Power surges can cause serious damage to any household appliance. To avoid having to spend money on frequent repairs, or even worse, buy new equipment, manufacturers have come up with simple protection in the form of a fuse. It takes the full impact of the voltage drop and burns out, saving the more significant parts of the device from such a fate. Subsequently, you only need to replace this inexpensive part, and any equipment will work like new. However, not everyone knows where it is. Therefore, replacing the fuse in a microwave will be discussed in detail below.
Microwave oven device
The heart of a microwave oven is a magnetron, the antenna of which supplies high-frequency waves to a special chamber. This radiation passes through a waveguide that transmits radio waves only at the operating frequency (2.4 GHz). It is protected from the ingress of fat and food particles during cooking by a special lid made of mica. The property of this material is such that it easily transmits high-frequency radiation, but does not conduct back electricity, which can arise as a result of improper operation of the furnace . Namely, this phenomenon is fraught with failure of the magnetron.
The operating principle of a microwave oven is as follows. The food, slowly rotating on the plate, is evenly processed by the flow of electrons, which affect the water included in its composition. This process is accompanied by the release of heat, which helps to warm up the food. The design of the chamber is designed in such a way that radiation cannot escape beyond its boundaries, which means it is safe for humans, whose body, as is known, consists of 80% liquid.
Important! In order for the magnetron to generate its waves, a high-voltage transformer is included in the microwave circuit, which provides the lamp with the required voltage. It is this part of the furnace that is most vulnerable to power surges in the household electrical network.
Replacing a failed fuse
In order to understand whether the fuse inside the case is intact, it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance after a strong voltage surge (in some modern models there is a diagnostic system that itself signals a breakdown). If they fail, these fuses must be replaced.
For most microwave ovens, the replacement process is identical and occurs in several stages:
- The safety fuses for the vast majority of microwave ovens are located inside the metal casing on the back side . In order to dismantle the cover, you need to use a screwdriver and unscrew several screws from the back of the case (their number can vary from 4 to 8-10);
- The fuse is located near the power input and is held in place by special latches, from which it must be removed, having first disconnected the microwave from the electrical network;
- Then it is necessary to visually and technically record the integrity of the device. If it fails with visual damage, which can be identified by the burnout of the wire in the bulb, it turns black. The performance of the device is also checked using a multimeter. When producing a microwave, the manufacturer often indicates the rated power of the fuse; if this does not happen, you must carefully examine the flask; it must indicate how many amperes the current is;
- In order to replace the fuse, you need to find a similar one, since replacing it with a device with a different power will lead to failure of the entire microwave oven. Large manufacturers have an extensive network of service centers, especially in large cities, so finding a suitable replacement for a popular microwave model will not be difficult (the cost of such products directly depends on the manufacturer, brand and model of the oven and varies from 100 to 2000 rubles). If the model does not belong to a popular brand, the task becomes more complicated and it is necessary to purchase a fuse of similar power and design (fortunately, there are enough manufacturers of universal fuses on the market);
- The safety rules when working with a fuse include several simple rules . In order to remove the device, you must use special pliers and try not to touch the remaining parts of the metal case while working, as they can retain an electrical charge.
You may also be interested in information about how to use a Samsung microwave oven with grill and convection.
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Video: how to check if it’s burned out and replace it with a new one
The video shows how to replace the fuse in detail:
This information will help you understand which microwave oven is best to use and what parameters should be used to choose them.
The purpose of fuses in a microwave oven
The fuse is a metal thread passing through a glass or ceramic bulb. It is covered with a protective sheath so that when a thin wire burns, molten splashes do not damage other parts.
Kinds
There are three types of fuses installed in a microwave oven:
- network;
- high voltage;
- for electronic control.
Purpose
The mains fuse serves as protection against both voltage surges and short circuits. It is installed directly on the input cord. The part can be considered universal, since it responds to any danger, disconnecting the microwave oven from the network.
The high-voltage fuse provides protection exclusively to the main components of the furnace - the transformer with the magnetron. In case of network congestion, it cuts off power only from these nodes. Therefore, when a part burns, it visually looks like the oven continues to work: there is lighting and sound, the table even rotates, but the product does not heat up. This fuse is located near the transformer. It is enclosed in a separate plastic case with latches. In some cases, when a high-voltage fuse blows, it can trip the circuit breaker on the common panel, which will cut off power to the entire house.
The control module generally requires little voltage. Therefore, to protect the unit, another plug is installed on top of the primary winding of a separate low-power converter that powers the electronic control panel. It is quite difficult to change it, since the part is specially insulated. But in Samsung models, the fuse is located directly on the control module board, which makes access to it much easier.
Before you buy a microwave oven, you need to check which fuses are on the selected model. Some manufacturers do not install high voltage protection on their products . For example, Sharp models do not have it. Therefore, only one fuse will provide protection against all possible threats - the network fuse. And in some cases this is not enough.
Important! The function of the mains fuse is to turn off the magnetron only in the event of a fairly long period of exposure to double load on the transformer. This time is often enough for the two most important components in a microwave oven to fail.
Tags: Samsung microwave, microwave repair, microwave fuse
Comments 69
I disassembled and threw away the microwave in the same way. I only left the transformer from it, I’ll probably do resistance welding.
Well done of course! But! if it burns out again, be sure to remove the middle door mic, I probably saw them inside when I removed the panel, 3 of them, two with two wires, and one with three, here is the one with three, you can take it apart and look, usually there is carbon deposits on the contacts inside it
it was possible to solder 1 thin wire to a relative and then the repair would be completely free
