I started the microwave tonight and a strange sound - metallic crackling - started instantly with the start button being pushed. It seemed to be coming from the left side. The microwave was operating, fan & lights working, timer & keypad are fine. We stopped and restarted several times and it was always there, occasionally on and off, but mostly constant. We tried to cook some hotdogs to see what would happen (our instinct was to not use it at all - it was a bad sound!), and two times, on the auto heat setting and just a simple timed setting, they were really overcooked. We cook hotdogs all the time, so could tell that it was responding the way it normally does. We've had no problems until this and use it regularly... It is maybe 3 years old, the only other problem was a fuse we needed to replace, which I understand is standard on these. There may have been a faint odor, but it wasn't strong enough to say for sure - I was cooking and I couldn't tell for certain if what I was noticing was really there - my husband didn't notice an odor. Any idea what this might be and if it is something we can try to do, or even worth the repair? Thank yoU!!
It sounds like either your inverter is producing too high a voltage, or your magnetron may be damaged, causing it to overcook. In either case, it definitely needs professional attention. There are very high voltages involved. Since it's out of warranty, the repair charges would likely run about $75-90 labor for in-home service (less if you carry it in) and about $40-75 for parts depending on which is bad. If you run into a technician who can repair the inverter instead of just swapping it, you might save a bit.
Posted on Nov 01, 2006
238 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×