Sparking Microwave Repair Guide
If you have a sparking microwave this repair guide can help. Microwaves will
sometimes spark but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is time to throw them away.
Sometimes it is a very inexpensive and simple repair. But of course this is not
always the case, sometimes a sparking microwave is sign of a major problem. In
any case, this page will help.
When microwaves spark most people panic. There is nothing to panic about, simply
turn it off until further inspection can be done.
First off anything
metal will cause a microwave to spark so be sure that nothing metal is in the
microwave. This could be a very small piece of metal. For example, maybe you
cleaned the microwave with steel wool and left behind some metal from the steel
wool. This could be enough to cause a microwave to spark. Also make sure the
container you were using to heat with is microwave safe. Some things may look
microwave safe but contain metal, which can cause a spark.
If there
wasn’t any metal in the microwave the next thing you should do is find out where
the spark is coming from. Place a cup of water in the microwave, turn it on and
watch to see where the spark is coming from. Below is a list of things that will
cause a microwave to spark.
Microwave Shelf Support
Some microwaves have shelves and what sometimes happens is that the shelf support will heat up and become loose. This will cause a microwave to spark. This is a very simple repair simply pull the shelf support out and replace it with a new one. To prevent this only use the shelf if you are cooking two things at once, otherwise keep the shelf out of the microwave. AppliancePartsPros.com.
Microwave Turntable Lug
The microwave turntable lug is the plastic lug that turns the turntable. Sometimes this lug will cause a sparking microwave. To repair it simply remove the lug by prizing up on it and then replace it. AppliancePartsPros.com.
That is all for the simple sparking microwave repairs now for the
more complicated repairs.
Microwave Magnetron Tube
If you are going to attempt to replace the magnetron you tube you will have to come in contact with the high voltage section of the microwave. Before doing so read this warning.
Warning
Microwave repair can be dangerous! You must unplug the microwave before
attempting to repair it because they use very high voltage on certain internal
parts. After the microwave is unplugged you must also discharge the capacitor
before servicing because the high voltage that the microwave operates on is
stored in the capacitor. To manually discharge the capacitor, place an insulted
handle screwdriver between the diode connection of the capacitor and ground. It
should discharge itself but always discharge it manually!
The magnetron tube is the part that makes a microwave heat.
Often when a magnetron tube is going bad it will spark and sometimes you can see
the spark inside the microwave oven. On the right hand side there are holes in
the sidewall of the microwave. If the spark is coming from there, the magnetron
is most likely bad. Changing the magnetron tube isn’t hard on many model
microwaves but can be very hard on some models. In any case, you will have to
remove the entire case to access the magnetron tube. AppliancePartsPros.com. If you have a GE spacesaver microwave that has a bad magnetron
tube this page should help with replacing it. Magnetron
Tube Replacement
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