I’ve got a Kenmore microwave that’s at least 10 years old. It’s installed over the stove. The exhaust fan for the stove is under the microwave. There is also a little light to illuminate the stove under the microwave. Both the light and the fan are controlled from the microwave’s control panel.
The microwave is throwing an “-F6-” error. Googling is telling me that this is either a problem with the circuit board or with the door latches. I suspect it’s the door latches, since the door has been sticking for awhile now.
Here are the questions:
If it is the door latches, is this a repairable problem?
Would it be better from a long-term cost standpoint to have the microwave repaired or to buy a new one and have it installed? I’m not sure what the longevity is on a microwave, but if 10 years is pretty much the maximum life, I don’t want to keep plowing money into it if other stuff is likely to start failing soon.
If I do buy a new one, what kinds of things do I need to look at to make sure it will work in the existing setup? I don’t want to buy one, and have someone come out to install it, and have them tell me it won’t work because of some reason I haven’t thought of.
Who do I hire to install it? An electrician? A handyman?
I would try spraying a little bit of WD 40 on the latching mechanism to see if it loosens up.
If you get a new one I think that for over the range they are pretty standard in size. Sears can install it or give you the number of one of their trusted contractors to do so.
When our non-Kenmore over-the-stove microwave died from a lightning strike the landlord ordered a new one.
Only once the installer got here did he realize that the new one was taller than the old one. Ended up having to cut down the cabinets above the microwave to get it to fit at the right height over the stove top. Turned a simple job into a complicated mess.
So, no, not all have standard measurements. Measure twice, order once.
You could always call the Knopfler Brothers (aka Dire Straits). I hear they install microwave ovens (as well as refrigerators and color TVs). At least they used to. I guess that was before they started playing guitar on the MTV.
Yes, this is what I’m worried about. I know this seems kind of a silly question, but what should I measure for? I think I know what I should be doing, but I want to hear about common things that go wrong here.
Measure width, depth, and height. That should be easy enough with the old unit still in place.
It would be nice to take measurements of where exactly the mounting screws attach the unit to the wall, but you would have to remove the old unit to get at the back to take the measurements.
And presumably any new unit will have a sufficiently long power cord to reach the electrical outlet, but it would be nice to check lest you end up needing an electrician too.
Our new unit was installed by a handy man. After the cabinet reworking it was basically just some mounting screws into the wall and the job was done.
I had a microwave that lasted for about 10 years before it finally pooped out. When I mentioned this to the salesman who sold me my next microwave, he told me “you got your money’s worth”.
I’ve heard that most modern microwave ovens are cheap-ass units that don’t last anywhere near that long. Maybe you’ve gotten your money’s worth out of this oven too.
But if you think it’s just a door latch, that should be fixable. Assuming that parts are still available for an oven that old. Nearly the entire cost of a microwave oven is in the electronics and magnetron; those are the parts that, if they die, you might as well buy a whole new oven.
I would try spraying a little bit of WD 40 on the latching mechanism to see if it loosens up.
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This won’t work. Microwaves have 2 latch mechanisms, each has a microswitch that tells the controller that the door is safely closed. I have fixed half a dozen or so microwaves and have found these microswitches to be the problem most of the time.
The switches are labeled door sensing switch and secondary interlock switch in this schematic. http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/P9100281-00004.png Your oven may be different. All the ovens I have worked on have the schematic inside the cover.
Removing the microwave cover (unplug it first) should allow access to the switches and door latches. Clean the latches and verify the switches actually work. There are a few electrical things in these that can bite you even with it unplugged, if you are not comfortable working around electrical stuff like this, leave it to a pro.
They sure must be cheap-ass. I have a microwave (the only one I’ve ever owned) that I bought in the mid-80s (don’t remember the exact year). It still runs fine.
