A few months ago, my microwave started tripping the circuit breaker whenever anyone pulled the door open while the magnetron was running. It never happened when we paused or stopped cooking before opening the door. Yesterday, my daughter pulled the door open in that specific manner and the microwave stopped working altogether. I checked the breaker and it wasn't tripped. It seemed the microwave was bricked.
Today I had the opportunity to open it and I found that the internal fuse was blown. The unit had a service pamphlet tucked inside so i pulled it out and looked it over. There was a whole section about a "monitor switch". I had to google what that was and interestingly enough, its function is to blow the fuse if it is still closed while the magnetron is energized i.e. door open and magnetron on. Being a 20 amp fuse it was a toss up whether the internal fuse blew or the house circuit breaker tripped. Finally, yesterday, the internal fuse bit the dust.
In poking around inside, I found that the monitor switch was very loose in its mount. A layer of tape tightened it up. Apparently the loose switch was still closed while the door interlock switches said the door was open and magnetron running. The tape tightened the switch in its mount and fixed the issue.
I guess this post is a heads up that GE microwaves have a monitor switch.
It's also a bit of a complaint that there's no indication of that specific fault. Those who are less technically inclined would likely have tossed the unit and bought a new one. This despite the possibility of a cheap fix.
Today I had the opportunity to open it and I found that the internal fuse was blown. The unit had a service pamphlet tucked inside so i pulled it out and looked it over. There was a whole section about a "monitor switch". I had to google what that was and interestingly enough, its function is to blow the fuse if it is still closed while the magnetron is energized i.e. door open and magnetron on. Being a 20 amp fuse it was a toss up whether the internal fuse blew or the house circuit breaker tripped. Finally, yesterday, the internal fuse bit the dust.
In poking around inside, I found that the monitor switch was very loose in its mount. A layer of tape tightened it up. Apparently the loose switch was still closed while the door interlock switches said the door was open and magnetron running. The tape tightened the switch in its mount and fixed the issue.
I guess this post is a heads up that GE microwaves have a monitor switch.
It's also a bit of a complaint that there's no indication of that specific fault. Those who are less technically inclined would likely have tossed the unit and bought a new one. This despite the possibility of a cheap fix.