Is microwave safe without the outside cover screwed on.

[mm]

I just got out of the hospital with a broken arm and abdominal surgery. (you don't want to know the gory details) It's very hard to do anything. I live alone.

I have a small microwave whhich had an intermittent fuse. This happened a week before I was hospitaized, and I hadn't fixed it yet. It would be great to have hot food. I can replace the fuse but finding and getting and and putting on the metal cover, the cabinet, is probably beyond me. It it safe to use without that outside cover? How far away would I have to be?

What if I do find the cover but I can't do more than lay it on top, in place, but can't even put one screw in. Does the cover help at all wihout any screws? What about one screw? Does the screw have to be in tight?

Thanks a lot.

[Don Klipstein]

I am getting into a bit of a mood to pull out my Troll-O-Meter unit to see if it gets a reading for someone who can load food into a microwave oven and operate it and drag its cover onto it but is questioning need of a screw or more than one screw.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[cshenk]

"mm" wrote

No, it is not safe and it's not just a matter of distance for you either. It's the other stuff in your house. I doubt you can run from a fire just now.

[aemeijers]

It may or may not be safe, depending on how the case and RF shielding are constructed. Can't see it from here. If your current cashflow can handle it, I'd call a local ma'n'pa appliance store, explain your situation, and get a price on a low-end countertop micro delivered and plugged in, with your old one carried down to the basement for you. You can look the brand and model number up online as you are talking to them, so you know what you are buying. Should be less than 100 bucks or so- they are pretty cheap now. It will take their driver and helper maybe five minutes onsite as they make their other deliveries, so it shouldn't be too hard getting them to stretch their delivery policy.

Once you get healed up, you can search out all the pieces of the old one, and get it running again, to use as a spare.

-- aem sends...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Sorry, but mm has been a regular here for a couple of years and he did mention in the past that he lives alone. I have no reason to doubt he has a problem. Unfortunately, IIRC, he lives a couple of hundred miles from me or I'd go fix his microwave cover or take him a cheap unit to use.

I could lend him the one I bought for my wife when she came out of the hospital with a fractured foot. I hope you are never in that position.

[dpb]

mm wrote: ...[story of being incapacitated]...

Surely there's somebody you know who could give a guy a hand in a church group, work or somewhere???

I'd guess (but it would be only that) if could slide the cover back on the unit it would be reasonably effective if don't stay directly in the area.

--

[HeyBub]

So far as I recall, the ONLY unique hazards connected with a microwave are its interference with some, older, pacemakers and exacerbating cataracts if you put your eyeball in the oven. If you were using a megawatt radar dish to warm you chocolate bar, you might get a hot hand, but otherwise...

Other hazards, that a microwave shares with a toaster, are electric shock from exposed components or possibly a fire.

[JIMMIE]

I used to do Amana warranty work and we had one of those testers for checking for leakage. It made the customers feel all warm and fuzzy. I have tested numerous ones with the cover off and never found a significant amount of leakage so getting nuked is not the problem. There could be some lethal voltages exposed with the cover off, to me that is the real issue.

Jimmie

[dpb]

HeyBub wrote: ...

That's essentially true, altho there are other specific hazards (one being the testes are extremely temperature sensitive, but we'll not explore that one further here :) ).

If shielding is in place and no seal leaks, etc., there's very little evidence of any problem. The question here is how much the removed cover is actually shielding as opposed to the cosmetic cover.

I'd reiterate the suggestion to at least slide the cover back on the unit and then not stay in the immediate vicinity (as in hover over it waiting) while it's on as probably being reasonable precautions.

If that proves excessively difficult, starting it and leaving the room completely would still undoubtedly be ok. (Staying probably would, too, but since one can't tell where there might be a fairly strong beam unless and until there's evidence of heating, caution is better than not. The cataract thing is long term damage and why take excessive chance kind of reasoning.)

--

[Phisherman]

Why take a chance? How difficult is it to ask a friend or neighbor to help you put the cover back on?

[Phil Again]

1st try to get a new microwave oven.

IIRC, I once heard a lecture by a professor of Electrical Engineering from a Big Ten college who stated that most Microwave Ovens have the frequency of the oven focused on heating water molecules. The long string protein molecules pick up vibration (heat) from the vibrations of the water molecules (convection heating).

Thus, most microwave ovens will not hurt most of your body because you blood will move the heat to other parts of your body. The more blood circulation (because it is mostly water) in a specific part of your body, the less danger. Obviously, the place(s) where there is water and little, or no, blood to transport the heat is a potential problem: the inner part of your eye and inside your bladder. Heating up the fluid inside your eyeball over and over can be bad on the cones and rods on the back of your eyeball.

{Aside: microwave energy is NOT X-ray or Gamma-Ray energy. Wrong energy level and E-M frequency.}

As someone else pointed out, keep metal well away with the cover just slightly on. Make sure you turn your head well away from the oven when in use. The further your eyeballs and bladder are from the source, the better. Worst case: sitting in wheelchair, watching food cook by staring into oven while oven is on counter eyeball height and the cover is loosely on.

But still get a new oven.

[terry]

Recommend NOT. A microwave is a powerful radio transmitter in a box. However if you do HAVE to use it put item in, operate and retreat a distance away (like at least 10 to 20 feet) until it stops. That's usually only a minute or two anyway! And use as little as possible with nothing flammable nearby. When it comes time to put cover back on make absolutely sure the edges of the cover (which provided RF 'radio frequency' seals are correctly meshed/inserted. It's very easy to put cover on some and NOT get those seals correct. It may be good idea to get some help with that; another pair of hands etc. Be careful there a very high voltage inside as well. In my time as an electronics technician I have repaired a few and recommend great care. A new microwave (often, here, around $50 to $80 at Wal Mart or costco etc.) or one loaned by a friend may be an idea? Take care.

[KC]

Put a spider in a microwave oven and turn it on. Spider lives about

1/2 second. Put a lady bug in the same oven and turn it on. Lady bug will walk around a little fast but apparently unharmed. Moral: there is no "one answer fits all".

KC

[aemeijers]

Man, you have WAY too much spare time.....

-- aem sends...

[mm]

That is an excellent idea, aem. I'm so used to buying something and taking it home, it never occurred to me. And there is a family one-store appliance company just 3 or 4 miles from here and I know their name. Even though I've never been inside, they've been in a well-trafficked semi-upscale location for the whole 25 years I've been here so they're probably good and couldn't be that bad.

BTW, I've quoted you once or twice to people here about the advantages of independant appliance stores.

Also a very good idea.

Also good.

Thanks a lot.

[mm]

I can do that.

I never do that! I usually sit 6 to 8 feet away and I used a Radio Shack microwave meter to check leakage when I first got this microwave. It was zero or appeared that way with an analog meter with the cover ON.

Hmmm.

Absolutely.

Thanks to you and to all.

[mm]

Thanks, Edwin. I appreciate the defense and the thought that you'd do that for me. I don't think i've come across anyone here who lives closer than 50 miles (although on a couple other ngs I've found one guy who lives 20 and 2 or 3 others who were 5 miles away.

I'm making progress though. I found the case for the microwave and it's not really buried. And my bad hand has improved a lot just since yesterday. The splint came off and the smaller lighter cast went on on Wednesday, but I didn't really see much change until today, Sunday. I can use all 5 fingers for typing today.

I did have a warm lunch at the hospital on Wednesday, so that gives me more patience too. And I could have pizza or other italian food delivered. There used to be a Chinese restaurant that delivered, but it closed suddenly a few months ago, no one I know knows why.

[mm]

It wouldn't be difficult, except they've done so many things for me already. One stopped by my house twice and brought things I needed to the hostpital; 3 others brought me food, 2 from the grocery according to what I wanted, and one that she made herself; Another couple picked me up at the hospital and wanted me to stay a couple nights at their house; Another took me to the hospital for a follow-up appt. I would have taken a cab, but he insisted. One drilled out my door locks at home and changed the locks so I could return home, because the hospital lost my keys and my friends with keys were away for a few days, I'm hoping someone will mow my tiny lawn, but I may end up paying a neighbor who mows several lawns, I presume for money. But he mowed away my new rose bush, outside my fence, earlier this summer, so I'm not eager to have him mow inside the fence.

One is having me for dinner and giving me a room so I can spend the night and have lunch the next day. Her son-in-law is going to pick me up and take me home. (Actually, I may be able to drive by then so I won't need the ride or the room.)

And more.

[mm]

Wow. I had hoped my days of tormenting insects were over long ago, but the lady bug half of this does sound interesting! A lady bug gets on me in the yard no more than once a year, so I may never have one.

[KC]

Hey, it was a scientific experiment years ago. They do LOTS worse when experimenting on rodents & animals.