Any Microwave Nerds?

[Yorick]

Mrs Y just bought a new microwave and it has this crappy metal plate inside. It's loose and a bit iffy.
The microwave upstairs also has a metal plate, but it looks like it was designed that way.

This new one looks like they found an old bit on the floor and just bunged it in.

Is it safe ?

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[MrLongbeard]

It's a mica covered piece of card, meant to be there and perfectly safe, it's to stop moisture and food crap entering the magnetron wave guide.

Edit, it does look cheap n nasty, and maybe has slipped down a bit

[cheb]

There's a screw hole top right of the shield and a screw hole in the casing a bit further up. There's also what looks like a positioning lug too.

I'd say it should be slightly higher up and screwed in.

[Yorick]

Thanks.

[Noggin]

I'd say it should be slightly higher up and screwed in.

Maybe not a metal screw tho??!!!

[Mussels]

I'd say it should be slightly higher up and screwed in.

Maybe not a metal screw tho??!!!

That won't matter, the whole thing about no metal in microwaves is blown out of proportion and if the sides weren't metal they would be a lot more dangerous.

[KungFooBob]

You need to get up to speed on Google lens. It told me what is was in seconds.

[Yambo]

I've got a spare wave guide cover in one of my kitchen drawers.

[wull]

You can clearly see that it’s dropped from where it should be, and where the hole is for lining up for a screw plus locating tabs.

[Yorick]

Had to nip into town so popped into the shop.
Seems it hasn't just slipped. It was fitted wrongly. Surely they must fit hundreds per day so know when it's wrong. Certainly looks wrong

Thanks for the input

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[MrLongbeard]

Surely they must fit hundreds per day so know when it's wrong

You try sitting on a production line 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
1, 2, miss a few 99, 100, lunch time

[Noggin]

I'd say it should be slightly higher up and screwed in.

Maybe not a metal screw tho??!!!

That won't matter, the whole thing about no metal in microwaves is blown out of proportion and if the sides weren't metal they would be a lot more dangerous.

Maybe it's different if it's part of the machine, but I've seen the result of using a dish with a metal line around it

[Mr. Dazzle]

In a nutshell, metal in a microwave is possibly bad but it's actually quite tricky to create a problem.

[Noggin]

It makes some pretty decent sparks tho (and May have blown the fuse in one house I was in when I didn’t realise that a dish had metal in it )

[Yambo]

My microwave, like most others I guess has metal racks of different heights sitting on the turntable.

Explain that then.

[Count Steer]

Apparently microwaves bounce off rounded metal surfaces. So 'they' say you can put a spoon in but not a fork because the tines are too pointy. Similarly a metal cup should be OK. The walls are metal and the mesh in the glass door is metal to bounce the waves back and stop them microwaving the user.

Have never knowingly microwaved anything metal myself so dunno if you can (or why you would) microwave a spoon.

Oh...and you shouldn't microwave breast milk.

[Felix]

Oh...and you shouldn't microwave breast milk.

More so if it is still in the container


When i worked in hotels the plates with the gold rings round the edges looked rather pretty sparkling away when put in the microwave. Plate soon looked like shit but it seemed to fascinate the waitresses.

[Noggin]

Oh...and you shouldn't microwave breast milk.

More so if it is still in the container


When i worked in hotels the plates with the gold rings round the edges looked rather pretty sparkling away when put in the microwave. Plate soon looked like shit but it seemed to fascinate the waitresses.

This is my experience! Not for fun, but it's similarly sparkly even when accidental!!

I am aware that micros are made of metal and have some metal inside - the only ones I have seen with metal racks are combi version, so I always figured the racks were designed to manage the micro side as well as the oven side.

But I'm no tech!!

The non metal screw comment was more a tongue in cheek comment cos the inside is obviously metal.

But never mind

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'd guess that the gold plate thing is strongly influenced by the fact it's a continuous loop and the fact it's a thin layer of metal.

The shape of the metal and the frequency of the EM waves are both incredibly important here, I'm sure if you tried you could design a thing which is really really good at getting heated by a domestic microwave. Or a thing which sparks like crazy. Or a thing which is completely immune.

In fact I'm more than sure, 'cause I work with a bunch of people who do exactly this kind of thinking (in the context of electric motor/controller design) every day.

It's way easier to just say "don't put metal in the microwave" though right?

[Bowman]

I have a vague recollection of putting a cd in the microwave. If I remember correctly it was pretty impressive.