📖 Glossary, Concept
What is an arcing?
Visible sparking inside a microwave cavity, usually a charred waveguide cover, metal, or baked on residue.
Arcing is an electrical discharge across the cavity, and it should stop a microwave being used until the cause is found. The usual culprits are a charred waveguide cover, metal in the cavity (foil, a twist tie, a metal trimmed dish), or carbonised food residue that conducts. All are cheap or free to fix. What makes arcing expensive is ignoring it. Sustained arcing damages the magnetron and can start a fire.
Where you’ll meet it
Repairs that involve arcing
Related terms
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