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Can the microwave affect the fridge?

W

who?

Platinum Member
My mother says that when the door of her microwave is facing the side of her refrigerator the refrigerator won't maintain the proper temperature but when the nuke box is rotated ninety degrees the effect goes away. Does this sound plausible to you?
 
No, That is not plausible. The Microwave is inside a shielded container and cannot effect the fridge. Your mom is pulling your leg, or is just imagining the effects.
 
Very unlikely, but still possible.

A microwave oven should NOT emit any microwaves into the room. But sometimes it does if the unit has been damaged so that a seal - usually around the door - has been misaligned. Now, IF that has happened and IF the leaking waves reach any electronic control circuit boards inside the fridge, MAYBE that could affect their operation. One could think of many ways to investigate the operation of the fridge.

However, the real concern IF there is any is the possibility that the oven is leaking microwaves into the room. This is a health issue for people. Consider having a microwave service shop come over with a microwave oven leak detector and test for leakage. Be aware, however, that this may alarm your mother, and that such a service (not likely free) may yield a diagnosis that the oven is defective and should be taken to the shop for servicing (at a cost, of course).
 
Paperdoc said:
This is a health issue for people.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Aside from generating heat, microwaves aren't terribly dangerous. You are bathed in them constantly (cellphones, wifi, radio, broadcast TV, deep space!). Don't go freaking out Mom just yet. A simple experiment: put your hand/face between you, the offending gadget, and the fridge. Is it warmer than somewhere else? Mom's theory could be true. If not, there's probably some other cause.
 
That's interesting, but doesn't microwaves disperse RF signals? Maybe you could get an RF meter and measure any RF leakage while the microwave is operational possibly?
 
who? said:
My mother says that when the door of her microwave is facing the side of her refrigerator the refrigerator won't maintain the proper temperature but when the nuke box is rotated ninety degrees the effect goes away. Does this sound plausible to you?
Click to expand...

No I keep the microwave right next to the fridge and nothing happens, instead the fridge should work faster, since the microwave would warm the air outside, and the warmer the air outside the fridge the colder inside the fridge. When I go on a trip to india the fridge there have no separation from freezer or fridge, since the fridge is so cold from the hot air outside, the fridge turns to a freezer. Fridges run the same way air conditioners run, hot air goes out, cold air in. Hotter the air out side, the hotter the hot loop is, the colder the cold loop is.
 
Amol S. said:
No I keep the microwave right next to the fridge and nothing happens, instead the fridge should work faster, since the microwave would warm the air outside, and the warmer the air outside the fridge the colder inside the fridge. When I go on a trip to india the fridge there have no separation from freezer or fridge, since the fridge is so cold from the hot air outside, the fridge turns to a freezer. Fridges run the same way air conditioners run, hot air goes out, cold air in. Hotter the air out side, the hotter the hot loop is, the colder the cold loop is.
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So many things wrong with this...
 
Amol S. said:
No I keep the microwave right next to the fridge and nothing happens, instead the fridge should work faster, since the microwave would warm the air outside, and the warmer the air outside the fridge the colder inside the fridge. When I go on a trip to india the fridge there have no separation from freezer or fridge, since the fridge is so cold from the hot air outside, the fridge turns to a freezer. Fridges run the same way air conditioners run, hot air goes out, cold air in. Hotter the air out side, the hotter the hot loop is, the colder the cold loop is.
Click to expand...

I think this isn't how it works.
 
My friend did an experiment with a Microwave Ovens in College, found all of them to leak somewhat.

But, bothering a fridge? lol.....
 
Maybe it's an Internet-enabled fridge and the nuker is inadvertently commanding it to turn up the thermostat.

Just kidding.
 
Even if it did, microwaves don't operate for long enough of a time to cause interfeerence for a long enough time to affect the fridge.

For example let's say it's wrecking havoc with the circuitry and it's causing it to shut the compressor relay off, it's only going to do it for a few minutes or however long it takes to cook the food in the microwave. when the microwave is sitting there idle, it's not actually doing anything other than running the micro controller for the clock and other electronics. The actual magnetron is not on.

But it's very well shielded so it's very unlikely enough microwaves are escaping but I suppose it's possible the faraday shield and the way the door seals is damaged. There are probably ways to test this if you google.
 
I think even in the worst case scenario with the magnetron sitting naked on the counter next to the fridge, you would have a tough time affecting anything in the fridge, including the electronics.

I mean, a fridge is a pretty good faraday cage itself with it being encased in sheet metal and all.

This is also super easy to test, put your cell in the fridge and try to call it. If it rings, then the waves *could* get in.

You could also test the microwave affecting the fridge scenario pretty easily by keeping track to the fridge temperature with and without the microwave on. Make sure you do many tests over a long duration to get semi-reasonable statistics.
 
The wire screen on the door/window of the microwave stops almost all radiation from leaking even though it has holes/openings because the wavelength is much longer than the holes. Virtually all microwave ovens will leak some radiation but you're probably talking less than a few mW so even if all that escaped energy somehow made it into the fridge the effect would be un-measurable. Finally, the fridge has a steel door that should stop virtually 100% of whatever radiation does escape the microwave.

So, I think it hard to imagine more than a uW getting into the fridge -- not going to do squat!


Brian
 
I would think the simple fact that the microwave is only operating for a fraction of the day would make this impossible. Even it were bombarding the fridge with microwaves, and even if those waves did affect the electronics, it would be for only the few minutes per day that the microwave was operating.

And if the microwave is malfunctioning to that extreme degree, she has bigger worries than her refrigerator temperatures.
 
Microwaves (referring to the EM waves) associated with Microwaves (in this case, the appliance) only generate heat. They don't generate "charge" or energy, except as heat.
 
who? said:
My mother says that when the door of her microwave is facing the side of her refrigerator the refrigerator won't maintain the proper temperature but when the nuke box is rotated ninety degrees the effect goes away. Does this sound plausible to you?
Click to expand...

Yes. Fridge Microcontroller board potentially interfered with. E.g. It is crashing or incorrectly thinks there is a fault. Due to interference from the Microwave, which also might be too leaky (potentially dangerous).

Dangers of leaky Microwaves

The microwave radiation itself can leak out and damage human cells and tissues.
Click to expand...
 
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