# Spider in Microwave



## cryptly (Apr 14, 2005)

So I wake up this morning, go to nuke some breakfast and I notice what, at first, appeared to be a large crack in the cover of the microwave clock.  Closer inspection revealed some kind of house spider INSIDE the cover of the clock!  I tried to get pictures, but they didn't come out well at all.  

The spider is still alive, it's moving, but it's inside my microwave. . .I have no clue how it could have gotten in there.  Nor do I have any clue how to get it out!    

Any ideas?   :?


----------



## Jmadson13 (Apr 14, 2005)

I would spritz him down with a bit of water. definitely a more humane way of chasing him out than cranking the microwave on


----------



## cryptly (Apr 14, 2005)

I think the little guy is pretty well sheilded from the "nuking" part of the microwave. . .I had cooked my egg sandwich before I noticed the little guy in there, and the little guy is still moving around.  I thought of the water idea, but the spider is in the part where the clock and other electronics are.  There's also no way to get water in there, and I don't want to fry my microwave. . .   :?  I still can't figure out how it got in there, there are no openings!    

It's a puzzle.


----------



## G. Carnell (Apr 14, 2005)

Hi
just dont spray it AND microwave 

is it a spider you have lost?


----------



## Tarangela (Apr 14, 2005)

That is crazy!  I kept trying to picture that!  I hope you can get him out 

Nothing worse than watching a spidy suffer


----------



## cryptly (Apr 14, 2005)

I checked all my T's as soon as I noticed it.  Everybody is where they're supposed to be.  The little guy in the microwave is some random wild spider.  I'd like to get the little guy out of my microwave, but I can't think of any way short of taking the entire casing apart.   :? 

Guess I'll be busy tonight.


----------



## JohnxII (Apr 15, 2005)

Please post some pix if you can... this is kinda interesting. Good luck!


----------



## swatc1h (Apr 15, 2005)

lol my relatives apartment has the same problem BUT with cacaroaches by the thousand all over the place hahaha......hmm try blowing in smoke oh yea one time i was making a home for a widow i used superglue there after i introduced it and next thing you no it was drug and couldnt build webs and died within aweek or so  try this method on the tip of a stick and poke.


----------



## cryptly (Apr 15, 2005)

I did try to get a picture, but it came out just a green and black blur.  

Last night when I went to try one more time to pop the cover off the readout on the microwave the little spider was gone.  I hope it found its way out and not further into my microwave. . .  :?


----------



## JCR (Apr 17, 2016)

Hi all, I'm new to this group and found it trying to research our bizarre spider issue! We also have one stuck under the faceplate of the microwave clock. See picture attached. How do I get her/him out and what are the chances he/she could create a egg nest? It looks like she/he has created a bit of a web so I guess it's a happy home now (just the home owner isn't thrilled!) Thanks in advance for any tips!


----------



## edesign (Apr 17, 2016)

cryptly said:


> Last night when I went to try one more time to pop the cover off the readout on the microwave the little spider was gone.  I hope it found its way out and not further into my microwave. . .  :?


EDIT: didn't realize this was a necro'd post but I'll keep it anyway

I don't know your background but if you're not familiar with electronics and high voltage components I wouldn't be mucking around in it too much. Popping the cover off (just the clock? much better) and not touching anything is one thing but if you get the urge to dig further I would caution you against it unless you know what you're doing. *Some electronic/electrical components (not talking about batteries) can store energy even after power is removed and might discharge through you if you touch them.*

It's a wild spider, not worth going to the hospital or morgue over it being in your microwave  Chances are it crawled in one of the crevices or holes and made its way up to the LCD display. From there who knows where it went. It might have crispied itself by now or maybe it got out.


----------



## edesign (Apr 17, 2016)

JCR said:


> Hi all, I'm new to this group and found it trying to research our bizarre spider issue! We also have one stuck under the faceplate of the microwave clock. See picture attached. How do I get her/him out and what are the chances he/she could create a egg nest? It looks like she/he has created a bit of a web so I guess it's a happy home now (just the home owner isn't thrilled!) Thanks in advance for any tips!


Same comment as above. Unless the cover comes off the clock itself be extremely careful or even better don't mess with it at all unless you're familiar with high voltage components. The cover probably removes fairly easily and from there it might be possible to access the front controls and possibly unscrew the clock from its mounts but if the spider runs deeper in to the guts it gets a bit more interesting.

No food will probably find its way in to the microwave so either it'll eventually find its way out to feed or it'll starve/dehydrate to death. If you do go messing around in it don't touch anything, wear rubber soled shoes/boots, and use only insulated tools. It doesn't take much current to hurt or kill you.

http://www.oshatrain.org/courses/mods/715m2.html


----------



## The Snark (Apr 17, 2016)

Unplug it and take it apart? Taking the cover off a microwave can be a pain in the tukus. Usually one piece that wraps around it. Not a big deal, just a whole lot of screw holes to get realigned. The spider will go hide in the innards most likely and can be darned hard to fish out.
As far as zaps go, the magnetron exciter circuit can be a bit lethal, up around 6000 volts with a capacitor that can store a charge while unplugged, so avoid foofing in the wiring. If you aren't able to tell what the electrical components are and the spider heads into them consider taking it to an experienced repair person. (I'm one and I don't feel comfy mucking around a voltage doubler circuit without discharging the cap)

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## edesign (Apr 17, 2016)

I used to do car audio installs. The 1F (occasionally 1.5), 12VDC caps that I'd sometimes have to install or uninstall always made me nervous. I knew people who has been zapped by one or more in parallel and none suggested I try it lol


----------



## The Snark (Apr 17, 2016)

edesign said:


> I knew people who has been zapped by one or more in parallel and none suggested I try it lol


(It's not just the cap but a xfrmr attached to it - as a crossover coil - that can add the shazam to your life. CDI, capacitor discharge ignition ring any bells?)


----------



## edesign (Apr 17, 2016)

The Snark said:


> (It's not just the cap but a xfrmr attached to it - as a crossover coil - that can add the shazam to your life.)


EE, I hear ya. Zip zap, I was taking a nap...


----------



## Tigrosa (Apr 17, 2016)

JCR said:


> Hi all, I'm new to this group and found it trying to research our bizarre spider issue! We also have one stuck under the faceplate of the microwave clock. See picture attached. How do I get her/him out and what are the chances he/she could create a egg nest? It looks like she/he has created a bit of a web so I guess it's a happy home now (just the home owner isn't thrilled!) Thanks in advance for any tips!



Cute little sac spider. Sac spiders are known for making their homes inside appliances. I believe Mazda had to do a recall once because all the vehicles from a specific plant had sac spiders in their fuel systems.

Reactions: Like 1 | Lollipop 1


----------



## The Snark (Apr 17, 2016)

Tigrosa said:


> Sac spiders are known for making their homes inside appliances.


Ants too. I've seen a lot of gadgets destroyed by their formic acid treatment around here. Lost 2 cameras to the bleeping (censored)


----------



## The Snark (Apr 17, 2016)

Back to reality, and feel free to correct me here,  can't think of anything spider, or spider web, that has enough free ions to screw up the works of an appliance. The high voltage leads and connectors are shielded anyway so it would take some determination, a hefty dose of dumb luck and the correct size spider to bridge the terminals, the resulting ion charged spider vapor would pose only a momentary transient risk and the carbonized mess would be blown to smithereens.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Apr 17, 2016)

Tigrosa said:


> I believe Mazda had to do a recall once because all the vehicles from a specific plant had sac spiders in their fuel systems.


I've heard that as well time ago, and at first i didn't believed that. Then, one day, received a call from my Brother.
The Father of his Lady (My Brother Lady) is a mechanic, and guess what he found inside one, working, just two years ago?

A _C.punctorium_ 

He put the spider (a nice specimen) into a cup, similar to those 32 oz something (lol, sorry, i'm not that much used to those measures) you guys use, and showed us.


----------



## The Snark (Apr 18, 2016)

I guess you all are growned uppeth enough... so I shall lay upon theee all the ultramint nightmare.

Working the audio biz for a change of pace. A lady calls and asks for a tech to come out and check her sound system. Okay, needed to check the new set of gears in my rompmobile so 30 miles up the mountains I go.

She inherited her house and goodies from a used hubby. Ratty old ranch house that was nice once. Inside is was immediately obvious she was allergic to housekeeping.
So one of her dogs or cats had chewed on the speaker wires. Top of the line Panasonic amp, 4 hefty speaker cabs and WHOA! ICK even. The speaker cabs are glued to the walls. A slightly closer inspection showed everything in the room near the walls was thickly webbed to the walls with that good old ultra strong guess-what-kind-of-spider webs. Live in fear in the center of the room kind of interior deco job.
I moved the speaker cabs into the middle of the room, pissing off a few Hesperus. A quick check showed the amp had blown some gaskets and I was only too happy to toss it in the back of my truck and get shot of that place.

Back at the shop I cautiously opened up the amp. Aha. Take it out in the back alley and turn a high pressure hose on the innards. Dunno. Maybe 10 or so Hesperus and the innards of the amp completely gummed solid with webs. Yes you can hose out many electric appliances if you know the follow up procedures.

So your little sac happy behind the clock in your nuke? Lightweight! Peanuts!

Reactions: Funny 3 | Award 1


----------

