The perfect "veggie ramen" storm
October 7, 2006 8:54 PM Subscribe
WTF just happened in our kitchen? It was like a mini lightning storm! Maybe a power surge interacting with the steam from the open microwave? Complete details inside.
So my friend is cooking chili in the microwave, which is mounted above our electric stove. On the stovetop, we were boiling water to make some ramen (the water in the pot hadn't boiled yet). Friend opens the microwave to stir his chili, leaves the door open to turn around and grab a spoon...then ZZZZ ZZZ ZAP! Serious blue light and a 'lectrocution buzzing sound all above the stove/below the microwave. We all screamed, and he grabbed the pot of water off the stovetop and threw it in the sink. The electric stove element was glowing red and smoking near the center and there's yellow dust all over the element.
Seriously freaked us out, to say the least! yikers. So was this just an everyday power surge, or did it have something to do with the steam from the microwave/pre-boiling water? It was serious like lightning.
So my friend is cooking chili in the microwave, which is mounted above our electric stove. On the stovetop, we were boiling water to make some ramen (the water in the pot hadn't boiled yet). Friend opens the microwave to stir his chili, leaves the door open to turn around and grab a spoon...then ZZZZ ZZZ ZAP! Serious blue light and a 'lectrocution buzzing sound all above the stove/below the microwave. We all screamed, and he grabbed the pot of water off the stovetop and threw it in the sink. The electric stove element was glowing red and smoking near the center and there's yellow dust all over the element.
Seriously freaked us out, to say the least! yikers. So was this just an everyday power surge, or did it have something to do with the steam from the microwave/pre-boiling water? It was serious like lightning.
Sounds like the electric stove element shorted out, producing the sparks and smoke. The fact the microwave had been in operation shortly before is irrelevant.
Might some stuff that you were preparing on the stove splashed out of the pot and into the elements below, causing it to fail at this particular time?
posted by Brian James at 9:10 PM on October 7, 2006
Might some stuff that you were preparing on the stove splashed out of the pot and into the elements below, causing it to fail at this particular time?
posted by Brian James at 9:10 PM on October 7, 2006
On second thought, maybe the microwave wasn't irrelevant. Maybe once the microwave stopped consuming its power, the subsequent rise in current on the circuit caused the element to fail.
posted by Brian James at 9:12 PM on October 7, 2006
posted by Brian James at 9:12 PM on October 7, 2006
Response by poster: Well, the microwave was open and not on, so I don't think it was plasma like the girl on letterman...
The burner was on maybe 5 minutes and the water was nowhere near boiling, so definitely nothing splashed. That's not to say there wasn't any old food on the burner (not that we never clean, but you know...).
I mean, there were definitely small sparks under the pot...but the light that zoomed up was seriously like lightning and not only sparks. It was shooting up from the stove and made serious zapping sound. It lit up the entire kitchen.
Maybe it was just a short...but like an epic, grand one.
posted by bienbiensuper at 9:29 PM on October 7, 2006
The burner was on maybe 5 minutes and the water was nowhere near boiling, so definitely nothing splashed. That's not to say there wasn't any old food on the burner (not that we never clean, but you know...).
I mean, there were definitely small sparks under the pot...but the light that zoomed up was seriously like lightning and not only sparks. It was shooting up from the stove and made serious zapping sound. It lit up the entire kitchen.
Maybe it was just a short...but like an epic, grand one.
posted by bienbiensuper at 9:29 PM on October 7, 2006
Did you blow any fuses? Did either the microwave or the stove stop working?
posted by Malor at 9:45 PM on October 7, 2006
posted by Malor at 9:45 PM on October 7, 2006
My first guess would be that the electric stove element shorted, or cracked, or something. Does it look damaged? Does it still work? Or could there simply have been some crud on the underside of the pot which chose that moment to catch fire or flash into steam?
You might also want to check whether any of you have gained mysterious new powers, especially ramen or chili related ones.
posted by hattifattener at 10:04 PM on October 7, 2006 [3 favorites]
You might also want to check whether any of you have gained mysterious new powers, especially ramen or chili related ones.
posted by hattifattener at 10:04 PM on October 7, 2006 [3 favorites]
I have to wonder if some kind of safety interlock failed on your microwave, allowing it to continue operation while the door was open. If conventional microwaves were coming out in to your kitchen, that could conceivably cause the kind of arcing you're describing (not unlike when you put metal in the microwave...)
Does the microwave still work?
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:17 PM on October 7, 2006
Does the microwave still work?
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:17 PM on October 7, 2006
If the safety interlock on your microwave has failed, you could be in danger. Microwave radiation at close range will make you go blind.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 10:29 PM on October 7, 2006
posted by Mr. Gunn at 10:29 PM on October 7, 2006
"... there's yellow dust all over the element. ..."
posted by bienbiensuper to science & nature (9 comments total)
Analysis of that residue is key to successfully theorizing the cause of your fright. Did you preserve any sample? Do you know anyone in a chemical lab/university/extension service who could conduct an analysis?
posted by paulsc at 11:53 PM on October 7, 2006
posted by bienbiensuper to science & nature (9 comments total)
Analysis of that residue is key to successfully theorizing the cause of your fright. Did you preserve any sample? Do you know anyone in a chemical lab/university/extension service who could conduct an analysis?
posted by paulsc at 11:53 PM on October 7, 2006
Would a failed saftey interlock really be this dramatic? I thought microwave magnetos were pretty weak...
posted by phrontist at 12:26 AM on October 8, 2006
posted by phrontist at 12:26 AM on October 8, 2006
That yellow powder is pure, unadulterated Top Ramen essence.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:46 AM on October 8, 2006
posted by Foam Pants at 2:46 AM on October 8, 2006
First of all, the yellow powder comes from inside the burner coil. Typical burner construction has a nichrome wire (the source of the heat) with an insulating and heat resistant powder packed around it, which is the yellow powder you see, all inside a metal jacket (the outside surface of the coil).
With that in mind, consider the following reconstruction of the event:
As Johnny Assay says, the interlock on your microwave is bad, so that the microwaves continued to be generated despite the fact the door was open. The column of steam could have acted as a wave guide to conduct the microwaves down to the pot on the burner, or it could have been an effect of reflection from the position of the door. Then, a plasma arc formed from the oven to the pot, much as it would have if you had placed the metal pot inside the microwave. This is the source of at least one flash of blue light.
The plasma arc caused the pot to have very high electric potential with respect to ground; so high that current from the nichrome wire inside the coil was able to jump across the insulating barrier of the yellow powder to the metal jacket of the coil, burning a hole in that jacket, and letting out the powder. This happened at the center of the coil because that's where the voltage of the nichrome wire is highest.
It's not as clear to me what would have happened next, but the plasma arc could have dramatically intensified because it was then providing a path to ground for the wire inside the coil. If this is the case, you should be able to find a burned mark, probably an actual hole, in the metal of the microwave somewhere.
Your burner is ruined, and it is now dangerous to turn it on. Can you pull the knob off so no one can turn it on accidentally? You should certainly get some kind of professional repair done on your microwave before using it again for any reason.
posted by jamjam at 11:28 AM on October 8, 2006
With that in mind, consider the following reconstruction of the event:
As Johnny Assay says, the interlock on your microwave is bad, so that the microwaves continued to be generated despite the fact the door was open. The column of steam could have acted as a wave guide to conduct the microwaves down to the pot on the burner, or it could have been an effect of reflection from the position of the door. Then, a plasma arc formed from the oven to the pot, much as it would have if you had placed the metal pot inside the microwave. This is the source of at least one flash of blue light.
The plasma arc caused the pot to have very high electric potential with respect to ground; so high that current from the nichrome wire inside the coil was able to jump across the insulating barrier of the yellow powder to the metal jacket of the coil, burning a hole in that jacket, and letting out the powder. This happened at the center of the coil because that's where the voltage of the nichrome wire is highest.
It's not as clear to me what would have happened next, but the plasma arc could have dramatically intensified because it was then providing a path to ground for the wire inside the coil. If this is the case, you should be able to find a burned mark, probably an actual hole, in the metal of the microwave somewhere.
Your burner is ruined, and it is now dangerous to turn it on. Can you pull the knob off so no one can turn it on accidentally? You should certainly get some kind of professional repair done on your microwave before using it again for any reason.
posted by jamjam at 11:28 AM on October 8, 2006
The idea that the column of steam would have acted as a microwave wave guide is pretty far fetched, jamjam. I think the microwave magnetron may have blown out, spraying sparks and microwave bits through any cracks in the microwave chassis, but I doubt that anything like a true plasma formed in free air. The key is still, I think, to be found in the composition of that yellow powder, much of which had to have settled there, after the pot was removed, and the burner still, presumably, hot.
posted by paulsc at 12:07 PM on October 8, 2006
posted by paulsc at 12:07 PM on October 8, 2006
The idea that the column of steam would have acted as a microwave wave guide is pretty far fetched, jamjam.
Fetched it may be, paulsc, but I didn't have to go that far. The striking illusions of distant scenery hanging in the air you can see above roadways driving on any hot day arise from high-angle reflections of light from a boundary layer between hot and cooler air; microwaves are merely light of a lower frequency, and it seemed plausible to me they could do the same from the boundary of that column of steam, especially since the concentration of water droplets is probably higher at that boundary.
posted by jamjam at 2:17 PM on October 8, 2006
Fetched it may be, paulsc, but I didn't have to go that far. The striking illusions of distant scenery hanging in the air you can see above roadways driving on any hot day arise from high-angle reflections of light from a boundary layer between hot and cooler air; microwaves are merely light of a lower frequency, and it seemed plausible to me they could do the same from the boundary of that column of steam, especially since the concentration of water droplets is probably higher at that boundary.
posted by jamjam at 2:17 PM on October 8, 2006
I'm the sort of person who would say, let's see if we can do it again -- and take pictures. Unless you turn on the burner or turn on the microwave, everyone is just speculating whether they still work or are broken in some way.
Could it have been dried spilled food in the burner tray that ignited when the coil got red hot?
posted by JackFlash at 2:44 PM on October 8, 2006
Could it have been dried spilled food in the burner tray that ignited when the coil got red hot?
posted by JackFlash at 2:44 PM on October 8, 2006
Best answer: I mean, there were definitely small sparks under the pot...but the light that zoomed up was seriously like lightning and not only sparks. It was shooting up from the stove and made serious zapping sound. It lit up the entire kitchen.
What you describe is *exactly* what happens when a stove element fails. The resistive wire inside breaks, an arc jumps across the break causing that spot to heat up real fast. The heat and thermal expansion eventually burns through the insulating layers sending impressive sparks all over the place. Pretty exciting, but a lot less dangerous than a grease fire on the stove.
On the plus side, the elements are very easy to replace, so you won't need to call a repairman. I've had success finding replacement parts at repairclinic.com.
posted by kc8nod at 3:42 PM on October 8, 2006
What you describe is *exactly* what happens when a stove element fails. The resistive wire inside breaks, an arc jumps across the break causing that spot to heat up real fast. The heat and thermal expansion eventually burns through the insulating layers sending impressive sparks all over the place. Pretty exciting, but a lot less dangerous than a grease fire on the stove.
On the plus side, the elements are very easy to replace, so you won't need to call a repairman. I've had success finding replacement parts at repairclinic.com.
posted by kc8nod at 3:42 PM on October 8, 2006
We had an element blow up on an electric range once - there was in intense light, a very loud sound, and a huge hole in the copper-bottom pot that had been warming on said burner. Basically, exactly as the OP described, with the addition of one very freaked out cat that had been sitting near the scene.
In our case, no microwaves were involved, so I would think that part of your situation might be coincidental.
posted by sluggo at 4:42 PM on October 8, 2006
In our case, no microwaves were involved, so I would think that part of your situation might be coincidental.
posted by sluggo at 4:42 PM on October 8, 2006
Response by poster: Hey everyone, thanks for your answers. The microwave does still work--dunno about the element because we're all too chicken to turn it on again. The apartment maintenance man is coming to check it out tomorrow, but after reading everything here, it sounds like kc8nod is probably right (although it's decidedly less exciting than our "omg, we made our own lightning!!" theory).
posted by bienbiensuper at 6:28 PM on October 8, 2006
posted by bienbiensuper at 6:28 PM on October 8, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
From what I recall, it's probably bits on incandescent carbon. Google on combinations of microwave/plasma/lightning should throw up more.
posted by Leon at 9:05 PM on October 7, 2006