I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

mike wrote:

I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

you can get microwave leakage detectors, I don't know if there is any
genuine need for these, or if they were just sold to capitalise on
people's unfounded fears of getting "zapped".

Andy Burns wrote:
mike wrote:

I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

you can get microwave leakage detectors, I don't know if there is any
genuine need for these, or if they were just sold to capitalise on
people's unfounded fears of getting "zapped".

There is not.
Modern microwave (1973?) ovens employ a seal which does not rely on a
very close-fitting gasket as the very earliest ones did.

They use a clever design based on the RF physics of the thing to stop
the leaking.

Unless there are holes of greater than 1cm into the microwave, or the
door is grossly warped (say 2mm) then it's not leaking anything if bits
haven't actually been removed.

If it's just been stored, and not abused, then there is no risk.
There is a small risk it will not work on switchon, but that's a
seperate thing.

Andy Burns typed


mike wrote:

I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

you can get microwave leakage detectors, I don't know if there is any
genuine need for these, or if they were just sold to capitalise on
people's unfounded fears of getting "zapped".

Why would the OP's microwave be any more dangerous than mine?
It is 7 years old and has been in continuous, trouble-free use.

It has nevered occurred to me to check it...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

Why would the OP's microwave be any more dangerous than mine?
It is 7 years old and has been in continuous, trouble-free use.

Depends if it's been stored in a nice dry, clean location, or somewhere
damp and dusty where it has got the odd knock, the O/P has some concern
over his, you clearly don't about yours.

On 3 Feb, 00:11, mike wrote:
I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

If it was stored in dry conditions etc, it will be as safe as new. If
it got so damp the interlock microswitches corroded, the thing will
pop its clogs the moment the interlock misbehaves.

Dont waste money on a so-called leakage detector. The ones that do
actually work (most dont) were maybe useful in the 70s, but designs of
door seal and interlock have both changed considerably since then.


NT

In article ,
mike writes:
I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

Check it's not been dropped or bashed, that the door is still
close fitting, that there's no corrosion of the internal cavity,
and that the interlock switches it off when the door is opened.

--
Andrew Gabriel

On 03 Feb 2007 08:16:41 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
mike writes:
I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

Check it's not been dropped or bashed, that the door is still
close fitting, that there's no corrosion of the internal cavity,
and that the interlock switches it off when the door is opened.

Thanks for the replies. Just felt a bit uneasy about it so thought to
ask. It's be stored in a cupboard, never dropped or bashed about and
*is* cooking stuff as expected. Door fits fine and interlocks click
positively.

Yes I thought if it's going tpo fail it'll probably be when I first
switch it on - but it works fine. However this model is a bit
unnerving when, if open the door, the noise of the fan etc sometimes
contiunes on! I found the booklet for it and it says this is normal -
just the fan running to cool things down after a use. (I close the
door anyway). Just paranoia then - or maybe better safe that sorry.

To the poster who mentioned hers still running after several years -
then somone else said about newer ones having a differnt type of
seal/design - maybe that should be checked?

mike wrote:
snip
To the poster who mentioned hers still running after several years -
then somone else said about newer ones having a differnt type of
seal/design - maybe that should be checked?

Newer = 1970 or so.

These have the seal made up by the design of the door, rather than a
close-fitting gasket as before.

mike typed

To the poster who mentioned hers still running after several years -
then somone else said about newer ones having a differnt type of
seal/design - maybe that should be checked?

Both have been made a LONG time since the 1970s haven't they?

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

In message , mike
writes
I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

Not if all the electrons have evaporated


--
geoff

mike wrote:
I have a microwave oven that been in storage for 4 years! Bought new
it was used only a couple of times. I seems (does) work fine - but I
just wondered - is it ok to use the thing after it being stored so for
long? Is there some way to check it's working safely?

There isn't much to go wrong in em really.

A capacitor might dry out, in which case there will be a bang and some
smoke.

Apart from that the magnetron will do what magnetrons do, and spit out
microwaves..and unless you have a rusted door seal, they won't jump out
and grab your wedding tackle.