# Why don't we use microwaves to heat ourselves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423 "2013-05-15T16:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/21 "2013-05-16T18:09:44Z")
But how about using microwaves in a point-of-use (tankless) water heater, could that be effective? Could one just have a single tap and a temperature adjustment knob? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/22 "2013-05-16T18:19:20Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > IMO, radiant heaters actually don’t work all that well, for heating people: > [ul] > [li]If they’re overhead heaters, you get a hot face, but your feet are still frozen[/li][li]If you get close enough to feel the warmth through your clothes, exposed skin will be toasted[/li][li]The side of you facing the heater may be warm, or even too hot, whilst the side facing away will be chilly.[/li][/ul] If you had a fan-blower system strong enough to circulate throughout the entire house, why wouldn’t that work? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/23 "2013-05-16T18:22:10Z")
> [@For You](#): > > But how about using microwaves in a point-of-use (tankless) water heater, could that be effective? Could one just have a single tap and a temperature adjustment knob? It’s more efficient to just use the electricity through a resistive heating element. It’s also cheaper to make a resistive heating element and a resistive heating element is much more reliable in the long term. It could be done, though. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/24 "2013-05-16T18:27:13Z")
while radiant heaters might appear in lots of less useful configurations, they can be useful if used correctly. they heat up objects that the radiation shines on. if you are wearing clothing then it will make the surface of that clothing warm, not real useful if you have layers for insulation. it works well on areas that might have to be left exposed like hands and face, it increases comfort tremendously. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/25 "2013-05-16T21:17:34Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s more efficient to just use the electricity through a resistive heating element. It’s also cheaper to make a resistive heating element and a resistive heating element is much more reliable in the long term. > > It could be done, though. I think such devices do exist. There was a thread on the subject recently, and in that thread it was noted that the heating tubes are very fine and sensitive to calculus if you have hard water. My thinking was that a microwave inline heater might be able to work well with larger, less sensitive pipes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/26 "2013-05-16T22:12:16Z")
I read about tests from the early days of microwave research for commercial use, where they tried this on monkeys, and no harm was done. Nobody was saying it’s a good idea, but they were saying that low levels of microwave radiation weren’t harmful. Now that was a long time ago, and I read about it when the cell phone brain cancer panic started, and it turned out not to be a test using broad parameters. I seriously doubt any human wants to be the guinea pig for this. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/27 "2013-05-16T22:15:54Z")
> [@eltro102](#): > > thanks for the answers, in my head I had some sort of maser mounted on a turret heating up people in my garden so we could have a barbecue in crap weather but i guess we’ll just have to deal with it Sounds great, but you’d have to draw lots to decide who gets to be the meat. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/28 "2013-05-18T13:02:32Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > If you had a fan-blower system strong enough to circulate throughout the entire house, > why wouldn’t that work? I’m sure it would, but what you describe is not radiant heating. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/29 "2013-05-18T13:45:09Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > IMO, radiant heaters actually don’t work all that well, for heating people: > [ul] > [li]If they’re overhead heaters, you get a hot face, but your feet are still frozen[/li][li]If you get close enough to feel the warmth through your clothes, exposed skin will be toasted[/li][li]The side of you facing the heater may be warm, or even too hot, whilst the side facing away will be chilly.[/li][/ul] They worked well during my brief stint in the army, whe we used then to heat up/fry the mystery meat they gave us to eat. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/30 "2013-05-18T14:17:41Z")
nitrogen, the largest component of air, doesn’t absorb infrared radiation. so making warm air with infrared doesn’t work well. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/31 "2013-05-18T14:36:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I read about tests from the early days of microwave research for commercial use, where they tried this on monkeys, and no harm was done. Nobody was saying it’s a good idea, but they were saying that low levels of microwave radiation weren’t harmful. What ?Oh that may be microwaves at some other frequency. Non-heating frequency. Heating microwaves are at one particular frequency.. that which is best at making water molecules vibrate.. microwaves for heating target WATER. So its really really unsafe to use microwaves for heating. A room needs a 2000 watt heater, and thats just were the outside temperature is only down to close to freezing, what about Alaska in winter ? Note your kitchen microwave oven is likely only 1000 watts. So really heating your body and the room is going to take serious microwave power.. its just obvious to anyone that it “burns you, from the inside”. Worse, you won’t even feel it in your skin straight away, the insides will get hot first.. ,you wouldn’t even know it was happening to start with.. you only feel the pain after volumes of flesh and bone are cooking.. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/32 "2013-05-18T17:48:55Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Heating microwaves are at one particular frequency.. that which is best at making water molecules vibrate.. microwaves for heating target WATER. It’s a bit of a myth that microwaves are tuned to a resonant frequency of water. The reality of it is that water is a highly polar molecule and will vibrate over a wide range of frequencies. Right around 2 to 3 GHz does happen to be one of the better ranges for converting radio waves into heat with water, but you could still make a pretty efficient microwave oven pretty much anywhere between about 1 and 5 GHz. It would be slightly less efficient but would still heat pretty well up to 10 GHz and beyond. It’s also not just water molecules that vibrate in response to the radio waves. Many fats, sugars, and other molecules also vibrate and generate heat. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/33 "2013-05-19T07:51:26Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > 1. You wouldn’t be able to wear metal jewellery. > 2. It wouldn’t work unless you sat on a giant turntable in the middle of the room. So I’m good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/34 "2013-05-19T19:27:34Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > its just obvious to anyone that it “burns you, from the inside”. > Worse, you won’t even feel it in your skin straight away, the insides will get hot first.. ,you wouldn’t even know it was happening to start with.. you only feel the pain after volumes of flesh and bone are cooking.. Microwaves don’t cook ‘from the inside’ - that’s just a popular misconception. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/35 "2013-05-19T22:06:12Z")
**Why don’t we use microwaves to heat ourselves?** Maybe you have a different model, but mine won’t even turn on if the door is open. ---
**Author:** ![thicksantorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thicksantorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicksantorum)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/36 "2013-05-20T00:13:04Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Microwaves don’t cook ‘from the inside’ - that’s just a popular misconception. …and a really stupid one, at that. Possibly spread by people who have never actually used a microwave to try to thaw anything. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/37 "2013-05-20T07:43:29Z")
Always fan out chicken legs with the feets pointing to the center. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423/38 "2013-05-20T14:13:45Z")
microwaves do penetrate into food and will excite molecules that it hits. microwaves do affect water ice different from liquid water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-use-microwaves-to-heat-ourselves/658423.md?page=1)