Martin Angove wrote:
In message ,
"Jim Crow" wrote:

Anybody know anything about Quartz patio heaters ....... eg on the
link
below


I've never used this kind of thing outdoors, but experience of them
indoors (church halls) would lead me to avoid them at all costs. The
idea of radiant heat is that it warms you, not the surroundings.
Problem
is that when you move around you move through un-warmed air and thus
feel cold. On-axis they can roast, off-axis they might as well not be
on. If you have one, stand underneath a 500W halogen floodlight to
feel the effect.

yup: theyre better than nothing, but thats about all. Decent heating
theyre not, in any way.


Mind you, I've not found gas patio heaters much better
in this respect.


I once heard an equally daft proposition. This was totally serious,
by
the way, and not by way of a joke: have a microwave waveguide into
each
room. People, being mainly water and fat would warm quite easily
while
no heat would be wasted warming the walls and the furniture. In order
to
avoid the problem of sitting on a cold sofa it was suggested that
such
items could have thin bags of water incorporated. Blowed if I can
remember where I heard the idea, it was *years* ago. Probably on
Radio
4, "Science Now" or something.

I take it youve not tried it then. Microwave heating works very well.
You do still have to heat the air in the room, but it can be to a much
lower temp, and still feel nice. Even 10C is ok, 14C nice and warm.
I've tried it, and its impressive. It also feels fresher because of the
cooler air, which is nice.

The only problem with microwave is safety concerns: we really dont know
what the effects are, hence whether there might be problems. It doesnt
look likely there are any, but obviously more certainty is needed than
that. If people get past the usual knee jerk reaction long enough to
study the topic, it might well become part of most future central
heating systems.


NT