Questions re Microwaves

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networkn

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#598422 21-Mar-2012 22:21

I'd certainly be keen to hear. I have heard Panasonic have refused to warranty items which have failed without the correct clearances.

mattwnz

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#598423 21-Mar-2012 22:25

networkn: I'd certainly be keen to hear. I have heard Panasonic have refused to warranty items which have failed without the correct clearances.

How would they know though? I have just got mine on a bench, so it has plenty of ventilation. But anyone who has one fail would just take it into the store, so panasonic wouldn't be able to tell if it has had incorrect clearance gaps.

sleemanj

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#598438 21-Mar-2012 23:30

mattwnz:But perhaps it has to do with radiation, and the gap is to prevent energy going into heat the surrounding surfaces, which could cause failure of the magnatron? Anyone know?

If you have "radiation" coming out of the sides of your microwave, you have bigger problems than heating surrounding surfaces.

I would fully expect that massive "gap requirements" are largely just CYA.

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networkn

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#598507 22-Mar-2012 09:14

CYA against what?

networkn

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#598886 23-Mar-2012 00:42

Well it's a sorry state of affairs... I went to Kitchen Things today and I learned some things:

1) None of the models I saw looked like they had clearly visible insides from outside
2) The reason that the newer Microwaves need so much clearance is the convection feature which generates a lot more external heat.
3) Very few had lights that lit up when you opened the door (Just when running)
4) Most want to cool for a period before allowing the door to open! (hello I just heated something)

Sharp and Panasonic seem to be the leaders but the reviews for Panasonic seem pretty average and the Sharp got LAMBASTED in Australia (1/10 average score on 30 reviews).

I am thinking I can't make room for a convection which is a crying shame, as it was one of the major reasons to upgrade, but I am thinking perhaps an inverter only model might be worth consideration.

B1GGLZ

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#599082 23-Mar-2012 13:53

sleemanj:
If you have "radiation" coming out of the sides of your microwave, you have bigger problems than heating surrounding surfaces.

That's for sure. They're not supposed to leak any radiation. If it leaks it's not safe to use and should be repaired or replaced.

Niel

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#599325 23-Mar-2012 22:56

B1GGLZ: That's for sure. They're not supposed to leak any radiation. If it leaks it's not safe to use and should be repaired or replaced.

Nothing to repair. The holes in the vents are sized to trap microwaves that might escape the magnetron.

That said, all safety standards are applied on new products and do not take into consideration ageing. That comes down to brand quality/variation.

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mattwnz

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#599328 23-Mar-2012 23:04

Niel:
B1GGLZ: That's for sure. They're not supposed to leak any radiation. If it leaks it's not safe to use and should be repaired or replaced.

Nothing to repair.? The holes in the vents are sized to trap microwaves that might escape the magnetron.

That said, all safety standards are applied on new products and do not take into consideration ageing.? That comes down to brand quality/variation.

Don't they say you shouldn't stand in front of a microwave door, bacause there is still 'some' radition coming out of it. It is probably within the 'safe' range at the moment, but I heard it was more than you get from using a mobile phone.

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#599378 24-Mar-2012 09:33

mattwnz: Don't they say you shouldn't stand in front of a microwave door, because there is still 'some' radiation coming out of it. It is probably within the 'safe' range at the moment, but I heard it was more than you get from using a mobile phone.

Wikipedia:
Direct microwave exposure is not generally of any hazard, as microwaves emitted by the source in a microwave oven are confined in the oven by the material out of which the oven is constructed. Tests have shown confinement of the microwaves in commercially available ovens to be so nearly universal as to make routine testing unnecessary. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a U.S. Federal Standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 5 cm (2 in) from the surface of the oven.

From the Canadian OHS web site:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/microwave_ovens.html
Old or faulty door seals are the most common causes of microwave radiation leakage. Mechanical abuse, a build-up of dirt, or simple wear and tear of continued use can cause door seals to be less effective. Theoretically, there will be small amounts of leakage through the viewing glass but measurements have shown this to be insignificant.

Measurements are made from 10kHz to 300GHz to catch any harmonics possible. The average power from a cell phone is low, but it transmits in bursts of power which is quite high. You should be able to Google that yourself rather than going by urban legends.

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