Did the Hydrogen Cell Cause Our Microwave to Stop Working?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a user's experience with a hydrogen cell experiment in their kitchen, which coincided with their microwave malfunctioning. The user observed a loud pop from the microwave after testing the hydrogen cell, leading to speculation that hydrogen gas may have ignited due to a spark when the microwave light was turned on. Participants noted that hydrogen is a low-density gas that can accumulate in high concentrations, potentially reaching the microwave despite being over ten feet away. The conversation humorously suggests conducting such experiments outdoors to avoid further mishaps. Overall, the incident highlights the risks of experimenting with hydrogen in enclosed spaces.
KLE xy
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hey guys I have a question ...I built a hydrogen cell and was testing it in my kitchen for a few hrs to see how much the water temp would rise.Now a while back our microwave gave up its ghost and would make some nasty elecrtical sounds when we would turn it on,so we only used it for the stove light and exhaust fan...so the water is bubbleing away and there was foam on the top ,so the kid in me put a match in it and it was a rather loud pop, and my wife yelled at me to take it out side .I unpluged it and it was getting dark so I turned on the microwave light and there was a very large pop I mean loud !..just like the hydrogen pop and the microwave is not working at all...My question is, was the hydrogen atracted to the microwave for some reason? and why? the reason I think it was the hydrogen was the pop was exactly the same...it has a very fast pop unlike other fuels...thanx
 
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LMAO. Hydrogen is a very low density gas. As it comes out of your flask it doesn't simply dissipate in the air instantly. It will rise like a balloon in high concentration and apparently it got into the microwave. Any tiny spark will set it off, so when you hit the light, the hydrogen ignited and whamo!

Thanks for the amusing story. :smile:

PS: You might try doing your experiments outside from now on. :-p
 
that makes sense but the container was more than 10 feet away ??and yes I"ve been sent to the cold shed!
 
KLE xy said:
my wife yelled at me to take it out side

I never in my previous 49 years had that problem until I moved in with W. She won't even let me weld in the kitchen.
 
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