Built in microwave broken -advice please?

Janis

Have a kitchen with a few built in appliances including a microwave. It doesnt work any more and i dont know how to deal with it. It is also surrounded by a plastic frame which I dont know how to remove.

So some questions for other owners of built in appliances who have had this problem or perhaps kitchen fitters?
1. Is it easy to replace?
2. Who would I call for this?
3. Can I just put an ordinary (free-standing one) in its place
4. Are all built in microwaves the same size?
5. Do I have to call in a kitchen fitter to deal with this?

So advice or suggestions please: I dont know the best person to call and I dont have any-competent DIY mates or know of any (reliable) handy people.

In the past when a free-standing microwave broke down and needed replacing I just got a new one but because its fitted its more complicated, and so much more expensive.

Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.
Thanks, janis

knn

The plastic frame will be either screwed or clipped into place. If you cannot find any screws then it is probably clipped. What make/model is it? I may be able to look it up.
All built ins are not exactly the same size but are usually designed to fit a standard space using the purpose-made frame that comes with them.
You could just put in a freestanding one that fitted, but you must ensure sufficient ventilation. About 50mm each side and above should be sufficient. It will have to be held in place somehow so it can't be pulled forward. You could screw a small strip of wood in front of the feet to achieve this. It will not of course look as neat as a proper built-in one but will be a lot cheaper. Built-ins can cost £200 or more, depending on features.
The existing one will probably just be plugged into a socket behind, so it is a very easy job. I would think you could easily handle this yourself.
What is the problem with it anyway? It might be something easily fixed. First thing you should do is check the fuse in the plug .

Janis

Thanks for your suggestions knn.

The microwave light comes on and the turntable turns but there is no cooking taking place, so its not the fuse, but the thing that produces the microwave heating. I assume this is an expensive component. I wish it was the fuse!

The surrounding plastic frame does not have any screws holding it in place and I wouldnt know how to get it off without damaging it.

I thought of just putting a freestanding one in the space currently occupied by the built in one but I was afraid it would give it an unfinished look and the current microwave is built in above the oven which is the same make (Neff) and the same colour.

I would hate to spoil the look of the kitchen by taking the cheap option. It's unlikely I would find a freestanding one that would fit in the gap exactly so if the inside of the unit is visible and was a bit rough looking (I'm assuming, I havent seen it) it might spoil the look of an otherwise nice looking kitchen.

I dont know if its worth having someone in with a view to repairing it, but again I wouldnt know who to call. I imagine the Neff service engineers would be expensive and sometimes I think it's sometimes as expensive to have a repair as it is to buy a new one. However I know the built in appliances are very expensive to buy

The cabinet is 600mm wide and the space is 390 mm high. However the microwave is 560(W) x 280(H). What I dont know is if microwaves come in standard widths and heights with standard sized plastic surrounds or do the plastic surrounds come with the microwave to fit into standard spaces?

I feel so dim: I'm normally good at problem solving but this is outside my experience.

Lemoncurd

Janis wrote:

I dont know if its worth having someone in with a view to repairing it, but again I wouldnt know who to call. I imagine the Neff service engineers would be expensive and sometimes I think it's sometimes as expensive to have a repair as it is to buy a new one. However I know the built in appliances are very expensive to buy

fyi we recently called a Neff service engineer and the callout charge was £70 which I think covered the first hour on site. We were charged £77 including parts to fix our hob.

knn

Hi there, The inside of your unit is most likely just like the inside of your other units so should not be rough looking.
It may be something major wrong, or it could be something simple, could you take it out and take it to a repairer? That would save a call-out charge.
If you decide to get a new one it will come with its own surround, you only need to check it is designed for that size aperture. In my experience the sizes of the built-ins and the units to take them are fairly standard these days.
There needs to be ventilation space , hence the surround, so if you put in a freestanding one it also needs space round it.
I will see if I can find any details of how to remove the surround and get back to you if I find anything.

knn

Neff do not appear to make installation instructions available on-line,but I would expect the surround is clipped on. An enquiry at a Neff stockist may shed more light on this.
You can get microwaves to build in to oven housings and ones to put in wall units. The Neff ones seem to cost upward of £300, so a repair may be an economic proposition, but only a service engineer can advise you on that.

mrwibble

I have exactly the same problem with my built-in NEFF microwave - did the OP get it repaired ?

£50 - £80 sounds about right for a repair - its usually a simple component - the microwave components are pretty sturdy (they don't want to get microwave radiation leaking into the kitchen and causing lawsuits / dropping market share) - its an easy decision if the unit is older than 10 years but I got another 5 year old unit repaired for £55 that has lasted another 4 years - microwaves don't generally go wrong continuously and this one has been going fine but I won't repair it next time.

Ebay has a few new / used units but courier charges are steep - check

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEFF-BUILT-IN-MICROWAVE-OVEN-H5430W_W0QQitemZ7596358025QQcategoryZ20712QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEFF-H7871-INTEGRATED-MICROWAVE-IN-BLACK-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ7595976984QQcategoryZ71318QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEFF-BUILT-IN-MICROWAVE-OVEN-IN-WHITE-VGC_W0QQitemZ7597190498QQcategoryZ71318QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

this is same as mine although a replacement of the same age is not top of my list.

I think the surround is clipped on IIRC but this post is a good reminder to me to get it repaired / replaced - taking double the time at the moment - not conducive to eating at the same time when we use the microwave.

mrwibble

Did the OP get a repair ?

Janis

The problem turned out to be a broken fan that was not cooling the magnetron (microwave generator) and the magnetron was not right because it kept over-heating. There were signs of damage to the magnetron. This led to it not working for much of the time and when I did get it to work again, ironically the day before a man was due to have a look at it, it was inconsistent in its output.

Both parts need to be replaced and are on order but its taking a while. Hope to have it sorted next week. Eventually had a man from British Gas as i have a contract that looks after my boiler and central heating (think its called Home Choice) but also covers electrical appliances. I have had it for a few years but forgot because I had never had cause to use it. So the parts and labour are covered.

I watched the man remove the surround: the 2 side parts were pulled off to reveal that screws held the upper and lower parts of the surround.

I was advised that to replace a built in microwave with a normal microwave might lead to overheating as the heat coming from the oven needs to be ducted forwards to the ventilation holes of the surround. I did consider this option if the replacement parts were going to be expensive or if I needed a new oven at £300.

Apologies to Mr Wibble for my slow reply. Hope you get yours sorted. I didnt realise how much I relied on my microwave. (My daughter is suffering from microwave sausage deficiency!)

janis

gromituk

Janis wrote:

Eventually had a man from British Gas as i have a contract that looks after my boiler and central heating (think its called Home Choice) but also covers electrical appliances. I have had it for a few years but forgot because I had never had cause to use it.

Ooh you must be BG's best friend - the bliss of a "fit and forget" direct debit! Work out how much you've boosted BG's profits over the years, then consider how you could survive without this scheme, eg. by using immersion heater and fan heaters until a plumber turns up to repair the boiler!