Another YouTube Rescue

News2u

So the other day our 10 year old microwave decides to do everything but heat...which is kind of why you have one in the first place.  I mean, the light would go on, the turntable would spin and all the digital timers would count down, but no heat. A quick browse of the web reveals practically the only major thing that ever goes out on a microwave is its heating element, what's called a magnetron. Anyway, a YouTube fix was a mouse click away. So the wife and I carefully removed the oven from its bracket:

Out with the old and in with the new magnetron -- not to be confused with a flux capacitor, which, as we all know, is for time travel. There is also a diode you'll need to replace.  A YouTube paint-by-numbers fix -- bing, bang, boom.


The 2 parts cost $143 ($108 for the magnetron, $35 for the diode). The same parts on newer models should run you no more than $90. I could have bought a new microwave that matched our GE Profile smooth-top for about $250. But the mounting bracket was already there on the wall, and the parts were delivered to our doorstep. So why not roll the dice? Well, she's back up heating yesterday's cook from the smoker and working like new.

WeberWho

The most important part is the satisfaction of fixing something! Nicely done!

I still have battle wounds from doing my rear drum brakes a few weeks ago. I could have sat in an air conditioned waiting room for an hour and been done with them but I decided to wrestle them for a whole day. I question many of my decisions when I'm about mid way through a project. The gratification when I'm done usually trumps the headaches of the task. 

Aviator

Strong work there, buddy. Way to go.

News2u

WeberWho said:

The most important part is the satisfaction of fixing something! Nicely done!

I still have battle wounds from doing my rear drum brakes a few weeks ago. I could have sat in an air conditioned waiting room for an hour and been done with them but I decided to wrestle them for a whole day. I question many of my decisions when I'm about mid way through a project. The gratification when I'm done usually trumps the headaches of the task. 

Been there, done that.

CtTOPGUN

 Good job tackling that repair. I service appliances and if a 10 year old unit needs that much work it certainly is not cost effective to fix it if paying retail. You got real lucky that these parts actually fixed it. There are way more possibilities that match the symptoms and a magnetron really does not fail all that often. But all's well that ends well!

  

 

News2u

CtTOPGUN said:

 Good job tackling that repair. I service appliances and if a 10 year old unit needs that much work it certainly is not cost effective to fix it if paying retail. You got real lucky that these parts actually fixed it. There are way more possibilities that match the symptoms and a magnetron really does not fail all that often. But all's well that ends well!

I know just enough to be dangerous, if that reveals anything about my instincts. When everything else worked, but no heat, I felt it was a pretty good wager to focus on the magnetron. It's also pops up in spell-check, so with a frequency like that ... what more did I need to know?  

 

Focker

Nice work.

I too, get some joy out of troubleshooting.

Saved myself a few hundred bucks by cleaning out my EGR on the Taco instead of a shop chucking it and charging for a replacement.  

News2u

Focker said:

Nice work.

I too, get some joy out of troubleshooting.

Saved myself a few hundred bucks by cleaning out my EGR on the Taco instead of a shop chucking it and charging for a replacement.  

From News2u: "That's trusting your instincts. But, point is, if I didn't have YouTube to lean on I wouldn't have even bothered.

Remember it wasn't too long ago that you had to call around for estimates; pay a minimum $90 fee for the house call even if there was nothing wrong; make sure someone 18 or older would be there when the tech arrived; take a day off from work to be available either in the morning or afternoon, only to have to wait till tomorrow or whenever cuz the office overbooked the tech and he couldn't make it as scheduled.

Now, those were the good old days."