Practical Applications of Microwaves

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Complementing the information on technology and completed projects are descriptions of selected cases of microwave applications. The presented situations illustrate the problem, the approach taken, and the achieved outcome. These are practical examples from laboratories, manufacturing plants, and service companies.

The wall separating the bathroom and the kitchen had been absorbing water for a long time. A small leak in the water installation caused significant moisture. Everything happened in an invisible location – behind the bathtub in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink. Once the problem was discovered, the leak was repaired, but water remained in the wall.

Before finishing the renovation, it was necessary to dry the wall. Like most people in this situation, the tenant decided to rent an air dehumidifier.

In the kitchen, he designated a space near the sink and separated it with plastic sheeting, and in the bathroom, he removed the bathtub and covered the opening with plastic sheeting.
The purpose of the plastic was to block the inflow of fresh (humid) air from the outside. The air dehumidifier was intended to collect water only from damp walls.

It was placed under foil once in the kitchen, once in the bathroom. In this way, the damp section of the wall was treated for three weeks. Although it was summer, the results were minimal. During this time, the kitchen was out of use for 12 hours a day, and the bathtub could not be used at all.

After that period, it was decided to hire a company with a microwave generator produced by MARKOM Microwaves. Access to the damp area was difficult. However, a single generator was sufficient to completely dry the wall within four days (about six hours per day), allowing the renovation to be completed. This is an example of the real-life effectiveness of microwave technology.

Additional information can be found on the private and company LinkedIn profiles, as well as on the website MARKOM Microwaves

An article titled "Non-destructive microwave techniques for the quantification and elimination of moisture in cultural heritage monuments" was published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, vol. 67 (2024).

A significant challenge in protecting cultural heritage is the deterioration of materials due to aging, climate change, flooding, heavy rainfall, and air pollution. For open-air wall fragments, traditional methods are ineffective or require mechanical intervention.

Tivoli, Italy, is home to monuments dating back to the 1st century AD, including the Mensa Ponderaria and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana.

Projekt SIMPLE-MOLD, finansowany przez region Lacjum (program APQ6-DTC), miał na celu ocenę skuteczności wykorzystania technologii mikrofalowej do osuszania ścian.

Microwave generators from MARKOM Microwaves (Poland) were chosen to dehumidify the walls of Roman monuments.

Research results and test evaluations confirmed the effectiveness of this method, showing that it can be applied in both historic and residential buildings.

MARKOM is happy to share the full article and provide any information about microwave devices for drying walls and foundations.

A residential complex was completed approximately 18 months before a water-supply failure occurred. In one of the buildings, the main water valve turned out to be leaking, which resulted in the flooding of two basements. Most of the water was absorbed by the basement walls and the foundation wall. The total length of the walls to be dried was 25 m, and moisture levels reached 15–18% up to a height of about 60 cm. The estimated amount of absorbed water was 350–400 litres.

The building manager did not agree to remove the newly applied plaster. The basements were connected to the garage through a shared corridor, making it impossible to isolate the flooded area. In addition, outside air continuously cooled the walls, which ruled out the use of air dryers or infrared heaters.

Microwave generators with a total power of 4.5 kW were used for drying. The work lasted 72 hours, carried out 6 hours per day, in accordance with the manager’s requirements.

After the drying process, 95% of the walls reached a moisture level of 6–7%, and the more humid sections around 9%. A follow-up measurement after seven days showed a moisture level of 5–6% across the entire surface.

The use of microwave technology made it possible to dry all surfaces to the required level without removing the plaster or blocking access routes. Using traditional methods would have taken at least several months.

A beautiful single-family house, a large garden, close to the forest. An ideal environment for raising children.
In the children’s bedroom, exposed wooden structural elements emphasize the connection with the natural surroundings.
Unfortunately, this peace was disturbed by pests, which began making noise in one of the beams, mainly in the evenings and at night.
Using chemical pest control was not possible for three reasons:

1. It was a children’s bedroom, and the parents did not want to use chemicals.
2. The wooden elements were coated with varnish, making it impossible to apply any insecticide.
3. Drilling and injecting chemicals into the holes would have damaged the aesthetics of the element. Additionally, there is no reliable evidence of the effectiveness of such methods.

The client decided to use a microwave-based wood pest removal service. This is a thermal method that does not involve any chemicals.
A microwave generator was used for this purpose.

The beam was coated with varnish, and maintaining its aesthetic appearance was a priority.
Microwaves quickly heat the wood to a high temperature, but the process can be carefully controlled. In this case, the temperature was limited to 80 °C. At this temperature, the varnish does not crack or change color, while the heat is sufficient to ensure that the pests do not survive.

It took only a few hours to remove the pests from the affected beam. As a precaution, two neighboring beams were also treated with microwaves.
That same evening, the children could sleep in their room again. The only side effect of using microwaves was a slight scent of warm wood.