Is operating more than 1 microwave oven in same kitchen safe?

[jay]

I recently moved to a house that has a built-in microwave oven. Since the new place has a large kitchen, and since I already owned a stand-alone microwave oven, I wound up putting the extra stand-alone unit on the counter, and so now I have two microwave ovens in the same room.

This is a serious question. Every once in a while, more than one person wants to heat something up in a microwave, so I'm just wondering if it's actually safe to operate both units at the same time from the standpoint of radiation exposure. For example, would being in a room with more than one microwave oven running at a time, in general, be unsafe, or would standing anywhere within the space between the two units while they are both running, be unsafe, etc.?

Currently the ovens are approximately 9 feet apart in distance. One of them is an 800 watt stand-alone unit and I believe the built-in unit to be approximately 1000 watts.

If 9 feet is too close a distance, than how far apart would they need to be for the radiation levels to be safe when operating both units at the same time? If you think it is a mistake to ever run more than one unit at a time, then let me know, and I will ensure this never happens. (I'm just talking about from a radiation standpoint, not an electrical-wiring standpoint)

Thanks,

J.

[NSM]

| This is a serious question. Every once in a while, more than one person | wants to heat something up in a microwave, so I'm just wondering if it's | actually safe to operate both units at the same time from the standpoint of | radiation exposure. ...

I do it all the time. One is cooking lunch while I heat tea in another. We had a bank of them in the cafeteria at work. What problem?

IMO, you could take 60 of them, stack them up in a tower and stand in the middle while they were all running and not even get warm. Walking past someone smoking on the street is more dangerous as is a sun tan booth.

N

[AZGuy]

I see no reason to worry about it. We often run two at the same time. I'm sure many lower quality/price restaurants often run several at the same time. IIRC, unless you are standing VERY close to the microwave AND it has a defective door you have nothing to worry about as far as stray radiation. And it's not like it's stray x-rays, it's just radio waves.

-- Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . . Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House of Representatives, August 17, 1789

[default]

I agree that it's probably safe, but your argument here sucks.

1: The microwave frequency is specifically designed to cook meat. If you happen to be living in the meat in question, cooking it is clearly bad. You can do fairly significant long-term dammage to yourself without becoming uncomfortable, by exposing yourself to microwaves.

The good news is, the levels of such radiation that escape the confines of a properly working microwave are so low that, with the added defense of the inverse-square law, its's almost impossible to get enough of them close enough together to do any damage.

[Rick Shaw]

SNIP SNIP SNIP

If you wear your Tin Foil Hat and Shoes it should cover any stray rays.....

[NSM]

| I agree that it's probably safe, but your argument here sucks. | 1: The microwave frequency is specifically designed to cook meat. | If you happen to be living in the meat in question, cooking | it is clearly bad. You can do fairly significant long-term | dammage to yourself without becoming uncomfortable, by exposing | yourself to microwaves. | | The good news is, the levels of such radiation that escape the | confines of a properly working microwave are so low that, with | the added defense of the inverse-square law, its's almost impossible | to get enough of them close enough together to do any damage.

Plus, the dangers are much exaggerated. From a few feet away from the oven you'd probably just get a slight warming sensation. More people are burned by heating pads - or boiling water from the oven.

N

[default]

Yes, but that "slight warming sensation" from a broken oven is actually more dangerous than the surface burn from normal heat sources. Your body is set up to detect and avoid burning on the OUTSIDE. If a microwave emmiter is having enough of an effect that you can FEEL it, then it's sunburning your guts. You can take a LITTLE of that, but over time it can cause a fair amount of internal damage, and you won't even know it, until and unless it kills you.

--Goedjn

[Franc Zabkar]

On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 06:13:17 GMT, "jay" put finger to keyboard and composed:

Are they are on the same circuit? If so, then calculate the total power consumption on that circuit, especially if other high power appliances (eg toaster, electric jug) are being used concurrently. You

*may* find that your circuit breaker will be subject to nuisance tripping.

- Franc Zabkar

[NSM]

| Yes, but that "slight warming sensation" from a broken oven | is actually more dangerous than the surface burn from normal | heat sources. Your body is set up to detect and avoid burning | on the OUTSIDE. If a microwave emmiter is having enough of | an effect that you can FEEL it, then it's sunburning your guts. | You can take a LITTLE of that, but over time it can cause | a fair amount of internal damage, and you won't even know it, | until and unless it kills you.

Microwaves are used to warm piglets on demand. The piglets enjoy it. It's people not piglets who do stupid things, like sticking their heads in the oven.

N

[default]

Those piglets are all dead less than a year later, aren't they?

[NSM]

| > Microwaves are used to warm piglets on demand. The piglets enjoy it. It's | > people not piglets who do stupid things, like sticking their heads in the | > oven. | | Those piglets are all dead less than a year later, aren't they?

But not from microwaves, although it does make the bacon crispy after they're dead! Mmmm! Bacon!!

N

[AZGuy]

I'd like to know just what about my "argument" you think sucks. I very clearly said "unless you are standing VERY close to the microwave AND it has a defective door you have nothing to worry about. Which is pretty much exactly what the web page you cite says.

And if you think there is some danger realistically worth worrying about in regard to two microwaves how about posting a link to a verifiable story of someone being injured from even ONE PROPERLY operating microwave. Like almost all "dangers", the dangers from microwave ovens are grossly overstated by lay people and others.

-- Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . . Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House of Representatives, August 17, 1789

[George E. Cawthon]

Those are also a big help if you operate two toasters in the same kitchen. But they won't help much if you operate two cell phones at the same time within a small room.

[NSM]

| >> I recently moved to a house that has a built-in microwave oven. Since | >> the new place has a large kitchen, and since I already owned a | >> stand-alone microwave oven, I wound up putting the extra stand-alone | >> unit on the counter, and so now I have two microwave ovens in the same | >> room. | >>

| > SNIP SNIP SNIP | >

| > If you wear your Tin Foil Hat and Shoes it should cover any stray rays..... | | Those are also a big help if you operate two toasters in the | same kitchen. But they won't help much if you operate two | cell phones at the same time within a small room.

Add the tinfoil jock strap and you'll be OK.

N

[chillermfg]

Watch MythBusters. The guys took out 5 magnetrons from (duh) 5 microwaves, aligned them all to "air at the same target in a makeshift microwave. As they measured the microwave radiation from different points, what they recorded was in fact startling to them. The microwaves cancelled each other out. The likelihood of the magnetrons starting at the exact same point of the sine wave is very slim. The misalignment of the waves as they converge causes a disturbance to the individual waves in turn reducing the overall "effectiveness" of the microwave radiation.

I'd like to know just what about my "argument" you think sucks. I very clearly said "unless you are standing VERY close to the microwave AND it has a defective door you have nothing to worry about. Which is pretty much exactly what the web page you cite says.

And if you think there is some danger realistically worth worrying about in regard to two microwaves how about posting a link to a verifiable story of someone being injured from even ONE PROPERLY operating microwave. Like almost all "dangers", the dangers from microwave ovens are grossly overstated by lay people and others.

-- Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . . Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House of Representatives, August 17, 1789

[NSM]

If you hooked 5 AC generators in parallel and started them up at random points in time you would get poor results also. I suspect they might sync themselves eventually but who knows?

N

[Tom MacIntyre]

Not sure what the "duh" here means, but magnetrons are not exclusive to microwave ovens.

Tom

[urjant]

Re: Is operating more than 1 microwave oven in same kitchen safe?

NO the atoms will collide and can cause a nuclear explosion!

( nuclear pronounced: (newk ya lerr))

lol.

[NSM]

[2F03] Treehouse of Horror V

"Time and Punishment: Homer's toaster transports him to the past, where he inadvertently changes the future."

I think this is my favorite episode. Especially when he screams and goes back to the past when they don't know what donuts are - just as it starts raining donuts!

N

[default]

The supporting factoids that you gave for your conclusion were: (A) That you do it a lot, and that (B) it's only radio waves.

The first factoid is irrelevent, all it proves is that it hasn't killed you yet. and the second is almost, but not completely, false. It's not "just radio waves", it's microwaves. And if you actually managed to expose yourself to them, they could and would kill you.

I agree that operating two of them is safe, but the reason for that is that the microwaves stay inside the oven, not that microwaves aren't dangerous.

--Goedjn