Hello. What does a home radiator on gas central heating give out please? I saw somewhere infra red but the word radiator confuses me

as you can buy convection heaters/radiators.

 

Regards

Any body is emitting photons. Energy of photons depends on temperature. The higher temperature, the more energy have emitted by it photons.

That's why IR thermometers work from distance, without having to touch body. They analyze black body spectrum radiation of body.

Devices used to heat houses with electricity or gas, doesn't matter, all emit IR and microwave photons. In not visible spectrum of light.

Additionally they accelerate air gas particles. They have more kinetic energy, which is then transferred further in house by convection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convective_heat_transfer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convection

Edited October 3, 201510 yr by Sensei

A radiator 'radiates' infra red, which heats things on the side facing the radiator. It also heats the air touching it, which then circulates around the room. The wall, floor, and ceiling are also heated by the infra red and reradiate that heat back into the room, and you. This is a big reason why you do not usually feel excessively hot on your side facing the radiator and cold on the side away from it.

Domestic 'radiators' actually emit most of their heat through convection.

 

Here is an extract from the Danfoss manual.

 

 

There are three types:
• radiators
• convectors
• convection radiators, convector with a front plate giving radiated heat.
Radiators emit heat through radiation but not through convection, or air
movement, until higher temperatures are reached – above 40ºC surface
temperature at 20ºC room temperature.
Convectors emit heat through convection.
Convection radiators emit a smaller part of heat through radiation.
Approximate distribution among radiation and convection for different
heaters.:
Radiation % Convection %
Section radiators 15 85
Panel radiators, single 32 68
Convectors – 0 100
Convection radiators 10 90
As systems they are pretty much equal but they should not be mixed in
the same system, and from now on they will all be treated as radiators.

 

 

http://heating.danfoss.com/pcmfiles/1/master/other_files/library/heating_book/chapter6.pdf

Cleared up and raises more questions for me, just how it should be, thank you