The last thing you expect to feel when turn on your furnace is cold air coming through your vents. Your first reaction might be to panic, but there are some simple things that you can do to restore the function of your furnace.

Use these tips to troubleshoot your furnace and restore the flow of hot air in your home.

1. Check Your Air Filter

An air filter that becomes too dirty to allow the free movement of air can seriously restrict airflow in your furnace. Restricted airflow causes your furnace to start and stop continually, which eventually results in the safety switch within your furnace turning off the burners.

Without the burners to assist in heating the air inside your furnace, only cold air will be pushed from the furnace into your home. Replacing a dirty filter with a fresh one could restore the function of your furnace and get the furnace to blow hot air once again.

2. Check Your Condensate Line

Modern furnaces are some of the most efficient heating appliances that have even been used in residential settings. The efficient nature of modern furnaces results in the creation of condensed liquid.

In order for your furnace to continue working efficiently, this condensed liquid must be drained away. Condensate lines are installed to facilitate the drainage of condensed liquid. In the event that the condensate line becomes clogged, your furnace will be compromised. Unclogging the condensate line will help restore the flow of heated air from your furnace.

3. Check the Pilot Light

Some furnaces are equipped with a pilot light that helps burn incoming fuel to create heated air. A pilot light can blow out for a couple of reasons, leaving your furnace without the ability to produce hot air. Your pilot light could have blown out from a gust of wind. The pilot light burner itself can also break down, preventing the light from igniting properly.

You can attempt to manually light the pilot light if it has simply blown out. Once the pilot light has been restored, heated air should start coming through your home's vents. If the pilot light burner is broken and the light won't stay on, you will need to have an HVAC technician replace the burner before your furnace can effectively heat your home again.

Take action to restore the function of your furnace when you feel cold air coming through your vents. If your furnace still doesn't work, call a heating service for assistance.