I think I just broke my house.

[ShamelessMcBundy]

All I wanted to do was heat up some soup in the microwave.

I put the soup in, enter the time I want to cook it for, and pressed start...

*click*

The microwave goes dead. And so does the coffee maker. And the under-counter radio. All of the lights, however, still work. The dishwasher, the stove, the refrigerator. Everything but the outlets in this one corner of the house is working. I checked the breakers, none were flipped off, I even turned them *all* off and turned them *all* back on. No dice. What the hell did I do?

You can stay at my house.

 

[Australis]

It's a trap!

 

[Hermiod]

Go put a spoon in the microwave so you can be proven wrong.

You're both right, actually. They did this one on Mythbusters.

Metal utensils will not normally have any effect. Foil scrunched in to balls, however, can create small areas across which electricity can arc. This caused a little light show but not much else.

However, this arcing could, in theory, cause electricity to be forced back in to the magnetron which will destroy it or at least shorten its life.

 

[Jadzia]

What if it was a large metal ring, but otherwise smooth with no sharp edges? Would the microwaves induce a current flow around the ring and heat it?

 

[Hermiod]

What if it was a large metal ring, but otherwise smooth with no sharp edges? Would the microwaves induce a current flow around the ring and heat it?

Do I look like Jamie Hyneman ?

They didn't test that on the show at least. They only tested specific claims about Microwaves. I have no idea what would happen.

 

[Jadzia]

Do I look like Jamie Hyneman ?

Hmm. Don a Beret and stick a tribble on your chin... We wouldn't know the difference.

 

[Hermiod]

Do I look like Jamie Hyneman ?

Hmm. Don a Beret and stick a tribble on your chin... We wouldn't know the difference.

Perhaps that would help with my evil plan to seduce Kari Byron.

 

[Trekker4747]

Do I look like Jamie Hyneman ?

Hmm. Don a Beret and stick a tribble on your chin... We wouldn't know the difference.

Perhaps that would help with my evil plan to seduce Kari Byron.

Walrus rides!

 

[Rÿcher]

eeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

 

[John Picard]

weird how the inside of the microwave housing is made of metal without arcing back and frying the magnatron, huh?

And the faraday cage inside the door, too.

You only get "sparks" when there's something for the microwaves to arc off of, like the points of a fork or a crumpled up piece of foil. Smooth surfaces do not cause arcing.

My 1,000 Watt microwave has 2 cubic feet of interior space and came with a METAL rack for bi-level cooking.

 

[Hermiod]

^Are you sure it's not a combination oven as well ? My microwave came with one of those too.

 

[Jadzia]

^Are you sure it's not a combination oven as well ? My microwave came with one of those too.

Mine too come to think of it: A little round one with three legs. It is a combination oven, but I've never used the rack in the oven.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Try reversing the polarity.

No, cross the streams.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Try reversing the polarity.

No, cross the streams.

You're both wrong. He obviously has a virus in the biomimetic gel packs.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Try reversing the polarity.

No, cross the streams.

You're both wrong. He obviously has a virus in the biomimetic gel packs.

The first person to say anything about getting any sort of cheese to sickbay gets nuked from orbit.

 

[Jadzia]

Or the complex wiring in his kitchen is actually Skynet.

"On 18th Dec 2008 at 11:13 PM GMT, Skynet became self aware, and prevented all technology within its grasp from producing hot food or drink."

"But why?"

"Because Skynet knows that the user will not be able to resist his cravings, and connect the microwave to another outlet. This will allow Skynet to extend its control to another ring main; and one step closer to going global."

"And I suppose that makes it a better monopolizer of the ready-meals industry?"

"Correct. Basic human psychology."

 

[Trekker4747]

Ok, here's what he needs to do.

He needs to reverse the polarity on the secondary power coupling. To do this he needs to reroute power from the primary field conducers to the main deflector dish by injecting borg nanoprobes into the tertiary plasma coil.

If that doesn't work, I dunno, try jiggling the handle.

 

[Hermiod]

Should we really be suggesting that Flux copy the wiring on a ship with consoles that regularly explode in their user's faces ?

 

[Ward Fowler]

Ok, here's what he needs to do.

He needs to reverse the polarity on the secondary power coupling. To do this he needs to reroute power from the primary field conducers to the main deflector dish by injecting borg nanoprobes into the tertiary plasma coil.

If that doesn't work, I dunno, try jiggling the handle.

ARE YOU MAD????? If you do that you'll blow out the primary deuterium tank and possibly the lateral sensor array!!!!

 

[Lindley]

That's why you use the secondary bypass.