What is the difference between getting the equity of your home and debt consolidation?

Answer 1

Debt consolidation is when you get one large loan to cover all your smaller debts. It can be any loan and should be when you can get a better interest rate or to spread your debt over more years.
A home equity loan is a mortgage where you pull cash out. That cash can be used any way you want. Invest or pay off the highest interest debts. You can get them up to 30 years so paying off a 2 year car payment with a 30 year mortgage reduces your monthly payment but you will be paying 30 more years on a car you may not have more than a few years.
The home equity loan means when you sell your house you will get less at closing and may not be able to afford to sell at all so will lose your home instead of having the car repo'd.
Besides the danger of losing your home you are in danger of running the debt back up. So if you refinanced your 2 year car loan to a 30 year mortgage you might go buy a different car before you paid off the current one so have double debt.

Answer 2

debt consolidation would be an unsecured loan, home equity would have you house as a backing.

difference...if you dont pay home equity, you lose your house.