Microwave Oven Problem

[Barbusa]

I think our microwave is on the way out but I am not too sure as to what could be responsible.

It only cost around £100 when purchased just over 18 months ago but it has been working without any problems, apart from a replacement bulb, until today.

I noticed that the display was not illuminated so I changed the fuse in the plug and when that did not work I replaced the time delay fuse on the board inside the machine.

After doing this and plugging the oven back in nothing happened, apart from tripping the main switch on the fuse box and blowing the time delay fuse inside the machine.

There was no visible sign of a problem.

Any ideas on what could possibly be causing the problem would be much appreciated!

 

[RF Lighting]

I would suggest posting this question in the appliances section on the main forum. the folks in there should be able to help you.

Rob

 

[seehig]

what exactly is it tripping at your c.u.....rcd or mcb..

 

[Barbusa]

It is the main circuit breaker that is tripping cutting the power to the whole floor!

 

[Steve]

does that particular switch have a "test" button near it?

 

[Barbusa]

We have two boxes containing the circuit breakers one of which has a blue 'Test' button but the one with the power supply CB to the floor concerned does not have one!

 

[Har_vey]

If the internal fuse is blowing then you could be looking at any number of components being the cause. magnetron? Capacitor? PCB? Switches? Anything.

You need to be very careful opening up microwaves though. The capacitor will retain a serious charge even when switched off. So best advice is don't mess!

If the original cost was about £100 you might be better just scrapping it and buying a new one. Prices have come down on that sort of thing.

 

[Barbusa]

As the simple job of powering up the led display is not even possible it would appear to be an electrical fault rather than something like the magnetron but, yes, they have come down in price so replacing it would appear to be the best option.

The only thing is that I would like to discover the cause of the problem just to satisfy my curiosity!

Is there any way I can use a multimeter to fully test the electrics within the machine?

 

[macmini]

What make is the unit?

Some manufacturers give a 2yr warranty.