This content was created by Derek Cole. This content was uploaded by Derek Cole. This is a podcast episode titled "How Your Heating Works | The Comfort Experts" (recorded 2019-11-04). It features a conversational exchange between Derek Cole (who identifies himself as Derek Coleman) and William Skipper explaining how residential heating systems work. They describe the three basic components required for heat—heat source (e.g., gas furnace, oil furnace, heat pump, LP), heat distribution (ducts and blower), and the control system (thermostat/zone controller)—and provide practical troubleshooting examples such as power or fuel outages and backup options.
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Hey, this is Derek Coleman with Williams Skipper. Welcome to the Comfort Experts. And today we're talking about how your heating system works. And there's three basic components that if one of them goes down, you don't have any heat. We're talking about your heat source, the heat distribution, and your control system. So, William, first let's talk about the heat source.
Heat source is whatever is actually providing the heat in the house, creating the heat, whether it is a gas pack, gas furnace, oil furnace, heat pump, whatever type of system that you possibly have that is your heat source.
Yeah, we've gotten a few calls in the past. We've gone up to the house with no heating and they had no gas, or it was hurricane season, power went off and we get a call, hey, I don't have any heating. Well, you don't have electricity and you don't have any gas as well. So make sure you have the heat source taken care of before you place that call. So as simple as if you have lp, just check your tank. Make sure you're ready for the fall and the winter. Make sure you fill it up ready to go. And if you have a heat pump and you don't have power. Yes, you will not have heat as.
Well, unless you've got some wood set somewhere you can start a fire with.
Wood or backup generator, piece of paper. Yeah. So now we got the heat source, we need to talk about distribution. William.
Distribution is going to be your duct system. It's going to be the blower in whatever type of unit you got that is going to take that heat from its source and take it to the location that you want to your bedrooms, your house, you know, the whole house. That's going to be. That's. That's your distribution system.
Yeah, we're talking about the basic components. So if you have a heat source and no distribution, that doesn't do any good either. And third and last we talk about the control system and controls is basically your thermostat.
Thermostat, your zone controller. Whatever you got in your home that you go and mash and turn it on, that's your control system.
Yeah. So if you have your heat source, you got your distribution, but you don't have the thermostat working properly, then it's not going to give a call for heat and it's not going to distribute the heat.
