Tree fell on our power line yesterday, causing among other things, a power surge briefly. Power company had to come out and replce from the pole to our house. Thankfully most of our major electrical items came away unscathed. A few minor things got fried.
Also, the really nice microwave has nothing on its readout. There is no light when you open its door. It does nothing when you plug it back into its outlet.
Any ideas? Is it trash now?
“Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” – St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn’t vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
Replies
Open the case and look for a fuse.
It's wall-mounted above the stove, so I'll have to take it down I guess.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
Behind the top vent cover and a grill I just removed two 250V 20A fuses. Running out to get two now.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
you sure you're getting voltage to it?
Yes, voltmeter reading for that outlet is 110V.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
It will have a fuse in it, probably blown. But make sure it has power to it first.
I guess I should say it is a GE Profile SpacemakerXL1800.
Model # JVM1870SK03.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
I do not think you need to take it down to get to the fuse.
Son had one that blew the fuse, after we had taken the whole thing down and apart (it is a GE that has a built in hood under it) we saw that you can get to the fuse by taing the front grill off from across the top, viola, there is the fuse. Replaced it and all ready to go. Common 3ag type glass cartridge fuse.
They generally contain a fuse or two, but often they're not designed to be accessed without a hacksaw.
Got the two fuses out okay, and I just replaced them with two new ceramic 250V 20A fuses.
Unfortunately, still nothing.
There don't appear to be any other visible fuses. There was a wiring schematic behind the panel. I'll take a look at that.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
Yeah, lots to go wrong, not much that can be repaired.Note that the power company may cough up the money to replace the unit, if you apply enough leverage.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
If tree that fell was in the OP's yard, I doubt the Power Co. will be coughing up any new appliances.
Note that the power company may cough up the money to replace the unit, if you apply enough leverage.
Now why, I ask innocently, should the power company pony up for an appliance damaged by a surge caused by their client's own tree falling on his service drop?
I would think he'd be better off asking his homeowner's insurance carrier for some dough.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Ouch !!Yep, time to get out the voltmeter and check for continuity in the circuits.The reviews do not give much hope...http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/microwave-ovens/m/13075511/ut=46c1e50ace465ee2..It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
Wow, I'm shocked by those really poor reviews. We have loved this thing.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
I can give some additional advice of what to look for inside, but be sure the power is OFF unless you are familiar with and comfortable working around open 7000Volt conductors and charged capacitors.
No joke, the 2nd biggest cause of home electrocutions (from case histories I've researched) is from trying to service microwave ovens, 2nd after HVAC 'fixin'. 7kV is NOT forgiving.
First, check the new fuses to make sure they did not get blown immediately. If so, service is probably past what you want to try??
If you are not familiar with High Voltage work, you can still check it out with the following safety measures. If you just open it up with power on, this IS one of the DIY tasks that can kill you.
A. have the input Disconnected - that means either unplugged or input wires disconnected if not a plug in, not just the breaker off
B. now let it sit at least 10 minutes or so before you remove the entire cover. This will allow the HV 7 kV capacitor to discharge
C. Then, with safety glasses on, double check the big steel case capacitor inside (this is the spot that can kill with the power on) by shorting the terminals with a screwdriver with good plastic handle. Ideally you would have a resistor to do this, 'cause what you are verifying is that the normally present discharge resistor did not get damaged. EDIT IF you get a big 'bang' and flash, I'd offer the opinion you should quit at that point, there are some serious problems.
Now there are just 2 items to look for if you dont know troubleshooting circuits.
1. There will likely be a 12 AWG stranded wire soldered into a circuit board. If the solder looks melted or 'blown out', you need to resolder and make sure of continuity. This is a common failure point due to power surges.
2. sometimes there are secondary fuses on a circuit board
3. Past that point, I'd not suggest anything more if you dont know what too look for without asking.
Edited 11/12/2009 9:21 pm ET by junkhound
I tested the two new ( and the old ones, too) fuses. None of those ever blew. They are fine.
I've also got full power coming to the circuit board.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
Home Depot has white built in microwaves for $99
Just pocket change
You may be defying Murphy's Law which states that a $200 magnetron will lunch itself to protect a two dollar fuse. My belief is that the fuses don't protect the oven from surges when the oven isn't in use and that your circuits are fried. Happens with many appliances that have digital controls.
Happens with many appliances that have digital controls
Correct there, even without power surges -- see the OVEN thread.
Yeah, same same.
I have attached a couple of photos of the smart board that is for this microwave.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
People used to drop broken microwaves off at our (computer) shop all the time for a look. Every one we looked at had a bad clock/control card.
The card was always $100 or so in those days and few people actually wanted to spend the money. You can look around on the net to see if you can find one cheaper.
The one we actually fixed without buying the clock card (it was still the bad part) was fixed with a spring wound timer. We just drilled a hole through the face of the control panel and installed the timer wired directly through the interlocks to the magnetron control card. That was our shop oven for many years.
Did you check the outlet?.
Sounds basic but i have looked foolish a few times!
Check online for a new manual and look up surge protection.
I've seen mini surge protectors on appliances before. You might be lucky and it has one built in. It might be that a ticketed repair man open it for you but if it's out of warranty you have nothing to loose.
So far no one has addressed the critical question: Was the microwave properly breaded before it was fried?
i'd get rid of all that fancy electric starter thingy and just pull a pull rope on it, like the old days.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
I converted mine to wood fueled.
I would use a rope with one of those new rewind things but the rewinds are not proven yet
Steve, My LG microwave is just 2 years old and it went 100% blank for no reason that we knew. I poked around and was able to check a fuse without taking it down. It was OK. So I poked around on the internet and looking at LG repairs or something ( I can't find it now), I found a site that said the most frequent problem was the thermostat. I ordered one for less than $3.00 and then when I seen it I wondered where it was so I took the thing down, a big rotten job, and took off the metal cover on top and sides and LO and BEHOLD there it was right on top in the middle.
I found it is there to shut it down if it ever overheats. For instance if you would poke on 4 5's instead of 3 5's by accident for a potato it might shut itself off.
Anyway, when I replaced it it lit right up and I was very happy. Caution, the heavy wires that lead to it must be soldered in. They have very heavy insulation on them. I would short them out or check for current before grabbing them with bare hands. Good luck, Mesic
If you do open the case, be very careful -- microwaves can have capacitors.
I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)
You jinxed me !!
Whyyy I aughta....
My microwave just died !
Light comes on. Timer works. Fan blows. Etc.
But it doesn't get anything hot ! No matter what temperature setting I use.
When I first turned it on, it made a huge raspy kind of sound. RRRRRR Kind of like contained welding.
I'll open it up and have a look, tomorrow...
Wire burned off the magnetron, seen that a few times. I don't even pick up curbside broken ones anymore, usually see a few every trash day. One didn't work, I opened it up and the fuse was just cliped into the fuseholder on one side. Problem is you can't hardly give a working one away, people want new ones.
Clearly you forgot the breading.(Sounds like something in the magnatron circuit cooked, maybe the 'tron itself, maybe the HV cap.)
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
Light comes on. Timer works. Fan blows. Etc.
But it doesn't get anything hot ! No matter what temperature setting I use.
When I first turned it on, it made a huge raspy kind of sound.
If this wasn't in General Discussion...:)
I'm not gonna read thru all the responses but your answer is here:http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=126537.1
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion"
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
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according to statistical analysis, "for some time now, bears apparently have been going to the bathroom in the woods."
I'll Fedex you what is left of mine.... :)
With your parts and my parts together you could assemble a Binford microwave.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
No, I didn't vote for him; but he IS my president. I pray for the his safety, and the safety of his family every day. And I pray that he makes wise decisions.
No JINX, my microwave is still working just fine. --Jim x 3
I did what JohnFinn did.Headed out to Home Depot. Got it on the HD card.Most definitely an upgrade from before.And I got what was originally an almost 300 dollar Micro, for 80 bucks.That kind of savings more than makes up for the interest, etc, on the card...I have diabetes. The insulin is not working as well as it should, so I have to be really careful about what I eat.And I have to eat often, but small amounts.I have two choices. Eat junk food, which is ready any time I want. Or make up large batches of healthy food, cut it into small portions and freeze... And then micro them when I need them.I choose the latter, of course, and that makes the micro, important.Kind of a pain, when the power goes out. LOL At those times I don't eat like I should, because it is such a royal pain to prepare stuff...It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
Okay, you should officially re-name this post to microwave jinx.
My mic went out on Wednesday, no powerline issues though, but maybe a surge somewhere? I ended up at HD Saturday to pickup a new one. Crazy, but it came with a 8 year mfg warranty too - keep them receipts!
Tape the receipt to the back/side/bottom of the unit. Then you won't lose it quite as easily.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
Darned good idea.Think I'll copy it first though, then put both in a dark envelope.Because of the way so many receipts fade, nowadays.....It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
They are printed on thermal paper so heat is the problem, not light.
Yeah I tape my reciepts to my microwave and keep my micro wave in the freezer. It confuses the heck outta the ice cream.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
PROUD MEMBER OF THE " I ROCKED WITH REZ" CLUB