or dirty filters can cause a myriad of problems with your furnace — from short cycling to reduced airflow and much more. Always makes sure you have clean, high-quality filters in your system
• Gas supply failure: This can be due to a problem either outside your home or within your furnace. If you suspect you have a gas problem, immediately call both your HVAC contractor and your fuel supply company.

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