Microwave Leaking Safe???

[mavvee]

Hi everyone, I have a Panasonic Microwave in my home that knocks out my wifi network everytime its turned on. When I put my CRT monitor within 15 feet of this microwave it jitters when the microwave is on. Is this safe? Should I be concerned?

[silva95teg]

That doesnt sound very safe .... :|

[jayisthebest88]

Hmmm, shouldn't all microwaves do that?

Just put the microwave in a different room.....

[IronMac]

Switch channels on your WiFi router. As for your CRT, are you sure that it's not because they are on the same electrical circuit? ie., the microwave is sucking up too much electricity?

[Aske001]

Microwave ovens churn out a ton of 2.4 GHz EMI, as anyone who has ever had a 2.4 GHz analog cordless phone can tell you. It doesn't necessarily indicate any unusual leakage. Unfortunatey 2.4 GHz happens to be their frequency band due to the accidental coincidence that it's the absorption frequency of water molecules. Most digital devices which can hop between bands in the 2.4 GHz range can minimize the interference sufficiently, but there will be some effect if the microwave oven is nearby. Changing bands on the router may help.

[Kwirky]

Microwave ovens churn out a ton of 2.4 GHz EMI, as anyone who has ever had a 2.4 GHz analog cordless phone can tell you. It doesn't necessarily indicate any unusual leakage. Unfortunatey 2.4 GHz happens to be their frequency band due to the accidental coincidence that it's the absorption frequency of water molecules. Most digital devices which can hop between bands in the 2.4 GHz range can minimize the interference sufficiently, but there will be some effect if the microwave oven is nearby. Changing bands on the router may help.

Best answer here by far. Probably worth mentioning though, that if you have a crack or warp (or any other damage) in the door that leaves a gap larger than the holes in the grille on the door, it could indeed be leaking.

[HowEver]

The microwave is likely not leaking, see the posts above and change the "channel" of the wireless router.

If you want to check on the microwave, next time you heat something up, leave a mug of water next to the microwave, on the outside. If the water gets hot in the slightest (and not from the fans dissipating air to cool the microwave, which are mostly in the back anyways) then you have a leaky microwave. Which is not impossible, just unlikely.

[woof]

Considering how many people have microwave ovens, wireless networks and other electronic equipment, the fact that you seem to be the only one complaining about interference would lead me to conclude that your oven is giving off excess radiation, perhaps far above the norm. I would not consider this to be a safe situation.

There is a standard for leakage and there used to be simple devices you could buy to test for this but I haven't seen them in a long time since there have been no issues with microwaves for such a long time. In recent years however manufacture of these has almost completely moved to China and considering their record on toothpaste and children's toys you really have to wonder about the appliances like this that you are buying.

[craftsman]

As for the CRT, the jittering you are seeing is probably a combination of power issues and the magnetic field generated by the microwave. You have to remember that the CRT is based on using electromagnets to deflect an electron beam... Anything that will interfere with the beam will cause issues with the image on the screen.

[Kasakato]

The microwave is likely not leaking, see the posts above and change the "channel" of the wireless router.

If you want to check on the microwave, next time you heat something up, leave a mug of water next to the microwave, on the outside. If the water gets hot in the slightest (and not from the fans dissipating air to cool the microwave, which are mostly in the back anyways) then you have a leaky microwave. Which is not impossible, just unlikely.

For that to happen the microwave would have to be leaking massive amounts of radiation.

If the unit is more than 10 years old, replace it. If its not I would bring it into another area of the house and see if it still causes interference. Possibly bring a cellphone or portable device into the room and see if the WiFi drops while its running in the isolated environment.

[ppl4golf]

Considering how many people have microwave ovens, wireless networks and other electronic equipment, the fact that you seem to be the only one complaining about interference would lead me to conclude that your oven is giving off excess radiation, perhaps far above the norm. I would not consider this to be a safe situation.

There is a standard for leakage and there used to be simple devices you could buy to test for this but I haven't seen them in a long time since there have been no issues with microwaves for such a long time. In recent years however manufacture of these has almost completely moved to China and considering their record on toothpaste and children's toys you really have to wonder about the appliances like this that you are buying.

I take you don't have a PC in the kitchen...my wireless connection also get killed when the microwave is nuking...microwave is made in korea...

You have to be quite observant to really notice it...I stream video to the computers...and it stutters immediately when the microwave is on.

[AudiDude]

Leave food right beside the microwave when it is operating, if the food begins to warm up or cook in the least, severely panic and seek medical help.

[woof]

I take you don't have a PC in the kitchen...my wireless connection also get killed when the microwave is nuking...microwave is made in korea...

A small amount of leakage interfering with sensitive wireless devices like wifi and cordless phones would not be unexpected. However interference with a CRT monitor is extraordinary when you consider that such monitors radiate a lot by themselves and as such tend to be heavily shielded to prevent radiating out. That a signal from a microwave oven is strong enough to cross 15 feet of space and get through the shielding to cause interference with it is .... well...extraordinary I would think.

[gman]

A small amount of leakage interfering with sensitive wireless devices like wifi and cordless phones would not be unexpected. However interference with a CRT monitor is extraordinary when you consider that such monitors radiate a lot by themselves and as such tend to be heavily shielded to prevent radiating out. That a signal from a microwave oven is strong enough to cross 15 feet of space and get through the shielding to cause interference with it is .... well...extraordinary I would think.

It is not unusual that CRT get interference. If I put my cell phone close to my CRT in the office, the CRT "knows" I have a phone call before my cell rings.

However, I agree with you that, if it affects a CRT 15 feet away, something does not sound right.

[cwb27]

Back in the day (11 years ago now) there was a wall between my microwave and CRT monitor (different rooms) when the microwave was on there CRT would be distorted. Weird, Yes. Bad? No, quite common.

15 feet doesn't sound right, are you sure you're not embellishing a little?

And yeah, change the channel your wireless network is operating on. Personally I'm a huge fan of channel 11, any setup I do for anyone manually set it to 11.

[l69norm]

You can buy these microwave test kits at various hardware stores for about $15
http://www.prolabinc.com/microwave_leak_detector.asp