HEATING WATER

Posted by @J on April 17, 2009, 10:38 am

It SEEMS
I can heat water faster in my microwave
than I can on my stovetop.
Is a microwave "more efficient" at heating water ?
If so, can anyone see a time where
the heat source for a home water heater
would be microwave rather than heating elements ?

Posted by LouB on April 17, 2009, 11:19 am

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The microwave heats faster cause there is no warm-up time.
AND be carefull to never heat plain water in a MW as it may damn near
"explode" when you go to use it due to surface tension issue.
I.E. put cocoa in before heating, ditto tea bag.
Lou

Posted by trader4 on April 17, 2009, 12:03 pm

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And because it's usually not heating the container either. You can
put food in it on a paper plate, plastic container, neither of which
get heated up much, and even if they do, have a very small thermal
mass compared to a metal pot on a stove. And there is less loss to the
surrounding environment. The microwave directly vibrates the water
molecules transferring energy to them. With a pot on the stove a lot
of the heat goes to the air, surrounding stove metal, etc.
It definitely uses less electricity to warm the cup of water in the
microwave than on the stove. However, an electric water heater is
100% efficient at converting the incoming electricity to heat because
it's a simple resistance heating element surrounded by water.
Microwaves would offer no advantage in a storage tank water heater.
In fact, it would use MORE electricity, because the electronics that
create the microwaves are not 100% efficient.
The kitchen version of the water heater is an electric kettle. It's
basicly a metal teapot type appliance that has a 1500W heater
inside. I can have a quart of water boiling in just a few minutes,
much faster than on the stovetop. Again, it's going to be more
efficient because most of the heat is going directly to the water.
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Agree. If you're going to heat water to near boiling, it should have
something in it. If it's pure water, it can become super heated,
where it's actually just a tiny bit above the boiling point without
actually boiling. Then the slightest disturbance can trigger it all
to suddenly boil at once.

Posted by Joe on April 17, 2009, 3:35 pm

However, an electric water heater is
100% efficient at converting the incoming electricity to heat because......
Oh hell..... You had to say it.....

Posted by Bob F on April 17, 2009, 2:37 pm

LouB wrote:
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Excellent advice, if you like cocoa all over the inside of the microwave.
Otherwise - not so much.

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