microwave oven

[starnbar]

This house we bought has a built in micro oven been using it for about 4 years now but it gave me a scare today I was reheating some food and I placed my bread with the cold butter right under the oven and 20 seconds later I saw the butter was melted on the bread. I thought well maybe the fan exhausts straight down then when I looked the fan exhausts out of the top. I have no idea it has been like this and the seal around the oven is good no cracks or cuts/tears that thing is coming out today I don't know if I am gonna get another one either my grandkids use it when they come over they make popcorn and cook hot pockets and I am really worried that they have been exposed to something that may not show up for years. I am just sick over this and I found this problem by accident. I am gonna get one of those detectors for micro leakage but if it can melt butter over a foot away under the oven it has got to be bad.

[MaryB]

Gas oven? Pilot light?

[dangitgriff]

Does your cat sleep in that spot on cold nights?

[rancher1913]

I know years ago all microwaves used in public areas (think vending area) had to be checked and certified that they were safe once a year. I would go with the stove being warm and not the microwave being the problem. unless the microwave was in use, it could not give off radiation.

[gwpercle]

Check your door seals , hinges and latch . There aren't many places a microwave oven can leak microwaves from . Also inspect the interior surfaces for any gaps .
Might want to call in a small appliance tech. and have it serviced or replaced if it's leaking too much .

Microwaves are not deadly like radiation .
Gary

[Winger Ed.]

I remember in the days when micro waves ability to heat things was just being discovered.

The guy who invented the 'radar range' discovered the concept because a chocolate bar melted in his shirt pocket
when he was doing something else with the micro wave generator/machine.

I know they're better sealed, and they've been all figured out by the time we could buy one.
However; I just don't trust them completely.

When we use ours, we always walk away from it a little ways until it turns itself off.
Does it make a difference? I don't know, but I feel better doing it.

[bakerjw]

The housing is usually a pretty good Faraday cage to keep the waves internal. If there is nothing rusted then it is likely a different source.
But still something to be noted.

[MT Gianni]

How old is the house? I would assume the oven is the same age. They do not last forever.

[cwtebay]

Fairly simple to test. Cello tape some uncooked popcorn on various places around the microwave, as mentioned the faraday cage is generally pretty effective, but if there's a defect - the corn will pop.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[jsizemore]

Glass of water with a thermometer under the microwave should tell the story.

[MaryB]

Microwaves cannot turn a corner without a reflector of some sort. Door seal leakage would be straight out the door to cabinet space for example, it won't turn and go to the front of the machine. It needs a metal surface to reflect off of... directly under the only thing I could think of is the plate motor(if it has one) is defective or missing letting microwaves out that hole...

[oldred]

As has already been said microwaves are not deadly like ionizing radiation however even a fire emits a form of radiation as heat so the term "radiation" does not always equate to deadly, or even dangerous for that matter. It's my understanding the energy in the form of microwaves from an oven would only penetrate about 1/4" (quite likely even less) so unless you feel it as you might feel the heat from bright sunlight then it shouldn't cause any harm. I was told that standing directly in the harsh bright sunlight is more harmful than any leakage that might occur around micro-oven seals.

[brassrat]

You're in FLORIDA

[farmbif]

does anyone think there there would be some agency or entity that would let us the general public know if an appliance that generates untold riches to huge corporations were not safe. all regulating agencies have been muted in effort to keep the money flowing.
a research scientist at a major technical university in Australia did a huge study on what kinds of radio waves come out of cellular phones a dozen. years ago or so. What they found was that cell phone held to your ear is just about like putting your head in a microwave oven and turning it on high. only the cell phone radiation is actually much worst because it is pulsed radiation.
just saying that microwave ovens probably are not that good for us. but like everyone else they work. as I just pulled a plate of left over jambalaya out of the radar range for lunch.

[MT Gianni]

A friend was in an advanced level engineering class when the professor stated that the air at the fence surrounding three mile island 6 months after the incident had 1/8th the radiation of uptown Butte, MT. If potatoes were a new product they would be banned as most all exceed arsenic levels by a large amount of that approved by the FDA.
There are two opinions about these statements. We either live in a namby-pamby state where idiots are trying to run our lives for the benefit of their chronies or the gov't needs to take better care of us. Run your life according to which you believe.

[oldred]

And then there is Dihydrogen monoxide, never mind the fact that millions of people have died from this substance it is still with us! It can cause asphyxiation, death from hypothermia and thousands die from encountering it in it's solid state, you can even die from toxic effects if you consume too much yet the Government allows the populace to continue to be exposed to the stuff!

[MaryB]

does anyone think there there would be some agency or entity that would let us the general public know if an appliance that generates untold riches to huge corporations were not safe. all regulating agencies have been muted in effort to keep the money flowing.
a research scientist at a major technical university in Australia did a huge study on what kinds of radio waves come out of cellular phones a dozen. years ago or so. What they found was that cell phone held to your ear is just about like putting your head in a microwave oven and turning it on high. only the cell phone radiation is actually much worst because it is pulsed radiation.
just saying that microwave ovens probably are not that good for us. but like everyone else they work. as I just pulled a plate of left over jambalaya out of the radar range for lunch.

Sorry but that is NOT accurate. Both are around the same frequency but a microwave is 1,000 watts versus 1/2 watt for a cell phone. A cell signal is NOT pulsed, it is modulated and never exceeds 1/2 watt and is often a lot less because the phone and tower talk to each other and control the power level.

One of these an tell you what is transmitting in your house http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/pr...i8ebf9c8vbqs84

I would add a small microwave antenna like the 850 to 6500mhz antenna on this page(order via the drop down at the top of the page) https://wa5vjb.com/products1.html

Lets you snoop and see how much leakage your microwave has, start far away and do not exceed the input max of the spectrum analyzer! Fun little unit to play with, I picked one up for power line noise hunting that interferes with my ham radio receivers.

[.45Cole]

Microwaves are generated by a cavity magnetron in your microwave. This radiation is relatively weak and will not "stick around" anymore than light from a lightbulb. The microwaves (misnomer as this describes a range of wavelengths) have been targeted for certain frequencies that excite water molecules. If you "leaked" radiation from the microwave you would absorb it on your skin or surroundings (just heat things up). During the beginning of cavity magnetron research many people went blind as the radiation was heating up their corneas for which there is no nerves to signal increased temperature. You're fine, probably not the microwaves but may be the cooling air exhaust (hot air) generated by cooling of the cavity magnetron. Also not dangerous.

[Mal Paso]

When we use ours, we always walk away from it a little ways until it turns itself off.
Does it make a difference? I don't know, but I feel better doing it.

Yes it does. The radiation follows the Inverse Square Law: Intensity=1/Distance Squared. A few feet make a big difference.

[oldred]

Actually even a few inches make a big difference!