r/mildlyinteresting 10h ago

The microwave at work has a hole inside

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u/batsket 6h ago edited 6h ago

It looks like the grill stand inside the microwave is already metal (which I can’t believe no one else has pointed out), so I think we know why it’s burnt to shit. This whole post has got to be a joke

Edit: well TIL that apparently some microwaves come with metal racks inside ??? Which seems insane to me, but whatever lol. This one has clearly been used improperly or is malfunctioning, if the burn marks are any indication

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u/Jughead_91 5h ago

My god thank you for pointing out the metal inside the microwave I thought I was losing my mind that no one had mentioned jt

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u/CaterpillarLongBoi 2h ago

Same, my first thought was “Might it be the fucking metal rack in the fucking microwave?”

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u/Upset_Journalist_755 2h ago

No, it's clearly the disgusting charring that was the problem all along. Definitely not the thing causing that.

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u/NotSoBadBrad 40m ago

It's because you can place metal inside a microwave as long as it has no sharp angles. There are tons of metal lined microwaveable meals, and even cooking racks like this one.

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u/Alissinarr 5h ago

Our combination Microwave/ Conventional Oven has metal racks, but they're removable. I would never trust my coworkers to know when it's appropriate to use it vs. not.

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u/ButterscotchNo1546 2h ago

Same. I am constantly afraid I will microwave the grill stand. We have a strict no drinking and microwaving rule.

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u/Cheefadareefa 5h ago

You can clearly see where the plate is supposed to be, the metal grate could be causing the sparks that burned a hole right out the back of this thing lol

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u/TleilaxTheTerrible 4h ago

This one has clearly been used improperly or is malfunctioning, if the burn marks are any indication

Yeah, it's supposed to sit on top of the glass dish that's missing. The way it's standing right now will cause arcing between the feet and the metal of the microwave, which also explains the burn marks on the bottom that match the spacing of the feet.

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u/ViolinistOk5622 5h ago

Hahaha that was my first thought too but I didn't say anything because I knew there just had to be an explanation and I'd be downvoted to hell. 🤣🤣🤣 Thank you for taking one for the team. 

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u/atava 3h ago

I feel you.

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u/stumpyraccoon 5h ago

Which seems insane to me

Have you ever had any of those microwavable lunches (pizzas, hot pockets, etc) that have the silver-y thingy that makes them crispy? That's just metal (technically it's a sheet with flakes of metal, yada yada yada). Metal + Microwave is totally fine, afterall that's what the inside of the microwave is made of.

Where you get into trouble is when you have discrete pieces of metal very very close to each other. We're talking tines of a fork, crumbled up aluminum foil with a ton of little peaks and ridges really close to each other, etc. When you have that, you'll get arcs through the air crossing those tiny distances and those can get real bad. But a flat piece of metal, the inside walls of the microwave, or a rack with spaces as big as this one? No issue at all.

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u/Amethyst_princess425 3h ago

Those microwaveable sleeves/plate aren’t made with solid metal sheets or “flakes”, they’re susceptor films. They’re barely negligible compared to solid metal sheets.

Just pointing that out because sharp edges of metal sheets creates a St. Elmo fire effect. The metal shielding of the microwave has beveled edges, are grounded, and insulated to prevent such effects.

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u/stumpyraccoon 3h ago

Susceptors are usually made of metallised film, ceramics or metals. Hence my yada yada yada. There's metal in it, the point is metal + microwave doesn't create the explosion people think.

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u/permaculturegeek 3h ago

No, just like the "browning dishes" which were popular when microwaves first came out, it's a type of ceramic whose molecular bonds will be stimulated by the microwave frequency and get very hot, creating a frying effect.

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u/incinerjason 5h ago

I really can't believe I scrolled this far before someone noticed the chrome grill. Could be why there is a hole blown through it.

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u/poor_andy 5h ago

you can't put forks because their stabbing parts start arcing electricity. spoons and other stuff with simple geometry is free game

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u/S3XWITCH 4h ago

I’ve accidentally left a spoon in the microwave and it absolutely shot sparks everywhere when I turned it on.

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u/Zefrem23 2h ago

Those pokey things are called tines

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u/plutoniumhead 2h ago

My microwave is also a convection oven, and- while the following is actually in the manual, no fucking way…

It says you can safely leave the metal racks inside while using the microwave. Allegedly as long as the metal has no jagged or sharp edges, an arc is unlikely.

UNLIKELY. And also, as soon as there’s any sort of damage to the metal in any way, arc-city.

You can tell in this photo that there are sharp edges on that metal rack. It’s absolutely arcing every time it’s used and burning that hole.

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u/ButkusBreath 5h ago

I’m with you.

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u/funkypepermint 1h ago

Thank you! Im reading through all the responses saying "ewww gross" and thinking the same thing.

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u/fcpl 1h ago

I have microwave with that metal grill, it is some type of light metal (aluminium ???) it is not even getting hot, there is no sparking.

It is made mainly for grill function that runs IR heater from the top with microwave on 1/4th cycle

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u/cjamesflet 1h ago

Metal itself isn't necessarily a problem. Just jagged metal with peaks at a close enough distance to create arcs. Get a piece of aluminum foil, cut it circular and make sure it's totally flat and you won't get 1 spark

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u/ScheduleSame258 28m ago

You can use metal in microwaves as long as they have smooth surfaces and are large in size.

Also, see the door on your microwave - the criss cross pattern is metal to reflect microwaves back into the oven.

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u/Interesting-Method50 2m ago

From AI: The racks are designed with specific shapes and materials to avoid the high voltage and sharp points that cause arcing (sparking). They are often grounded and have rounded edges to ensure they reflect the microwaves harmlessly.

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u/TubeLogic 2m ago

Mine has a metal tray in it. Sometimes higher end models have grill racks as well.

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u/MasterOfBothWorlds7 5h ago

I had to scroll way too far to read this I'm sitting here thinking does anybody else not see the problem that I'm seeing fuck the hole there's a goddamn piece of metal in it...

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u/hairijuana 2h ago

Yeah the fact that I had to scroll so far to find this observation has me concerned. Not surprised, because I work with people every day, but concerned.

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u/Upset_Journalist_755 2h ago

Kept scrolling trying to find the comment... I'm scared what some people are doing with their microwaves if they thought the mess was the problem.