Why Is My Microwave Popping?(Guide)

Why Is My Microwave Popping?

Popping sounds from your microwave might be caused by the food items being cooked in the microwave. Usually, extremely fatty food items,tight membranes like potatoes will pop and sizzle as they cook. This can be reduced by covering the container.

You might also hear noises as you cook foods with tight membranes like potatoes. To address this, all you need to do is pierce the skin of potatoes before cooking.

But these are not the only reasons your microwave might be popping as you cook. Indeed, food spills are far from being exonerated as culprits in this one.

So you will want to clean food spills in the microwave as soon as they occur.

Another reason your microwave will produce a popping sound as you cook is operating the microwave empty. Sadly, this will eventually damage your microwave’s interior.

This means you will need to ensure that you have something in the microwave when in use. Another problem encountered when using a microwave to cook is arcing.

This happens when using metal or metal-trimmed cooking utensils. It would help if you stuck to the Owner’s Manual’s recommendations regarding the correct utensils.

Another precaution you need to take is to ensure the cooking probe has not been left in the microwave.

If you are using the probe, ensure it’s correctly inserted into the food item, as improper insertion can cause arcing and destroy the probe.

How Do I Fix My Microwave From Sparking?

You can quickly fix a microwave from sparking in a very inexpensive way. Before attempting to repair your microwave, it’s highly advisable to unplug it.

When plugged in, you should never work on a microwave, as this might be dangerous. There is a very high voltage inside your microwave.

After unplugging your microwave, you also need to discharge the capacitor before trying to service your microwave. It’s the capacitor that stores all the high voltage.

To discharge a capacitor, place a metallic screwdriver whose handle is insulated between the diode connection of the capacitor and the ground.

Although the capacitor should discharge itself, always discharge it manually.

The magnetron tube plays a significant role in making microwave heat. When a magnetron tube goes bad, it produces sparks inside the microwave oven.

If your microwave’s magnetron is terrible, change it, and this is not a complex procedure.

Before you embark on fixing a microwave spark, it’s also good to determine the cause. This is the surest way to complete the necessary fix.

The best way to fix your microwave will depend on the cause of the problem.

For instance, sparking caused by forgetting a spoon inside your microwave will only require you to remove a spoon or fork from a plate.

And remember, regardless of the size, metal contamination will cause sparking every time!

Is It Safe To Use A Microwave After A Spark?

A sparking microwave should be a cause of concern to any homeowner. This is because, while it might be harmless, sparking can at times be dangerous.

And there is no way of differentiating the two unless you diagnose the cause of the sparking. Once you identify the cause, you will need to fix it.

But I need to mention that generally, the sparking inside the microwave is safe and caused by something simple. However, it’s always a definite sign that you have a problem and it needs attention.

When you see sparks in your microwave, it might be alarming. Fortunately, most causes of microwave sparking are not only safe but also easy to fix yourself.

Depending on the cause of the spark in your microwave, it might be safe or not to use it after sparking. 

For instance, if the sparking was caused by metallic contamination, you will need to remove it before continuing, so it’s not safe.

On the other hand, if a dirty waveguide cover causes sparking, it’s safe to use the microwave, but you still need to clean it. For this task, use a damp paper towel or rag.

If your microwave has a burned diode, as all microwaves contain high-voltage diodes, first buy the replacement diode (they are readily available in many repair shops).

After buying it, disconnect your microwave from the mains and follow the instruction to replace it.

Why Does My Microwave Spark When I Melt Chocolate?

When a microwave melts the chocolate, it needs moisture to absorb the microwaves. As you might be aware, and I have mentioned earlier, it will spark if you run your oven empty.

This happens due to the lack of anything to absorb the microwaves. The chocolate warms and softens very quickly, then there is moisture, and the chocolate will melt quickly.

For microwaves to be absorbed, there needs to be fat and sugar in foods. Sparks and heat are produced when metal is put into the appliance.

There is a build-up of charged particles that produce a concentrated electric field. This happens at the edge of the metal object.

Secondly, sparking is indicative that something conductive is happening. The microwaves are being converted into electrical energy, thus creating the spark.

While chocolate might absorb microwaves, it’s not conducive to carrying electricity. Consequently, it cannot be the source of the sparking.

But because chocolate is often under an aluminum foil wrapping for protection, a small piece of the wrapping foil is probably the culprit causing the sparking.

I need to point out that you can use your microwave after it sparks. This might occur several times, but there should be no problem to worry about as long as the magnetron survives.

Why Is My Microwave Making A High-Pitched Sound?

There are several reasons your microwave can make a high-pitched sound. Like most motors, age will catch up with your turntable motor and cause it to malfunction.

This causes a high-pitched sound, but it’s not hard to repair.

On the other hand, a failing magnetron will cause either a growling or a high-pitched sound from your appliance as it cooks.

The role of the magnetron in your appliance is to create the frequency that cooks your food. This is usually a silent process but can be noisy if the magnetron fails or is faulty.

When your magnetron is burning out, one sure way to know is the presence of high-pitched noise. Replacing this part might need the hand of a professional.

Still, if your stirrer motor is faulty, high-pitched noises might be. As you might expect, the stirrer consists of a metal blade that distributes the microwave’s energy through rotation.

Indeed, the rotation is what is behind your food cooking evenly! A worn-out motor will emit unnerving sounds, and there is no other solution but to replace it.

It’s advisable to troubleshoot your microwave befall you write it off since most of the causes of a high-pitched noise are repairable.

Why Do M&Ms Spark In The Microwave?

Your M&Ms will spark in the microwave due to issues related to water content. Initially, M&Ms didn’t have any problem in the microwave until the manufacturer decided to alter the water content.

Since then, sparking has been like an identification mark for M&Ms!

Naturally, you would not expect the sparking and popping since this would only happen if there were a significant water content.

This kind of behavior means that there is more than 2% of water emulsified with fat, making the conductivity to be reduced substantially.

Due to the high voltages in the microwave, conductivity is forced through the emulsion to cause sparking.

When M&M’s manufacturer changed their peanut butter formulation (using slightly more water), that was the beginning of sparking when M&M’s is put in the microwave.

There are several reasons you might want to put your M&M’s candy in the microwave. We know that it melts in your mouth, but you might want a change to melt it in the microwave!

It’s not too hard if you want to melt your candies in the microwave. And this can be done safely, preserving the candy shell and its form.

Ignore the sparking as you prepare your M&Ms in the microwave. It’s not severe, and there is no way to address it.

Is Aluminum Foil Toxic When Heated In The Microwave?

No. Food wrapped in aluminum foil is safe to eat. But this is one of the things you don’t want to put in your microwave.

You may be smiling when putting food wrapped in aluminum foil in the microwave. But you won’t smile for long. Aluminum foil has never been welcome in microwaves.

Apart from being toxic, aluminum foil can explode in your microwave oven as you cook your food. Where there are explosions, you know there are fires.

Although microwave ovens are incredible, the technology behind them is fairly simple. Indeed, microwave ovens use microwaves to heat food.

As you know, microwaves are radio waves. Microwave ovens use a radio wave frequency of around 2,500 megahertz (2.5 gigahertz).

There is an exciting property in microwaves in this frequency: Water, sugars, and sugars absorb them. As soon as they are absorbed, that is heat.

Additionally, microwaves in this frequency range have another property: Most plastics, ceramics, or glass don’t absorb them.

If you are lucky enough to heat food in aluminum foil in your microwave oven, there is no reason to fear it being toxic.

It’s only that you don’t have many chances for the food to make through the process and your microwave to be damaged. The stakes are so high for your microwave oven to survive the ordeal.

Do Microwaves Get Weaker With Age?

No. Microwave ovens can best be seen as light bulbs. They will be fine until they are not! A microwave oven can last many years.

Fortunately, their performance never marks the liven years or years of service. I had one that I used for over five years after getting it from my parents, who had used it for 20 plus years.

Although it was fine, I changed it because it took 5 minutes to heat food, and it has been that way since it was bought.

But with my tight schedule, 5 minutes is a lot of time to heat food, so I went for a whirlpool that heats my food in under 2 minutes. 

Since no mechanical parts move in the microwave, it’s not likely to slow down inefficiency as it ages.

Indeed, manufacturers have resorted to ensuring that the new ones have built-in obsolescence to keep selling more of them and remain in business.

If not for this, they would not sustain their lawns!

Why Did My Brownie Explode In The Microwave?

Your brownie or any other type of food will explode in a microwave oven because the water in the food gets heated up rapidly, producing steam. This will cause a mess in your microwave.

As long as the steam lacks a way to vent, it will lead to an explosion. However, not all foods will explode in your microwave oven. Some foods are more susceptible to explosion than others.

Generally, foods with skin or membrane will quickly explode in the microwave oven.

A few examples of such foods include hot dogs, eggs, and potatoes, among other common examples.

But does this mean that you can never cook these foods in your microwave oven? Far from the truth! You can still cook these foods in your microwave oven safely.

To cook this type of food in your microwave oven, all you need is to give the steam a place to escape. You can do this by using a fork to pierce the food several times.

This is the method most people use unknowingly before heating those frozen dinners.

Why Does Ice Not Melt In The Microwave?

The frequency at which microwave ovens emit microwaves is around 2.45 GHz. This is perfect for heating water since water’s absorption peak is around the same frequency.

However, it’s a bit different for ice. Ideally, ice will not absorb this frequency well. Ice’s absorption peak is about six orders of magnitude lower.

This means that ice is not as ‘excited’ by the microwaves and therefore doesn’t heat up as much.

But as soon as ice gets even a tiny bit of liquid, the liquid becomes efficient at absorbing energy, making the process snowball very quickly.

If you touch the ice, your fingers’ heat will melt the outer layer of the ice, the thin layer of water-absorbing the microwaves and melting faster.

Getting a small pocket of water in the ice would make the ice boil and explode.

Water molecules in ice are held together very firmly that they can’t wiggle around. This wiggling is the one that generates the heat in liquid water.

In essence, if you want to melt ice in your microwave, you will need to have some water (liquid water) so that the microwave heats the water, and then the water melts the ice.

You won’t get water from your ice without doing this since the microwave oven will not make the molecules rotate.

Can You Fix A Microwave That Sparks?

Yes, It’s possible to fix a sparking microwave. Do not throw it away if your microwave oven sparks, as it can be salvaged.

Microwave ovens are susceptible to sparking as they use a high level of electricity. Sparking microwaves are the result of some metal fragments in your microwave.

It can also be a problem with the waveguide cover. Fortunately, these two problems can be fixed easily. Still, a faulty diode might cause sparking in your microwave.

But I need to mention that there are scores of other causes of microwave sparking, and you need to identify each and resolve each independently.

Although you can fix these problems, engaging a trained microwave technician to repair your microwave is recommended.

Since a microwave is a high-current, high-voltage device, you need to practice extreme caution when repairing or fixing it.  

As you embark on repairing your microwave, one thing you don’t want to forget is that the microwave’s capacitor stores a lethal amount of electricity.

This remains in the capacitor after the microwave has been disconnected. And it can take several months before discharging!

So you need to ensure that you manually discharge the capacitor, as I mentioned earlier.

Why Is My Microwave Sparking With No Metal?

When a microwave produces a sparking noise, it can be pretty irritating. What is even more frustrating is when it seems hard to identify the sparking cause.

There are tons of problems that will make your microwave start sparking. And it doesn’t need to be metal inside.

Microwave ovens do not work through convection like traditional ovens. Indeed, microwave ovens use electromagnetic waves to heat food.

These are safe until they are not! Some situations may make these waves dangerous, even lethal, and one situation is sparking.

One reason you will see sparks in a microwave oven is the presence of metal in there. So you don’t want to put metallic utensils in there.

You can’t even leave a spoon there as it might cause sparking, endangering your life.

But even when there is no metal inside, a microwave might spark due to a broken waveguide. Once the waveguide cover gets broken, you have a problem with your hands.

The role of the waveguide cover is to protect the electronics in the microwave oven.

When your microwave waveguide cover is broken, steam and even food particles will build up in the electronics.

So, if there is sparking from a panel in your microwave, you might be staring at a broken waveguide cover.

I have mentioned before that a faulty diode will cause sparking in your microwave oven, even when there are no metals in the oven. Indeed, faulty diodes are at the forefront of microwave sparking.

Conclusion

Your microwave will pop due to, among other reasons, food items being cooked.