Does our Microwave oven need emission testing? Microwave oven emissions testing is something that was done every time a microwave was PAT tested, up to 2012.
What happened in 2012?
A new industry wide Code of Practice was launched; and the section on microwave emissions was not there. Why not? Because it was widely understood that the emissions test results were flawed. Mainly due to cheap test meters being on the market that did not work properly, and badly trained operators.
That is not to say it shouldn’t be done, however.
It just should be done on occasions proportionate to the risk, and by trained personnel using the correct, calibrated, equipment.
There is argument that the new release should have said the emissions test should continue, providing a calibrated test meter be used.
We have such machines, but there is very little call for an emissions test these days. We no longer do it as a standard service, but offer it to clients who have commercial use ovens, such as in restaurants and hotels, but still, few take us up on the offer.
We also suggest to our clients that we run a full microwave oven test every other year, rather than annual, and we check the appliance for emissions leakage, but also for temperature rise and power performance.
If you ever watched a PAT engineer doing an emissions test, you’d likely see him waving a radiation meter around the door seal; the test needs to be more thorough than that. Additional measurements have to be taken to read how well the temperature is reached when food is cooked to ensure the microwave is producing the power it is meant to.
We only carry out microwave tests on ovens used for commercial purposes, so kitchens of hotels and restaurants for example, or those found in other forms of accommodation, although if you insist we will do it on domestic type ovens too.
Ovens found in commercial kitchens require appropriate checks because the cook doesn’t want to be sending out food he thought was cooked with a cold spot in the middle, risking food poisoning.
You may find our page on Microwave Ovens PAT testing has more information you may find useful if you are considering having your microwaves tested for emissions.
If you run a commercial kitchen contact us for a PAT testing quote and we’ll include testing your microwave ovens.
