Kitty Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Last night, I was warming up a wheat bag (it acts like a hot water bottle) for 2 minutes in the microwave and it started to catch fire. Fortunately, I got it out before too much damage was done - just one big black smouldering mess and a ghastly smell (which still lingers in the house).What could have caused it?I need to find out so that it does not happen again. I have been warming up wheat bags for the last 5 years and it has never happened before.EDIT: Since finding out that wheat bags can be dangerous, I have changed the title of the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Oh Cathy, sorry for laughing [:D][:)][;-)]It just made me remember when I tried to dry a pair of socks in mine [:D][:D][:D]I had a similar moment, all ok until they dry out too much maybe.Stick to the hot water bottle, those high tech solutions are plagued with problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Perhaps a tiny piece of metal among the wheat?I had a fire in my microwave last week when I was softening some butter in a plastic tub. There was a tiny piece of foil still attached to the rim, that's what started it. There was quite a mess [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I you google "wheat bag" microwave fire you'll see that you are far from alone in experiencing this problem Cathy.There is some advice here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1027144/Grandmother-dies-microwave-bed-warmer-catches-fire.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 LOL teapot - wheat bags are about as far from high tech as you can get.......Is the setting adjustable, could you try lowering it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="Cat"]I you google "wheat bag" microwave fire you'll see that you are far from alone in experiencing this problem Cathy.There is some advice here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1027144/Grandmother-dies-microwave-bed-warmer-catches-fire.html[/quote] I was not on line back then otherwise I could have googled "Can I put socks in the microwave"[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have a wheat bag AND hot water bottles.Thanks for the warning, my dear, I'll be sure to watch the bag when I put it in the micro-wave tonight.BTW, hope all goes well with your daughter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Thank you one and all. Interesting article about them, Cat. I had no idea that I am not alone. I usually put the bag in the microwave for 4 minutes and quickly walk the dog around the garden. This time, I did not leave the bag unattended for some reason and only put it on for 2 minutes. When I took it out of the microwave, I quickly put into water and it continued to smoulder for at least a minute.I am confused about the advice on placing water with it? What does this mean? If you wet the bag, it gives off steam and is not very useful. (Before I stored the bag in a Tupperware-type container, it would take moisture from the air and be quite damp every night.)Does it mean that you put a cup of water in with it? Why would this make a difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I think the idea is that you put a cup of water in the microwave with the bag. At a guess I imagine the cup of water would prevent the bag being so dry that it acted like tinder, or perhaps the microwaves are attracted by the water and in some way that regulates the temperature....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Cathy, read the safety advice given here...http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/productsafety/consumerinfo/wheatbags.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Cat, I never knew they were so dangerous. And there's me cuddling up to mine in bed every night!Arg...................h, I mean, SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Best keep the wheat for your breakfast cereal, The o'l low tech (sans microwave) hot water bottle sounds best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="sweet 17"]Cat, I never knew they were so dangerous. And there's me cuddling up to mine in bed every night!Arg...................h, I mean, SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION![/quote]You won't sleep tonight http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2986095 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="sweet 17"]Cat, I never knew they were so dangerous. And there's me cuddling up to mine in bed every night!Arg...................h, I mean, SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION![/quote]Oh dear, careful sweet, I hope you've a flame-proof nightie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Cat, why have you given your avitar a purple rinse [:)]Your not that old, are you?[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Well, well, well. I never knew how dangerous they could be. Amazing that the heat process can continue.I won't stop using one though as the heat is so lovely. Much nicer than a hottie. I'll put a cup of water in with it, in future.What about heating plates? I used to warm plates up in the microwave by putting water onto them and then drying them with a tea towel. Then a friend told me you could warm plates up on their own. Can plates catch on fire?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="Cathy"] I used to warm plates up in the microwave by putting water onto them and then drying them with a tea towel. Then a friend told me you could warm plates up on their own. Can plates catch on fire??[/quote]Well if any one can.....................[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="teapot"]Cat, why have you given your avitar a purple rinse [:)]Your not that old, are you?[;-)][/quote]I like to think of it as amethyst.[quote user="Cathy"] ..can plates catch on fire?[/quote]I don't know Cathy, but in amongst my girlie ideas about how microwaves work is the thought that they heat things by agitating the molecules of whatever they are heating. Water molecules get agitated rather easily, and so heat up quite quickly. When hot enough they steam. My plates on the other hand have surprisingly little water in their make-up, they're never going to steam, so they get heated in the oven rather than the microwave. I would never heat an empty plate or container in the microwave.Here endeth the microwave gospel according to Barbie [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I think that plates used in the microwave a lot are more likely to crack or chipBarbies friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="Cat"][quote user="teapot"] Cat, why have you given your avitar a purple rinse [:)]Your not that old, are you?[;-)][/quote]I like to think of it as amethyst. Ok, Cat why have you given your avitar an amethyst rinse [quote user="Cathy"] ..can plates catch on fire?[/quote]I don't know Cathy, but in amongst my girlie ideas about how microwaves work is the thought that they heat things by agitating the molecules of whatever they are heating. Water molecules get agitated rather easily, and so heat up quite quickly. When hot enough they steam. [/quote]Forums seem to work on the same principle, for molecules read forum members [Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have a memory (sorry can't find instructions at present) that my wheat bag says that after so long they dry out and to make them work again you have to damp them down. I find my wheat bag feels quite damp when I get it out of the microwave after its heating so I presume I don't need to do any such thing yet, but certainly constant re-heating for several years without putting more moisture in could well have the effect you describe.It is 31 years since I first used a microwave and since then I have not read a great deal about how they work, but they work by the molecules in the moisture in the food bouncing around and thus creating heat, which thus cooks the food. Hence dry wheat bag = no moisture = no molecules to whizz around = a fire.For those a more scientific bent I'm sorry if this simplifies everything too much, but my best guess is that is what happened in this case.EDIT: since typing this in reply to the OP's question, I saw some of the other replies - never put dry crockery in on its own, the book (see above) I read 31 years ago said it need moisture to work - and recommended leaving a cup with water in the microwave whne not in use, just in case someone turned the oven on accidentally. I do not do so, but then I'm the only one using it, so it is not required (unless I go gaga!). And, as other posters have said - no crockery with gold / silver edges etc - it sparks. The only time you can use a little metal (eg alu foil) is if doing eg a chicken, so stop the feet burning too much, but that is then only to slow that bit down, you do not leave it in for long. (I don;t bother, as I don't eat the feet, so it doesn't matter if they burn!!) I've always just NOT used any metal at all, it seemed safest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Judith - your explanation figures. My wheat bags are used over & over again and I keep them in airtight containers in order to keep them dry. So obviously I need to allow them to breathe outside the containers.OK. OK. Teapot. So it looks stupid, out of context, to ask if plates can catch fire but I assume that everything has its heating point. Even stone melts - have you ever seen volcano erupt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="Cathy"]Judith - your explanation figures. My wheat bags are used over & over again and I keep them in airtight containers in order to keep them dry. So obviously I need to allow them to breathe outside the containers.OK. OK. Teapot. So it looks stupid, out of context, to ask if plates can catch fire but I assume that everything has its heating point. Even stone melts - have you ever seen volcano erupt? [/quote]Oh Cathy, only playing, no offence meant [:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Judith is correct, the microwave oven works by agitating the water molecules in the food/wheat whatever.IMO these wheaty bags are highly dangerous because with regular use the wheat will gradually lose its moisture content and then become a fire risk when heated, it also does not do the magnetron any good to be heating an object with little or no moisture content or indeed operating with an empty oven.Cathy, storing the bags in an airtight container will prevent them from reabsorbing humidity from the atmosphere and create the fire risk as well as reducing their heating capability.I have had many microwave fires/explosions/light shows but all but one of them was me playing around as I bought one of the very first ones while I was still an apprentice, it cost me several weeks salary!The involuntary one was caused by reheating coffee in a perculator jar, something I had done safely 100's of times before but this time the brown plastic handle caught fire withing one minute, it had never even got hot before and I could not see how it could have become impregnated with metal although I had strong suspicions of revenge sabotage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 [quote user="teapot"][quote user="Cathy"] Judith - your explanation figures. My wheat bags are used over & over again and I keep them in airtight containers in order to keep them dry. So obviously I need to allow them to breathe outside the containers.OK. OK. Teapot. So it looks stupid, out of context, to ask if plates can catch fire but I assume that everything has its heating point. Even stone melts - have you ever seen volcano erupt? [/quote]Oh Cathy, only playing, no offence meant [:$] [/quote]No problem, Teapot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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