Should I Be Able To Call My Phone in The Microwave? 2024

Owning a microwave can be considered an excellent investment for every household.

This appliance doesn’t only heat food quickly but also emits non-ionizing radiation for its operation.

However, consumers are becoming increasingly worried about leaking microwave ovens.

And with a microwave phone test becoming popular, it’s customary to ask if you can call your phone in the microwave.

Yes, you should be able to call your phone in the microwave. Ringing your phone in the microwave is one of the tests you can do to check for radiation leaks in your oven. However, failure to follow the correct process can cause irreplaceable damage to your phone and produce inaccurate results.

In this post, I’ll explain the proper process to ring your phone in the microwave. Also, you’d know what it means when your phone rings in the microwave.

In the end, you’ll know the other ways to test for radiation leaks in your microwave oven.

Contents

Should You Be Able to Ring a Phone in the Microwave?

Should I be able to Call my Phone in the Microwave

Yes, you can ring your phone in the microwave. This process is one of the tests for radiation leaks in microwaves.

Although a microwave design ensures that radiation doesn’t leave the oven, a radiation test is essential, especially for old microwaves.

Also, this test can help you detect a broken seal or damaged door.

Additionally, the FDA enforces standards and regulations to ensure that radiation emissions by microwaves aren’t harmful.

However, with every precautionary measure in place, there’s still a risk of high radiation exposure, which can harm one’s health.

Therefore, consumers carry out a microwave radiation test from time to time to check for leaks. The microwave phone test is one of the popular tests.

However, there are proper guidelines when ringing your phone in the microwave.

Below is a table showing the factors you should take note of:

Factors	Guidelines
Network	Use a WiFi network and not a cellular data
Frequency	Set the frequency to 2.4 GHz
Power	Cut off power from your microwave.

What Does It Mean When Your Phone Rings in a Microwave?

When your phone rings in a microwave, it means the microwave is emitting radiation.

But, first, microwaves are designed only to emit radiation during operation, i.e., when the oven is on.

Moreover, there are technologies to keep the radiation within the oven’s Interior.

These include a Faraday-like door, a vented mesh screen, and an interlocking mechanism.

As a result, you shouldn’t be able to call your phone in the microwave since its door is supposed to block the signal.

Below are what it means when your phone rings in the microwave:

The Microwave is Leaking Radiation

When your phone rings in the microwave, the microwave isn’t blocking radiation as it should.

Therefore, there’s damage somewhere, causing the radiation to leak to the outside.

However, some microwaves leak radiation, as the door doesn’t block the wave as it should.

The FDA approves a leak of 5 MW per square meter for microwaves, so you shouldn’t worry if your cell phone detects radiation.

Although this leak is negligible, longtime exposure can harm one’s health.

So, taking precautionary measures is essential, especially if you notice a compromise in the appliance mechanism.

Read more about microwave ovens, risks, and consumer’s guide here.

The interlocking Mechanism is Damaged.

The interlocking system in the microwave oven ensures the microwave goes off when you open the door.

However, if this mechanism is compromised, it could cause radiation to leak out even with the door closed.

The Door or Seal is Damaged

The seal and door of the microwave are part of the technology that ensures the radiation remains within the appliance chamber. If there’s damage, radiation leaks will occur.

The door could be warped, or the seal is broken, causing it not to lock properly.

In addition, food particles could get stuck in the seal, preventing it from sealing the appliance properly.

The Glass is Broken

Radiation can’t escape through the glass of the microwave’s door because there’s a mesh screen against it that bounces off the waves.

However, the waves can leak through when the glass is broken with as little as a crack.

You Didn’t Use the Right Settings on Your Phones

To call your phone in your microwave, you’ve to set the phone correctly. Failure to do so would make the phone ring out, leading you to conclude it’s a radiation leak.

How Does the Microwave Phone Test Work?

The microwave phone test works in detecting radiation leaks in the appliance. When you place your phone in the microwave, ordinarily, it shouldn’t respond to signals.

Smartphones use the same non-ionizing radiation as microwaves but operate with a lower frequency.

It would help if you used the phone over WiFi that operates within the same 2.4GHz frequency as a microwave and not cellular data.

Therefore, the microwave’s door should be able to block the radiation from the phone.

But if the phone rings when you call it, you should know it’s leaking radiation.

Below is how to carry out the microwave phone test:

Unplug your microwave

First, you should unplug your microwave from the power socket instead of switching it off. You don’t want to microwave your phone mistakenly.

Turn off Your Phone’s Cellular Data and Connect to the WiFi

Your phone’s cellular data operate much lower frequency than a microwave.

So it would give an inaccurate result. However, most WiFi operates at 2.4 GHz, equivalent to microwave frequency.

So, turn off your data and connect to WiFi to eliminate errors. You can use WiFi to make calls with your cellular data off.

Ensure the WiFi Frequency is 2.4 GHz

Wireless connection functions on either 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz, so you should check your settings to confirm it’s on 2.4 GHz.

Some phones allow you to adjust to your preferred frequency band in the settings.

You can also open your router settings to adjust the settings. For example, 802.11b or 802.11g is on a 2.4 GHz network.

Put Your Phone in the Microwave and Call it from the outside

After you’ve correctly set your phone, the final step is to put it in the microwave and call it from the outside. If it rings, then there’s a leak.

How Else Can I Tell if My Microwave is Leaking Radiation?

Apart from the phone test, there are other methods to test for radiation leaks in the microwave.

Below are some of the methods:

Radiation Detector

Using a microwave radiation detector is one of the standard methods to test for leaks.

First, check the product’s description to ensure it detects high frequency from the microwave before purchase. A low-quality indicator will give a false alarm.

Here’s how to use the detector:

Place a glass of water of about 275ml in the oven and turn it on for 60 seconds.
Move the detector around, paying attention to the door, seal, and air vents.
For accuracy, you should hold the indicator about 5 cm away from the oven.
If the microwave turns off before you finish the test, replace the glass of water and continue the test.
The reading should be within 5 MW per square meter. If it reads anything above the safe reading, you should take it to a professional for an inspection.

Use a Fluorescent Or Neon Bulb

A straight fluorescent bulb and neon NE-02 bulb can detect microwaves. These bulbs will glow in reaction to the radiation.

Below is how to use the bulb:

Put a glass of water inside the oven, about 275ml
Make the room dark to enable you to see the glow
Slowly move the bulb around the microwave, especially in places prone to damage
Once you notice a glow, then there’s a leak

Finally, you should be able to call your phone in a microwave, as this process is one of the tests for radiation leakage in microwaves.

Once your phone rings after using the correct settings, the oven leaks radiation. Also, you can use a radiation tester or a radiation-detecting bulb to test for leaks.