About Your Heating System

First, your thermostat senses the temperature of your home or business. When that temperature falls below your desired setting, the thermostat tells your home heating system to go to work.

A burner (oil or gas) heats either water (if you have radiators or baseboard) or air (if you have ductwork and no radiators or baseboard) to distribute heat throughout your home.

If water is heated for distribution as either steam or hot water, you have a boiler. If air is heated, you have a furnace.

In both cases, the burner heats a chamber around which either water or air circulates. Just like soup in a pot on a stove, never once does the water or air that heats your home come in contact with the actual oil or gas flame. This is a "closed system", which keeps your family safe. All emissions go straight up the flue, or chimney. 

Now the heated water or air is circulated to your living areas. When the temperature is right, the thermostat tells the heating unit to shut off.