That sounds bad

[ChadTower]

So, our microwave died, control/lights/panel works but it doesn't heat anything.  I go over to one of the best places on the net, repairfaq.org, to look up microwave repair.  This is the disclaimer:

Careless troubleshooting of a microwave oven can result in death or worse. Experienced technicians have met their maker as a result of a momentary lapse of judgement while testing an oven with the cover removed. Microwave ovens are without a doubt, the most deadly type of consumer electronic equipment in wide spread use.

Or worse?

[Buddabing]

I think they're saying that the microwaves can cook your brain, leaving you a vegetable.

[ChadTower]

But certainly a moist one, since microwaves don't toast.

[Ed_McCarron]

And, if you are indeed a vegetable, of course you are going to be moist.  At least, until the next diaper change.

[ChadTower]

I don't want to be a Kennedy.

[Ed_McCarron]

At least you wouldn't be a Dead Kennedy.

[ChadTower]

I just shook hands with Patrick Kennedy a half hour ago.  He looked moist.

[shardian]

Yeah, microwaves are one thing you NEVER want to try diy fixes on. Just toss the thing for sure.

[ChadTower]

I figured as much but my idiocy won't let me.  The thing is about a year old and barely has a scratch on it.  It will probably sit in the storage shed until I finally recycle it a year from now.

[USSEnterprise]

Most microwaves have a few years long warranty on the magnetron, if I remember correctly. Could just be a fuse. Might want to look into that. Just discharge the cap and dont run it while the cover is off, or even have it plugged in while you are working on it.

[markt]

I repair commercial cooking equipment for a living.
Microwaves ARE NOT something you want to try to repair on your own.
The magnetron takes the incoming line voltage and steps it up to very high voltage.
If you don't know what you are doing these can put a very serious hurting on you, if not kill you.

[boykster]

I repair commercial cooking equipment for a living.
Microwaves ARE NOT something you want to try to repair on your own.
The magnetron takes the incoming line voltage and steps it up to very high voltage.
If you don't know what you are doing these can put a very serious hurting on you, if not kill you.

So you're saying he should give it a go then, right?

 

j/k Chad....I'd take it to an appliance recycling place and just pickup a new one.....

[shmokes]

Chad, I'd take it to an appliance recycling place and fail to pickup a new one.  Microwaved food tastes like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.  Get a toaster oven.  You can heat and cook in that, and boiling water on the stove is practically just as fast as in the Microwave.  The food cooked/heated in the toaster oven will taste way better.  And you'll stop getting cancer from your microwave oven.  Don't think your Microwave is killing you?  Put a hot dog from the fridge on the countertop just outside the Microwave door.  It will cook.

[ChadTower]

We have a toaster oven and do use it for reheating most things, actually.  What I like to use the microwave for is individual cups of water and stuff like Chef Boyardee.  My kids eat Chef Boyardee for half their diet.  We can put pieces of a well grilled steak and a baked potato in front of them and they won't touch it.  Put down a can of Chef Boyardee Ravioli and it's gone in 90 seconds. 

I also replaced the microwave with a small one from Freecycle a while back.  I still can't bring myself to recycle this one even though I know I should and probably won't touch it.  It's irrational.  Or maybe it's just lazy and I don't feel like paying the $7.50 fee.

[shmokes]

Still, that Chef Boyardee will heat up in a saucepan almost just as fast as the microwave.  You'll gain a ton of counter space, get rid of a huge health hazard (who wants to deal with testicular cancer, anyway?), and you won't be nearly as inconvenienced by its loss as it probably seems.  And as an added bonus, all of your food will taste better when heated/cooked in ways other than nuking them.

The only real benefit I see with the microwave is that I would trust my small children to heat their food in it before I would trust them to use the stove (though it's probably a little bit cruel to let them use something that is cooking them and giving them cancer while they use it . . . ).  And even then, it's worth noting that letting your kids use the microwave isn't necessarily safe just because it only involves pushing buttons.  Ever made Kraft Easy Mac in the microwave?  When it's time to take the bowl out it has heated up to approximately 365 million degrees farenheit.  And it's filled with cheesy, boiling hot water -- something I don't really't want my kid spilling on herself.  Or maybe it's not cheesy yet.  It's been a long time.

. . . and so on.

[ChadTower]

Still, that Chef Boyardee will heat up in a saucepan almost just as fast as the microwave.  You'll gain a ton of counter space, get rid of a huge health hazard (who wants to deal with testicular cancer, anyway?), and you won't be nearly as inconvenienced by its loss as it probably seems.  And as an added bonus, all of your food will taste better when heated/cooked in ways other than nuking them.

The microwave takes up about two square feet of counterspace under a counter with just enough clearance for it.  That's not much.  The microwave uses one dish, the bowl, and the saucepan uses a saucepan, takes longer, I have to attend it while trying to handle the kids at dinnertime, and the ravioli tastes exactly the same either way.  Not that they'd care anyway.

I've never seen a credible study that showed that microwaves are dangerous.  I haven't looked, but I have seen a few that showed they are not dangerous, so I guess the mileage varies. 

My kids are not allowed to use the microwave.

[Daniel270]

Our microwave sees heavy use as a popcorn popper, plus the general use of heating Hot Pockets, reheating coffee and very occasionally reheating certain leftovers.   Find me a pan that'll do the same thing for my crappy electric stove in my apartment and I'll happily switch 

[shardian]

Our microwave sees heavy use as a popcorn popper,

Air popper+popcorn+butter cooking spray+ gallon jug of popcorn salt from Sam's = 
 

[boykster]

Ugh, air poppers and microwave popping is for sucks....

get yourself one of these:



http://www.comforthouse.com/corpophotoil.html

and thank me later.

[ChadTower]

corpophotoil

I need TP for my airpopper.

[shardian]

Ugh, air poppers and microwave popping is for sucks....

Yeah, but mine is fat free (with a butt-load of sodium though). I don't really care for real butter flavoring the spray adds a hint of butter, but is mainly there to help the salt stick. The salt is what does it for me. It ain't popcorn unless my mouth and lips are burning and raw when I'm done.

[boykster]

stir crazy doesn't need oil either, but just a single Tbs works great.  Oh, and heres a tip:  add the salt BEFORE you pop, it sticks better.  But you have to use a direct heat method for that to work. And you need very fine salt (crush it in a food processor or grinder)

[shardian]

And you need very fine salt (crush it in a food processor or grinder)

I get the industrial popcorn salt from Sam's. It is the same powdery yellow salt you get in a movie theater...ok now I have to go home and pop some popcorn.

[shmokes]

I've never seen a credible study that showed that microwaves are dangerous. 

Try the hot dog thing.  If it's cooking a hot dog that is sitting outside of the microwave, those rays are ---smurfing--- with your own fluids too.

[shmokes]

I should admit that I own a microwave and actually use it frequently, but almost exclusively to heat water which I then heat bottles of breastmilk in.  I would give up the microwave in a heartbeat, but my wife won't let me.  The true reason behind it is that I'm a food snob and only ---smurfy--- food comes out of microwaves.  And even good food, such as stuff you're reheating, invariably tastes much better when reheated on the stove or in an oven/toaster oven.

I use the health risk thing to give me a way to argue with people who aren't snobbish about food, but it really doesn't concern me.  I use about 1500 minutes a month on my cell phone, and when it's not in use, it's in my pocket, right next to my guys, for christ's sake.  Not that I don't think Microwaves are harmful, but they aren't so harmful that they are truly a priority for me.  The reality is simply that I think they are vastly superior ways to cook food and I don't think microwaves deserve a large, permanent spot on the counter when they are so easily replaced by other kitchen appliances, most of which are already in your kitchen.

So, carry on.  I'm just being a fanatic.

[ChadTower]

It's worth looking up anyway.

A Federal standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts (mW) of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface. This limit is far below the level known to harm people. Microwave energy also decreases dramatically as you move away from the source of radiation. A measurement made 20 inches from an oven would be approximately one one-hundredth of value measured at 2 inches.

[shardian]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven#Safety_and_controversy

It is possible for microwaves to arc out an inch or two from the door. So technically a hot dog could cook if right up against the door. You can also theoretically get cataracts if you stick your face against the glass to watch stuff cook.

[hypernova]

You can also theoretically get cataracts if you stick your face against the glass to watch stuff cook.

Whoops.



Joking, of course.

And even good food, such as stuff you're reheating, invariably tastes much better when reheated on the stove or in an oven/toaster oven.

You should taste some of these meals that they have now.  Boston Markets, Stouffer's.  Many of those meals are quite good in the quality department, even from the 'wave.

I do love things better from the toaster oven though.  I use it when I can.  Hot Pockets, chicken strips/nuggets, and pizza go in the toaster oven.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!!  Crisper, and tastier.

Don't you hate it when someone unplugs the toaster oven, and you don't realize it, then put something in, rotate the timer dial, and leave, only to come back when it dings, and find yourself with nothing to do but ---smurfette--- at a cold meal, being forced to wait again?!?!

[whammoed]

I don't think microwaves deserve a large, permanent spot on the counter

Am I the only one with the range hood/microwave combo that is above the oven so it doesn't take up any counter space?

[hypernova]

Nope.  Got one right here.

[leapinlew]

I think they're saying that the microwaves can cook your brain, leaving you a vegetable.

That would be some bad luck. Trying to fix a broken microwave and it works long enough to kill you...

[shardian]

I don't think microwaves deserve a large, permanent spot on the counter

Am I the only one with the range hood/microwave combo that is above the oven so it doesn't take up any counter space?

I have one...sitting in my garage.

[ChadTower]

I almost put one in last year but we have cabinets built in there that I'd have to  remove.  The range hood/fan/light is a 1960s model that is really slim so it would be hard to replace without modifying the area.

[JackTucky]

I disagree with people here.  you should invite maximrecoil over to help you fix this immediately.  Hopefully it will be raining and he tries to fix it outside.

Except it's not really broken.  It just needs repairs.

=J

[ChadTower]

I'm probably going to reap the CP to play with and then recycle it in a week or two.

[Ed_McCarron]

It's worth looking up anyway.

A Federal standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts (mW) of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface. This limit is far below the level known to harm people. Microwave energy also decreases dramatically as you move away from the source of radiation. A measurement made 20 inches from an oven would be approximately one one-hundredth of value measured at 2 inches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven#Safety_and_controversy

It is possible for microwaves to arc out an inch or two from the door. So technically a hot dog could cook if right up against the door. You can also theoretically get cataracts if you stick your face against the glass to watch stuff cook.

Lessee... Do I trust the snippet from the FDA, or the snippet from Wikipedia...

[Buddabing]

The upside of cooking your own brain in the microwave is that you can have a tasty Ray Liotta-style appetizer!

[ChadTower]

Lessee... Do I trust the snippet from the FDA, or the snippet from Wikipedia...

I'm gonna go with trust them both since they say mostly the same thing on this point.  Microwaves come out an inch or two but no further, they are greatly weakened at that point and dissipate almost completely after that range.

[shmokes]

Unless I'm mistaken, cellphones use microwave radios to communicate, and the level of microwave radiation coming from a cellphone is significantly stronger than what you would get by measuring the levels outside a microwave oven, so it's probably neither here nor there unless you've already given up the cellphone, which, I might add, you actually hold against your head for long periods of time.

Or maybe I'm just wrong about that.

Still, do your taste buds a favor and ditch the microwave.

[Harry Potter]

Cell phones work on RF, not microwave.