Heating Gasoline in a Microwave

[homeowner]

As unbelievable as it sounds, some program I saw on tv, showed a guy put a gasoline can in a microwave, and turn the MW on. About a minute later the house exploded. The good part is that it shows the house explode, so most people would not do it, but the bad part is that it gives criminals ahd mentally deranged people another means of destruction. Then we wonder why we have all these shootings and other forms of violence. I dont know what the program was, because I was not really watching the tv, I often just have it on when I'm working on stuff, but I saw it, and thought that was a real stupid thing to show on tv.

Obviolusly this was just "Staged", probably an empty gas can and nonworking microwave, but if that was actually done, it could explode instantly if there was even a small amount of vapors leaking out of the can.

[Robert]

That sounds really cool !!!

Could it have been "Mythbusters", testing some urban legend ??

If it was, it was a valid demonstration, since they try to do the right thing.......

I'm not willing to destroy a working microwave to test this, but I'd really like to know if it works....

I expect we'll see this trick come up on some spy movies......

[Stormin Mormon]

You know, that's the kind of giving crooks ideas, that I'd not want to (for example) mention on an open Usnet group, that's read by thousands of people across the world. There is typically a vent fan, that might be a sparkly brush motor, that would ignite the vapors.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Obviolusly this was just "Staged", probably an empty gas can and nonworking microwave, but if that was actually done, it could explode instantly if there was even a small amount of vapors leaking out of the can.

[Stormin Mormon]

Rockford Files, Jim did a spray can in a micro- wave. In the back of an airplane that was being hijacked. Enough diversion to allow him to punch out a couple hijackers.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Could it have been "Mythbusters", testing some urban legend ??

If it was, it was a valid demonstration, since they try to do the right thing.......

I'm not willing to destroy a working microwave to test this, but I'd really like to know if it works....

I expect we'll see this trick come up on some spy movies......

[Thomas]

Steven Seagal: Under Siege

[Robert]

Actually , it won't "explode" until the gas-air ration getscorrect. In either a leaking can, or a bowl of gasoline, the vapors would increase in concentration until such an ignition point was reached. The sparking would probably be necessary..... Fan motors in microwaves ovens are induction type and don't have brushes, so no sparks. However there may be a sparking relay or thermostat somewhere. It might just work.... I wish I knew for sure....

Regarding a tool for crooks ---- well, most likely it would be something for a dumb teenager to read about and try in his house.... Crooks have plenty of ways to do mischief without this tool.....

[Doug]

That sounds funny to me... I'd be more worried about the house than the microwave but okay... different strokes for different folks .

[Harry K]

Day late and a dollar short. Last summer I freecycled a working microwave. My wife had charcoaled a biscuite in it and I couldn't find anything that would take the smoke out. Had I seen this then, I'da been out in my pasture trying it.

Harry K

[Harry K]

I suspect that the 'ignition temperature' would be reached and no need for a spark.

Harry K

[homeowner]

I dont think that would work, since the can is metal!

[homeowner]

But would it???? Would the gasoline get hot? Microwaves create heat by exciting the water molecules. Its the water that gets hot. Gasoline is liquid, but dont contain water (or shouldn't). I dont think it would heat.....

But if any vapors leak out, there is almost a guarantee that some contact, switch, or motor is going to create a spark. KABOOM!

This makes me wonder what would happen if someone tried to heat some very high alcohol content liquor, such as Everclear. That does contain some water, even if it's minimal. I dont see why anyone would heat straight liquor, but I'm sure that things like a hot eggnog with rum has been heated. I would guess that the alcohol content is low enough not to cause an explosion, but the alcohol vapors still have to go somewhere.

[krw]

That's proof that the script writers are total morons. Spray cans are, um, *metal*.

[krw]

That's the one I came up with.

[Jon Danniken]

In every microwave I have dismantled for parts (> 50 of them), I have yet to come across a motor that uses brushes inside of the oven; every one of them was an induction motor.

There is, however, a relay inside of each of them, and while the contacts are enclosed, I would suspect that they might not all be hermetically sealed units.

Jon

[Stormin Mormon]

Try, and get back to us?

I figure the metal can would overheat, and over pressurize.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

I dont think that would work, since the can is metal!

[krw]

Nope. Not enough resistance. It might blow out the microwave, though.

[clare]

Why not - metal will heat very quickly in a microwave

[clare]

Microwaves heat fat faster than water.

[hrhofmann]

Put a metal cup in the uwave, filled with any liquid. Both the metal cup and the liquid in it will heat up, it really doesn't matter which one heats the other. Alcohol will also heat up, it doesn't have to just be water molecules that are agitated by the uwaves and get hot. Take two equal teaspoon fulls of water and rubbing alcohol, put into two equal-sized pyrex dishes, and turn on the uwave. Both will get hot and eventually boil off.

[TimR]

On Tuesday, January 8, 2013 9:59:18 PM UTC-5, hr(bob) [e-mail] wrote= : >Put a metal cup in the uwave, filled with any liquid. Both the metal cup = and >the liquid in it will heat up, it really doesn't matter which one heat= s the >other.

Obviously you haven't actually tried this. Metal cups don't heat up, thoug= h they may spark (or not, depends a bit on the shape and size). We use alu= minum foil to keep the corners of brownies from burning - the metal blocks = the wavers.=20

I haven't tried this one. Do you think they'll get hot at the same rate? = =20