How to Test Your Microwave Oven
Feb 6, 2008
Technology
Are you concerned if your microwave oven may be leaking? Here’s a simple test to check if the microwave oven has a leak using a readily available device.
Using your ordinary mobile phone, you can actually test your microwave oven for leakages. Here are some simple steps on how to do it.
- UNPLUG your microwave oven from the mains socket for safety. Let me repeat this to be clear — You have to UNPLUG your microwave oven.
- Put your cell phone inside the microwave oven and close the microwave door. Make sure that your mobile phone is turned on and is able to accept calls before putting it inside the microwave oven.
- Using another phone (it can be another mobile phone or a land line that can make a call to the mobile phone inside the microwave oven), make a call to the mobile phone inside the microwave oven.
SAFE MICROWAVE OVEN: If your microwave oven is SAFE and not leaking, the mobile phone inside it SHOULD NOT RING.
MICROWAVE OVEN NEEDS TO BE CHECKED: If the mobile phone rang when you made the call, you will have to bring the microwave oven to a repair center for check-up, repair or replacement.
HOW IT WORKS
The mobile phone and microwave oven both uses microwave signals albeit in different ways.
The mobile phone uses the microwave frequency (850Mhz, 900Mhz and 1800Mhz for GSM cell phones) for comunication. It relies on the free movement of the microwave frequency / signals (reception and transmission) over the air to be able to connect to a mobile phone company’s cell site.
While the microwave oven also uses microwave signals it uses it in a different manner. The frequency (about 2500Mhz) used in microwave ovens have a useful property. It is readily absorbed by sugar, water and fats. The result of the absorption is a high amount of heat. Since these waves are harmful (for instance our body comprises of more than 50% water), the container should be sealed to protect us from the wave.
Since a perfectly sealed microwave oven WON’T allow microwave signals to travel out of the container, putting a mobile phone inside will restrict it from sending/receiving signals to the cell site. Therefore, when you try to call the mobile phone inside the microwave oven, you will receive a message that it is either turned off or out of reach.
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emeren nora
this info on testing the microwave oven is very helpful. thank you for posting it here. more power to your website!
Susan Laskay
** EXCEPT ** If you are already in a weak cellular phone (mobile) signal area, putting your phone BESIDE your microwave, or just bringing it into the house, may cause it to lose signal. So don’t rely on this test if your mobile has a lousy connection to the cellular service.
TZOURMANAS.N
FROM PHYSICS FORUM:
“Cellphone frequencies are much lower than microwave frequencies, hence they penetrate through the faraday cage in the microwave.
The reason your phone rings is that it is very good at picking up extremely weak signals, at least to be able to detect a call”.
Joe
The microwaves are large and can’t escape. The Cell phone waves are small and fit thru the holes in the microwave door screens.
If you open a door and look inside a microwave you will see several small vent holes in the inner cabinet. The microwaves also do not escape thru these holes. It’s magic. If you ever take the case off a microwave and run it you will see that there are several holes in a microwave cabinet, yet the microwaves can’t escape, but yes the smaller cell phone waves can get in. Is a microwave run 3 minutes a day dangerous no. Is a cell phone held to your head run 24/7 dangerous ???????