microwave failed

stu12345_2

I have a counter top Hotpoint extra space microwave, the one that don't have a turntable, it's quite big , it's 4'yrs old.
last week I heated up a cup of coffee, took cup out, and accidentally closed door, it ran for about 2 seconds empty.

it made a big pop noise, tripped the main fuse box.

I reset the trip switch, checked plug fuse, which was ok.

now it won't do anything or light up.
it cost £180.

repair estimate is £70 labour, and £10 for HV internal fuse or £120 for magnetron.) can't tell until technician looks at it, to see which one has failed)

advice please 

Neil_Jones

Aside from the questionable activity of heating up coffee in a microwave

Running it for two seconds on emtpy normally won't have caused it to trip.  It would probably have tripped anyway.  Had it been running for longer then because of the way these things work it effectively eats itself and fails.  Its usually the magnetron that will fail first, but you don't know what else

Since it only cost £180 in the first place its probably foolhardy to spend £200 on it, considering there some Russell Hobbs flatbed units on Amazon for £140.

stu12345_2

yes , I saw a similar Russel Hobbs one in Currys, it's a little smaller, but my model isn't made any more by Hotpoint, but parts are still available.

I've always warmed up a cup of coffee, that's got a little cold, but annoyed at myself for accidentally closing the door again and letting it run empty , even for a couple of seconds.

you would think it would blow the plug socket, but it didnt

if I get a new one, I'm never in for it to be delivered, so I need a shop to pick it up from

i got a letter last week saying extend my expired manufacturer warranty on the microwave, for £5 a month, but no claims can be made for first 90 days

Neil_Jones

Amazon wasn't the point, the point was it  will be cheaper to replace than spend money on a four year old appliance when you can replace the whole lot and get a new guarantee by law.

If your appliance has gone pop and tripped the box than that suggests there are more serious issues with the appliance, because its now trying to draw more current than is safe, and the RCD box says woah there sunshine and trips to make it safe.

As a general rule if something is faulty and keeps tripping the fuse box, then you probably should replace it.  If it went pop and then tripped the box in the process, then definitely replace it.

stu12345_2

yes thanks, I did get your point that replacement is probably best.
it's sad that it's such a beautiful machine, huge and worked so well up to that point.

also , I've always had to replace fuse in plug when an electrical gadget went wrong, this is the first gadget to trip fuse box, yet not blow plug fuse.

you would think the key pad, digital clock would still light up, even if magnetron has failed, but it's all dead

fatbelly

Do you need a £180 microwave, Stu?

Have a look at what there is in Morrisons, Asda, middle of Lidl...

facade

My Swan microwave quite regularly gets run with nothing inside (Don't ask)

There is an internal thermal cut-out that trips and makes you think that it has blown up as the display goes off. I've no idea how long it takes to trip out, as I turn it on to cook the vegetables and wander off until it goes ping - (or come back to find it has  cut out and the vegetables are still on the counter...)

After exactly as long as it takes to get the screwdriver, remove the plug fuse and test it, then replace it, it comes back on.

Luckily I plugged it back in the first time after I decided the fuse hadn't gone!

daveyjp

It may have blown the internal fuse, but microwaves aren't things to mess with so once they go pop it is usually uneconomic to repair them as DIY work is limited.

I've never spent that much on one, but Argos have a good range and they will deliver to Sainsbury's for pick up.

MattMattMattUK

daveyjp said:

It may have blown the internal fuse, but microwaves aren't things to mess with so once they go pop it is usually uneconomic to repair them as DIY work is limited.

I've never spent that much on one, but Argos have a good range and they will deliver to Sainsbury's for pick up.

I agree, there can still be enough charge in the capacitors in a microwave to seriously injure or even kill an adult if one opens one up and gets things wrong (eg. does not know what they are doing). I am reasonably technically competent, but I would not go digging around in the internals of a microwave. 

wongataa

stu12345_2 said:

I've always warmed up a cup of coffee, that's got a little cold, but annoyed at myself for accidentally closing the door again and letting it run empty , even for a couple of seconds.

Running a microwave empty for a few seconds will not cause any problems and will not blow fuses.

If a microwave did do that the cause was not running it empty.  It was already faulty and it could have gone at any time.

Neil_Jones

stu12345_2 said:

also , I've always had to replace fuse in plug when an electrical gadget went wrong, this is the first gadget to trip fuse box, yet not blow plug fuse.

To be honest I can't remember the last time I've had to change a fuse in anything.  Usually the RCD trips before the fuse in a plug goes or the appliance just dies naturally when something pops.

Re: Argos - pretty sure most of them are now in Sainsbury's stores, as they closed a large wave of the Argos buildings a few years ago so if there are any standalone ones left, its pretty much the exception rather than the rule.