---
title: "Sparking inside the microwave"
description: "Dacor sparking inside the microwave: stop the cycle and stop using the appliance. Sparking inside a microwave has a small number of causes and one of them…"
url: "https://dacormiami.support/symptoms/microwave-sparking-inside/"
date_modified: "2026-09-12"
Appliance type: "Microwaves"
---


# Dacor sparking inside the microwave

### What to do in the next ten minutes

Stop the cycle and open the door. Look for anything metal in the cavity, including foil, a trim on a plate, or a rack touching the wall. Look at the cover on the side or roof of the cavity — a small mica panel — for scorching, a hole, or food baked onto it. Do not run the appliance again to see whether it repeats.

### Why this one is urgent and cheap at the same time

The part most often responsible costs very little and takes minutes to change. What makes it urgent is what happens if it is ignored: sustained arcing damages the magnetron, and that is the difference between a modest repair and a decision about whether the appliance is worth keeping.

### No code to read

This make publishes no microwave error codes in either era — the manual uses a single generic word for several unrelated conditions. What you saw and where you saw it is therefore the entire diagnosis, which is why we ask people to look before they call rather than after.

The waveguide cover is damaged or fouled

The mica panel that protects the opening carbonizes where food has splashed onto it, and once it starts to arc it degrades quickly. It is an inexpensive part and an urgent one.

Something metal is in the cavity

Foil, a trimmed plate, a twist tie, or the rack touching a wall. Harmless once removed and by far the most common cause of a single unexplained flash.

The cavity coating has broken down

Paint worn through to bare metal, usually at the base or around the door frame. It arcs, and on an older machine it is the point at which repair economics need discussing honestly.

Look for metal first

Foil, trims and racks. It costs nothing and explains most single incidents.

Inspect the mica cover

Scorched, holed or greasy. This is the part that turns a nuisance into a magnetron.

Do not test it again

Repeating the arc is how a cheap part becomes an expensive one.

Arcing, a flash, or a burning smell during a cycle

What it usually means

Stop the cycle and stop using it until it has been looked at

A damaged waveguide cover gets worse fast and takes the magnetron with it

Metal, a touching rack, or carbonized debris are the harmless causes

What to do in the next ten minutes

Stop the cycle and open the door. Look for anything metal in the cavity, including foil, a trim on a plate, or a rack touching the wall. Look at the cover on the side or roof of the cavity — a small mica panel — for scorching, a hole, or food baked onto it. Do not run the appliance again to see whether it repeats.

Why this one is urgent and cheap at the same time

The part most often responsible costs very little and takes minutes to change. What makes it urgent is what happens if it is ignored: sustained arcing damages the magnetron, and that is the difference between a modest repair and a decision about whether the appliance is worth keeping.

No code to read

This make publishes no microwave error codes in either era — the manual uses a single generic word for several unrelated conditions. What you saw and where you saw it is therefore the entire diagnosis, which is why we ask people to look before they call rather than after.

### It happened once and never again.

Almost certainly metal in the cavity, and nothing more. Have a look at the mica cover anyway — if it is unmarked, carry on using the appliance.

### There is a burning smell but no visible damage.

Worth a visit. A smell without a mark usually means the arcing is behind the cover rather than on it, and that is not something to keep testing.

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**[Read full article: Sparking inside the microwave](https://dacormiami.support/symptoms/microwave-sparking-inside/)**