Water Exploded in Microwave
I heated water in the microwave and it exploded inside. Water was pouring out even though the door was shut. I now know that I'm not supposed to heat water in the microwave. But I did and now after the water explosion, I'm not sure if I can use my microwave. Twelve hours after the explosion inside the microwave, I tried to warm up some vegetables and there were crazy noises and flashes of orange. Is this because the water hadn't dried out yet or is the microwave completely ruined?
Best Answer
Joe is essentially right. Bubbles form in a liquid at what are called nucleation sites - small irregularies in the container or in the liquid itself. If you look at the bottom of some beer glasses, there are little nodules (often in the shape of the brewer's logo) that nucleate bubbles of the CO2 that's dissolved in the beer. Much the same occurs with water - to nucleate bubbles of steam requires nucleation sites and, without them, the water can superheat to beyond it's normal boiling point of 100 C. When you then disturb the liquid, and so provide nucleation sites, a whole lump of it can turn to steam in an instant.
Permanent damage to the oven is possible but I'd leave it for a few days and then try again.
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What to do if water gets in the microwave?
This can end up heating the water faster than it can turn into vapor, causing it to become superheated. Bubbles of water vapor can then quickly form when the water is jostled as the cup is taken out of the microwave. This makes it boil up, seeming to \u201cexplode,\u201d as all the vapor is suddenly released.What happens if water overflows in microwave?
While this is entirely normal, frequent and too much condensation in your microwave can damage the oven interior. The water leak can cause the paint to lift. Eventually, there may be rust.Can a microwave be water damaged?
Although heat is able to escape from the outside of the microwaved food, it usually gets trapped internally, cooking the food faster on the inside. If the food has a high water content, like an egg or potato, the water expands and turns to steam.Exploding Water | A Moment of Science | PBS
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