A microwave oven is an inevitable appliance in the kitchen for many purposes, which is used multiple times a day. For example, you need to heat food before eating many times in a day. You can do it simply by a microwave oven.
Besides, you will not be able to make some dishes and foods without it. That is why, when the microwave oven of a kitchen doesn’t work properly, all the people of that house fall into trouble. It really happens sometimes. One of the most common problems is having no power, more clearly, not being turned on.
Considering these issues, here in this article, we will give you the ultimate guide on how to fix a microwave with no power. Read on this article and follow our given guides if you have the same issues with your microwave oven.
How to Fix a Microwave with No Power?
Well, there have several problems that can be happened when you have no power in your microwave. Here, we are giving you the most common five problems and their proven solutions.
Check one by one and if you find the problem matches yours, apply the solutions given below. These are as follows:
Problems in the Breaker Box
People don’t think that this simple problem also can be happened with a microwave. But we have found this issue many times. Simply open the breaker box and find out the switch dedicated to your microwave oven.
Then check out the switch is properly on. If you got it off, then simply turn it on. By doing this, your problem can be solved in few minutes.
Sometimes, people turn off this switch unintentionally and think that there is a major problem with the microwave not turning on. If you find the switch on in the breaker box, then turn it off and on it again after few moments properly.
If there is any problem with the switch of the breaker box, those will be fixed. After that, if you found any other things wrong in the breaker box, check it out and try to fix it. Your microwave oven should be turned on now.
Even after doing all these things in the breaker box, if you don’t have power with your microwave, jump into the next step. Your breaker box is okay, and you don’t have any issues with it.
Problem with the Door Switch
You all know that the easiest way to stop heating a microwave oven is, opening its door. Microwave ovens cut power, and lights go out at that moment when someone hit its “open door” button.
This one is one of the best ways to find out your problem. In most cases, a faulty door is the main reason for having no power in the microwave. That is the reason we are suggesting you check out it after the breaker box.
The door switch is also an interlock switch that passes signals to the other component of the microwave oven to start supplying power when the door is closed.
Here, if the door switch doesn’t work properly, the power of your microwave oven will not be turned on. That is why you need to test the door switch with a multimeter.
For doing that, at first, you need to unplug your microwave. Then, remove the door switch. Here, you may need to remove the cabinet as well to access it.
After removing it, take the multimeter and set it to Rx1 and depress the actuator button. Then, touch the terminal with the probes and check out that what reading you are receiving.
If you get a reading of “0”, then the door switch is okay. This “0” indicates continuity. In that case, you need to jump into the next problem.
Here, if your switch doesn’t have continuity, replace it with a new one. If all other things are okay, your microwave oven will be fixed.
Problem with the Ceramic Fuse
You may also have a problem with the ceramic fuse when your microwave is not turning on and the display is blank. Ceramic fuse is a crucial element of a microwave oven.
It protects the microwave from the danger of power fluctuations. If you found your door switch is okay, then you may have a damaged ceramic fuse. Before doing anything, here, you have to make sure that your microwave oven is unplugged.
To ensure that the ceramic fuse is damaged, you need to check its continuity with a multimeter. In that case, at first, you need to remove the fuse.
The ceramic fuse of a microwave is situated near the power cord. Remove the cabinet and then the ceramic fuse. Then take the multimeter and set it to Rx1.
Attach the probes to the terminals of the fuse and check the reading. It should be a reading of “0,” which indicated the continuity of the fuse.
If you find the continuity of the ceramic fuse, then attach it in the same position and jump into the next problem. You don’t have any problem with the ceramic fuse.
On the contrary, if the fuse of your microwave doesn’t have continuity, then purchase a new one and replace it in its position.
Then plug in the microwave and check out whether the power has come or not. If all other things are okay, the power should come back, and your microwave should be turned on.
Problem with the Thermal Fuse
A thermal fuse or cut-out prevents the microwave oven from being overheated. It is also one of the vital parts of a microwave. When this element fails, the microwave doesn’t turn on as a safety precaution to avoid the danger of being too hot.
So, the thermal fuse or cut-out problem can be the reason for not being turned on or having no power in your microwave. That is why you need to check this out also in case of fixing your issues.
In that case, you need to remove the cut-out or thermal fuse first. Again, make sure that your microwave oven is unplugged before start removing the thermal fuse. For removing it, you need to remove the cabinet and all other cables connected with the cut-out.
After removing it, set the multimeter Rx1 and attach the probes to the terminals. If the thermal fuse or cut-out works properly, you will get a reading of “0”. Otherwise, you have to buy a new cut out and then replace it. By doing these things, the power of your microwave should come.
Problem with the Door Latch Assembly
If you don’t have any problem door switch, ceramic fuse, and thermal fuse or cut out, you need to check another essential thing: the issues with the door latch assembly.
It can also be the reason for having no power in your microwave oven. The door latch of a microwave is made of a plastic hook. It sticks out of the door and signals the rest of the controls to supply power.
Well, for checking the door latch, you need to remove the door from the microwave oven. For removing it, remove the cabinet first. By removing the cabinet will easily allow you to remove the door.
After that, you need to remove the inner door trim which can be removed easily by a knife or screwdriver. By doing these, you will get access to the door latch. Check it out, especially the spring and the spring holder of the door.
In most cases, people get the door latch damaged, or the spring is not working. In that case, if you think it can be fixed by repair, then do it, or you can also replace the door latch with a new one as well. After fixing these issues, your microwave should have power now.
Wrapping Up
A microwave oven is a fundamental appliance in every kitchen. When it doesn’t work, a kitchen can’t run properly. Here, suddenly turning off and having no power is a common problem nowadays. As we are experts in this sector, we have found this one is a widespread issue now.
That is why in this article, we have given you a complete guide on how to fix a microwave with no power. We have provided five problems regarding this topic and the proven solutions to it. Indeed, you will get your situation and the solutions here
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are many frequently asked questions regarding this topic. Here are the answers of the most commons:
Frequently Asked Questions :
How Do You Fix a Microwave That Won't Turn On?
There have several reasons for not being turned on a microwave oven. Check the door switch and door latch first. If your find no issues, then check the ceramic fuse and thermal fuse or cut out. Replace the damaged one which is found in checking. Now, it will be turned on if all other things are okay.
Why Did My Microwave Suddenly Stop Working?
We must tell, there may have many reasons for it. However, the most common reason can be the failure of the main fuse or ceramic fuse. This fuse controls the power fluctuations in the microwave oven. The actions of all other fuses, like a thermal fuse or cut-out, cavity fuse, etc., are dependent on the main fuse. So, check it out and replace it if needed according to the given guide in this article.
How Can You Tell If a Microwave Fuse is Blown?
The most common cause for not turning on a microwave is a blown main fuse. You can only tell if a microwave fuse is blown after checking it by a multimeter. So, take the multimeter and set it to Rx1. Then attach the probes to the terminals of the fuse and check out what reading you are getting. If you get any reading except “0”, then you can tell the microwave fuse is blown.
Does a Microwave Have a Reset Button?
No, most of the microwave oven doesn’t have a reset button. But there is a prevalent way of resetting a microwave which is known as the hard reset. In that case, if you want to reset your microwave oven, you need to unplug the microwave physically. That’s it.
Are Microwaves Worth Repairing?
Most of the experts say that repairing a microwave is not worth it. Here the reason is that the average cost of repairing a microwave is $70 to $100, which is half of the cost of buying a new good quality microwave. However, if you can do it yourself or reduce the repairing cost, sometimes repairing is worth it.
