Microwave is powerless

[Juan Grande]

Guys,

Going to try to tap the wealth of knowledge on this site once again. My wife thought it would be a wise idea to microwave some boil-in-a-bag rice for 20 minutes. The microwave shut off and I haven't been able to get it working since.

It's a GE microwave and so far I've replaced two cylindrical ceramic fuses and two "thermostats" which are basically a different type of fuse. I've replaced all the visible fuses and tested them with a voltage meter and they're all good. Still no power.

Could there be another fuse that I can't access through the front panel? Any other suggestions or should I start looking for a new microwave? Thanks much in advance.

John

[Wanderer]

I'm assuming by testing the fuses with the volt meter you Ohm'd them and they showed resistance?

This question I'll ask just because you didn't mention it in your post: Do you have voltage at the outlet?

If not, check your GFCI in the kitchen circuit and check your breaker in the panel.

I know it sounds obvious but sometimes it gets overlooked.

[Juan Grande]

Yes, I Ohm'd then and they showed resistance. The outlet has power.

[cylinder]

I think good fuses should test zero resistance.

[Juan Grande]

Well, they should conduct right? If I turn the volt meter to Ohms and then put a node on each end of the fuse, the needle should jump if current is passing through it.

[ozzie]

after the GFI check the only other 2 suggestions would be to check that it is plugged in or get a new one!!! haha sorry wish I could be of some help but I only have comedy...and poor comedy at that!!! Good Luck Juan

[cylinder]

If I turn the volt meter to Ohms and then put a node on each end of the fuse, the needle should jump if current is passing through it.

When you turn the meter to ohms you aren't going to be measuring current passing through it. You will be checking continuity (you will have zero resistance or infinite resistance). If the meter shows zero, you have continuity and the fuse is good. If the meter shows something other than zero, you may have a problem with the fuse or the connection to the meter. Zero resistance means that a current applied to one end of the fuse will easily pass to the other end.

[cylinder]

Plug another device into that outlet - if it works and the microwave still doesn't work when plugged into that outlet, and it isn't under warranty, get a new microwave. They are pretty inexpensive and are meant to be throw-aways when they break.

[Juan Grande]

Yeah, I'll probably just buy a new one. This was a last ditch effort to fix it. It's $250-300 for something comparable to what we have so it's not exactly cheap.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[CAMAN]

How long has it been down for? My mom did something similar, meant to use the microwave as a timer but started it instead and ran for 30 minutes. It powered itself off and didn't have any signs of life. I let it sit for a few days until I had time to look at it and it suddenly started working again. Worked fine all the way up to the time she moved.

[Juan Grande]

It's been out of commission for a few weeks now.