Abstract. The paper presents the research methodology, the test facility and the results of investigations into non-isothermal surfaces in water boiling at atmospheric pressure, together with a discussion of errors. The investigations were conducted for two aluminium samples with technically smooth surfaces and thickness of 4 mm and 10 mm, respectively. For the sample of lower thickness, on the basis of the surface temperature distribution measured with an infrared camera, the local heat flux and the heat transfer coefficient were determined and shown in the form of a boiling curve. For the thicker sample, for which 1-D model cannot be used, numerical calculations were conducted. They resulted in obtaining the values of the local heat flux on the surface the invisible to the infrared, camera i.e. on the side on which the boiling of the medium proceeds.