Some of the troubles you encounter with microwaves are going to be immediately obvious. For example, if it's sparking, emitting smoke; if there's a burning smell, especially if the food does not seem to be burning; or if the microwave is working while the door is still open. All of these are safety hazards. Stop using your microwave, unplug it, and call your local repair shop. There's one trouble that can sneak up on you, though. 

How Do Microwaves Work?

Before talking about the sneaky flaw lurking in your microwave, it's important to learn a little bit about how microwaves work. 

Inside every microwave oven is a piece of equipment called a magnetron. The magnetron produces microwaves, and what it does in a microwave oven is induce the molecules in the food to move rapidly. This molecular friction heats up your food. It's like the trick of starting a fire with two sticks, except on a microscopic scale. This energy primarily affects water, fats, and sugar. It's also important to note that microwaves take time to penetrate thicker objects.

The latter two facts are the most important takeaways. Microwaves tend to favor certain types of molecules in food, and they do not penetrate denser or larger objects well, which means that microwave oven use can leave you with unevenly cooked food.

How Can a Microwave Fail?

This leads to why microwaves can fail you without you noticing. Uneven heating is part of how microwaves work. It's pretty normal to have to stir food up and put it back in for another 30 seconds. So if the microwave starts to lose power, you may just think you're putting in food that's too cold, you've misjudged the timing, or, perhaps, that the instructions are intended for a different type of microwave than yours. You might not think it's a big deal, but without addressing that issue, the cook times are only going to get longer. 

This failure lines up with the quirks of how microwaves work in the first place, so it's natural to not notice it at first. Now that you've noticed it, though, what next? 

Check your owner's manual for the microwave. You never know, it might still be covered in the warranty. If it is, you can go to the manufacturer to get your microwave replaced or repaired. If it's not covered, call your local appliance repair place — make sure to find one that handles microwave repair — and ask about having your machine looked at. 

For more information, reach out to a microwave repair professional near you. 

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