Microwave? Fix or replace?

[puglogic]

So the microwave - about 15 years old -- gave up the ghost today with a mighty pop/crack.

I've looked at some DIY sites and am just backing away from trying to fix it.  Not good with electrical things in general, not sure of the cost of parts........am I wimping out by just replacing it?   WWMMMD?

[lizzzi]

I would replace it.

[Nords]

So the microwave - about 15 years old -- gave up the ghost today with a mighty pop/crack.
I've looked at some DIY sites and am just backing away from trying to fix it.  Not good with electrical things in general, not sure of the cost of parts........am I wimping out by just replacing it?   WWMMMD?

Do you have a local appliance repair shop in your area, or a handyman who repairs microwave ovens?

If the mighty pop/crack was the magnetron grounding out, then you'd enjoy a new modern one.  But it could also be a 50-cent temperature relay that fell apart, and it might be less hassle to have your old microwave back for $40 than to replace it for $150.

Another option would be to buy yourself a new microwave and offer the old one for sale on Craigslist for parts.

[lizzzi]

Nords, your reply was better than mine. But we only buy the cheap $50--$60 microwaves to begin with--like the ones purchased for a small office or for a college kid--and we keep them forever--so I was just thinking it wasn't worth the price and aggravation of dealing with a repairman.

[Elaine]

I say ditch the microwave and don't replace it! Mine died a couple years ago and we decided not to replace it- I have fiestaware dishes so I can warm stuff up in my oven right on the plate. I thought I would miss it hugely because we're big on leftovers- I literally never even think about it now, I can't believe I ever had one.

[rocksinmyhead]

I would probably replace it, because as lizzzi said I too have a historical tendency to just buy the really cheap microwaves.

that being said, I guess it depends on what the issue is and how quickly you can figure that out, because my boyfriend and I were just talking the other day about how pleased we were that last year we "repaired" our microwave instead of replaced it. our issue was that the little sheet of mica (I think that's what it is) on the inside had gotten a hole burned through it and that somehow caused occasional sparking when we ran the microwave (I'm not a microwave/appliance professional, if you can't tell). I was all "let's just replace it" but thankfully the bf put in more effort. we were able to buy replacement mica super cheap off Amazon, and it was really easy to replace (I assume... he did it). plus now we have extra sheets of mica if we have to do it again!

sorry if that was kind of irrelevant, just sharing a microwave-repair success story that makes me happy :)

[nordlead]

My approach would be to pull it apart, see if I can find a burnt location, look up the part and then decide based on costs and other factors (age of the microwave in question). If you can't find something burnt to a crisp, then it'll probably be too much effort to find the problem especially if you don't have a background in electronics.

[somepissedoffman]

If you scrap it, be sure to keep the transformer!:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Microwave-Transformer-Homemade-Welder/

[TLV]

Our microwave gave up the ghost about 10 days ago, and came to the same conclusion that trying to fix it probably isn't worth it. We've gone without since, but we're probably going to replace it (albeit probably a smaller, cheap one - we had a large one that probably cost $150 or so that we received as a wedding present). There are two things that we do on almost a daily basis that we find very frustrating without it:
* Softening butter to spread on toast (room temp is too low in winter to just leave the butter on the counter)
* Reheating leftovers (takes way longer, adds extra dishes to clean up, and generally feels like more work than cooking the meal in the first place was)

[lentilman]

If you scrap it, be sure to keep the transformer!:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Microwave-Transformer-Homemade-Welder/

There is a sobering comment in the comments section:

"sandra.nunn says: 2 years agoReply
On July 5, 2011 our son was accidentally electrocuted to death in our driveway. He was building, what we and the police believe to be this apparatus. The last website on his computer was this one and there was a microwave oven that was partially disassembled on his bed. He was not wearing gloves. He was 20 years old and is expecting a baby. The loss we have suffered is great. We feel that your site minimized the actual danger involved when working with such a powerful high voltage piece of equipment. Your warning disclaimer was followed by the statement: "That said, try this at home!". Further down your site states "Invite your non-hardware oriented pals to help dissect your donor appliances." Twenty year-olds tend to see themselves as invincible, and danger and death sometimes doesn't seem real to them. Your statement, "You could die...", really did happen- to our son."

[Dee18]

My microwave died last year.  I read reviews and ended up buying my first Kenmore appliance, an 1100 watt microwave for about $65 on sale. Works great and has al lthe features I could want.

[Nords]

so I was just thinking it wasn't worth the price and aggravation of dealing with a repairman.

I learned most of my handyman troubleshooting & repair skills because of this issue.

[MrsPete]

The microwave I'd had since college broke, and we replaced it.  We've been pleasantly surprised:  Not only is this one more compact, its much faster than the old one.  I can only assume that the technology has improved significantly in the years since college.  And it was less than $100.

[rocksinmyhead]

The microwave I'd had since college broke, and we replaced it.  We've been pleasantly surprised:  Not only is this one more compact, its much faster than the old one.  I can only assume that the technology has improved significantly in the years since college.  And it was less than $100.

this is my favorite thing about being frugal. if you don't replace things like cars/TVs/appliances until they are at least 10-15 years old, the new one ALWAYS seems super amazing!!!!!! ...even if it is basically the cheapest version available at the time of purchase. the magic of technology :)

[PMG]

I've gone microwave free.  I use a toaster oven or stove top to heat leftovers.  Honestly I have only used my "real" over twice since I got the toaster oven a year ago.  Check it out.  They use a lot less energy than a big oven and those "health nuts" often complain about how bad microwaves are.  I'm not interested in debating that, but I do find my toaster oven almost as easy to use.

A toaster oven will vary in price about as much as a microwave. Woot had a really nice Breville oven for $99 yesterday. 

[greenmimama]

We also don't own a microwave on purpose, and we have a cheap toaster oven from Menards, like $20 and it works great! we use it probably 5 times a day on average.