At 15 years, it may be time to retire it. I suspect it is ok, but the event may have done some damage to the oven. Today's models are cheap, more powerful, more features (some of which are acturally useful) and smaller on the outside. I suggest it may be time for a new one.
The information about the door seal seems out of date by a couple of decades because all consumer microwave ovens made since about 1980 use choke or capacitive seals that don't rely on a tight fit, unlike the old metal fin or metal braid seals used on early microwave ovens. In fact Amana used to demonstate this in one of their commercials by slamming the face of the door with a shot put suspended from a rope and by swinging an axe into the perimeter of the door opening. Then they'd measure the leakage and show that the oven still met federal safety standards. Of course if an oven has been struck like that or dropped, it should be thrown out because you can never be sure, and it's possible that some other part of it has broken open.
Nobody should rely upon inexpensive devices to measure microwave leakage because a very high percentage of them have been shown to either not work at all (sometimes even while sitting inside a running oven) or indicate gross leakage when there is none. This is because cheap leakage detectors are built badly or aren't tuned to just the
2450 MHz oven frequency but pick up all signals, even from 60 Hz household current. The most reliable detectors may be those that use fluorescent light tubes or neon lamps, but they require a dimly lit room and won't light up unless the leakage is a few times over federal limits. Liquid crystal detectors may be better, but they can wear out in storage on the store shelf.
Now you change your story? You just said: "Never put any metal of any kind in a microwave oven."
Which is it?
Never put ANY metal of ANY KIND vs. Metal is OK?
N > A friend put a couple of 'fast food' hamburgers in her microwave to warm N > them but forgot they were wrapped in aluminum foil. When she saw the N > ensuing fire she turned off the microwave and kept the door closed until th
N > brief fire burned itself out.
Correct procedure for the fire.
N > The microwave seems to operate normally but she swears it cooks hotter than N > before the fire. In other words it doesn't take as long to heat things in N > the microwave. Does this make sense to anyone? If it does, what kind of N > repair would be needed to make it right again.
I also doubt it is cooking faster; if anything seems like it would cool slower bcause of the soot coating from the fire.
As for cleaning up after the fire, soap and water should do the trick; nothing abrasive.
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
Thank you so much for the oversupply of information. I was merely relating my experience with a microwave fire. I do know there is a popcorn setting on microwave ovens, having operated them since 1974. It is just that the microwave setting on my particular oven did not do just the perfect job on my popcorn. Hence, I arrived at the 1:50 time. In a moment of brain flatulence, or hitting the 2 instead of the 1, I messed up.
I thank you for correcting me, pointing out the proper use of the microwave oven, physics, and particularly thank you for the e mail pointing out this very very important matter to me.
However, my knowledge of microwaves is this: it works or it doesn't. I don't really want to or need to understand all about it, as I have other things to do, like fix the door hinges or unstop the toilet. Again. And when I put something new in my brain, something old gets kicked out to make room. So, I want to keep the 1:50 time for popcorn in there.
But thanks again for the correction and lecture. And thanks again for the personal attention of a personal e mail.
Steve
I just read more than I want to know about microwaves at the stupid microwave tricks site a poster provided. The reading made me understand that you can superheat water in a microwave without it EVER boiling. So, I believe your 99 second time trial may vary with another cup of different material or shape.
Steve
Hi,
A copy.....
Approx 2:30min for a 700 watt micro.....from
Maybe your friend is "on" to something....burn some fast food burgers in your microwave and it becomes faster ;)
jeff. Appliance Repair Aid
But you seem to have entirely missed my point..........
Under certain conditions, microwaved water and other substances can and sometimes will become signifcantly hotter than their own usual boiling point, and without ever actually coming to a boil.
This condition is known as superheating, and is the reason I wouldnt recommend anyone should continue with application of microwave energy into a container of liquid just because it hasnt yet come to a "boil".
====
While on the thermodynamic properties of water--heres an interesting site perhaps for some, click the various links to learn about the different types of ice and their physical properties as to pressure, density, temperature and atomic structure :
====
Cheers,
Most microwave ovens have a "stirrer fan" at the top of the oven cavity (often hidden by some kind of cover). This stirrer reflects the microwaves around the oven to produce more even cooking.
If something happen to that fan and it is not longer turning, the microwaves may be getting concentrated in certain areas and heating food placed in those areas more than food in the other areas of the cavity.
It is unlikely to be heating more *overall*, but it could be heating more in certain areas and less in others.
JMO
Dan O.
- Appliance411.com
Not all microwave ovens I've seen have a popcorn mode. Though I think most of the new ones do.
That makes sense, but what I don't understand is that virtually all the microwavable popcorn packages I've seen say *not* to use this feature. What's the point of a popcorn button on the microwave if the popcorn manufacturers tell you not to use it?
My goodness you ARE a fool. Learned how to read but never how to think? Never put metal in a microwave that didn't COME WITH the microwave. Metal rack specially designed for a particular microwave will not cause problems with that particular microwave. Other metal WILL. Clear enough? Need a map? Idiot!
Repair? I'm getting ready to torch some foil covered burgers in mine to see if I can get it to do the same thing. LOL
And as a plus, they may even last 5 years.
If you use the popcorn button and set the proper weight, it should work. The weight should be written on the popcorn package. The oven should then do the proper job. My family does it all the time this way.
I think you should be more respectful when shooting off your mouth (fingers) on the keyboard. You have no idea of the qualifications or background of the person you are commenting to. Maybe it can be someone who is a specialist, and has worked in the design of these things!
I think you should have respect for others. You should have asked about why you can put a metal rack in some microwave ovens, and not put someone down because of your pure ignorance!
The only reason I am answering this, is because there are many others who have some respect, and would be interested in the answer.
If you were educated in the field of physics, mechanics, or electronics, you would realize that there is something called resonance. Microwave ovens work in a particular frequency band, and therefore metal objects can be designed to not react to the frequency used in the oven. The metal cavity that the oven is constructed with, is invisible to the RF (Radio Frequency) energy being emitted from the magnetron. This metal cavity is actually a non terminated waveguide, and thus anything that is out of the exact resonance will become a load to it, and be heated up. The metal rack is designed in size and in the way it is formed to act as a near zero load to the wavelength (frequency) used. Even the paint used inside of the microwave oven must have specific characteristics. Because the cavity of the microwave oven is non terminated, is reason why the magnetron can be easily damaged if the oven is used without cooking something inside. Even the location and type of lamp used for the illumination in the microwave oven is critical.
The standard frequency used in the home cooking microwave oven is 2.45 gHz. This frequency was not pulled from rolling dice. There are a number of reasons for this choice.
Radio waves in this frequency range have a particular property where they are absorbed by water, sugars, and fats. When they are absorbed they are converted directly into heat by inducing accelerated vibration of the molecules. Microwaves in this frequency range have another interesting property. They are not absorbed by most plastics, glass, or ceramics.
Only the molecules that are being excited are heated up. This way non reacting containers will not heat up. The container of the food being cooked will only heat up by conduction from the heated food inside.
Metal reflects microwaves, which is why metal pans do not work well in a microwave oven, and can even cause damage to the magnetron by overloading it. Under some conditions, metal can conduct the microwaves and act as an induced conductor, thus converting the energy back to electricity. This is the reason why some metal object will cause sparks, and even make things catch on fire. The only exception to this is if the metal object can be in resonance to the wavelength to not be seen as a load.
There are industrial microwave type ovens that are working at other frequencies. These are used for drying specialized epoxies, curing plastics, and many other applications. There are also microwave dryers used in some types of fabric manufacturing processes. Some of these are working down at
1.5 gHz, and others are working up to about 3.5 gHz, depending on the application. These will not be good for cooking foods.If you have one of these 2.4 gHz telephones it is normal that when you go near to your microwave oven while it is working, the phone may be interfered with. This not dangerous. There is a slight amount of energy leakage from all microwave ovens. There are specifications for this leakage. It must not exceed a particular amount.
The limit in most countries is 5 milliwatts of microwave radiation per square centimetre at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface. This is far below the level known to harm people. As you move away from an oven, the level of any leaking microwave radiation that might be reaching you decreases dramatically. For example, someone standing 20 inches from an oven would receive approximately one one-hundredth of the amount of microwaves re ceived at 2 inches. The energy drop-off works according to the inverse-square-law factor. Go to
We recommend that children and pregnant women should walk away from the microwave oven while it is working. We recommend about 6 to 10 feet. This will dramatically reduce any risk of radiation absorption. There have been many studies about low level radiation from microwave ovens, TV sets, monitors, and other home appliances. There have not been anything conclusive as of yet, so it is better to not take any chances. It is known that over certain intensities, electromagnetic and RF radiation is dangerous, and will cause cancer, and other types of biological damage. The dangerous intensity level will be different at different frequencies. This is a complex field in itself. Caution is the best advice. Harmful radiation is not able to be felt, unless it is very intense. The effect of this radiation can be accumulative if the exposer is frequent.
If you want to be very safe, you should have your microwave oven checked at least once a year. The door seal and hinges can wear out. This is the greatest weakness in microwave ovens. It only takes a few thousandths of an inch of extra space to allow higher radiation leakage. The service centres that service microwave ovens should have the proper instrument to measure the microwave radiation. Some places will not charge to take the measurement. Others may charge a few dollars for the technician's time. If there is leakage, this can usually be easily repaired. Sometimes it is just the hinge adjustments, or replacing some simple parts.
We do not recommend that the consumer attempt to service his own microwave oven. It is the most dangerous appliance in the home if it is not used properly, or is opened up. The TV set and computer monitor is the second runner up to this.
Acturally they seem to last as long or longer and are less expensive.
There is nothing special about the metal rack in a microwave, it is just insulated against touching the cavity walls and door.
You can use *limited amounts* of metal in a microwave provided:
Number 4 is handy if you're cooking something like a turkey or chicken leg where you don't want the end with little or no meat on it, heated.
You should also never use gold or other metal inlay plates in a microwave as that inlay is rarely continuous and any breaks in it will cause arcing, resulting in damage to the plate.
JFYI
Dan O.
- Appliance411.com
My huge Litton microwave lasted 25 years believe it or not. I'll be interested to see how long this Kenmore lasts, which is 2 yrs. old now. BTW, it's popcorn button [timer] works as advertised, but I never leave the room, anyway. And it boils water in a plastic cup I use for that purpose, in a minute and a half. Sixty seconds and simmering is fine for me. bj
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