iono1
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Post by iono1 on Jul 10, 2015 10:57:14 GMT -5
I buy cheap microwave ovens (around $100) and they only last about 2-3 years. The latest one was about 2 years old & it just died in the middle of cooking something-the timer kept going but nothing was happening. I tried to get it to work but each time I tried the timer would work but the oven didn't. It went down to the microwave grave in my basement & I went and got a new one for about $110.
Is this typical for cheap microwaves & would I do better getting more expensive ones? I know people who have the same microwave ovens for years yet mine go every 2-3 years. I've been in my house 12 years & have 4 microwave oven boxes in my basement.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Jul 10, 2015 10:59:00 GMT -5
I've never replaced one before. How's that? So... at least 5-6 years each based on my last few houses (with built ins).
I would suggest buying a nice one.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jul 10, 2015 11:03:12 GMT -5
The one the builder put in our house lasted 3.5 years and I expect it was one of the cheapest models. We bought one a little nicer (maybe a step above bottom) and it's been about 4 years and still going. I would be happy with 10 years for appliances but I don't know how realistic that is for things now. We've been here almost 8 years (everything was new when we moved in) and the microwave is the only thing that has gone so far.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Jul 10, 2015 11:04:39 GMT -5
I've had a cheap one ($60 or so) for 11 years now. Still works fine, we put it in the basement when we moved in so it's not used very often anymore. We have the built-in microwave over our stove that was installed when the house was build 12 years ago.
I've never had a microwave die on me, but they crap out here at work all the time. Maybe I just don't use it often enough?
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snapdragon
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Post by snapdragon on Jul 10, 2015 11:09:33 GMT -5
Could you check the voltage on your outlet? It sounds like it is possibly fluctuating and maybe killing them faster. I know it happens with bulbs so it can happen with outlets. Especially if there are several things plugged into the circuit.
My microwave has lasted over 10 years and is still doing well.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Jul 10, 2015 11:35:43 GMT -5
I have one of those GE over the stove kind. I bought the house 8.5 years ago & it came with so I don't how long it was in before I bought it. The one in my rental is the same only stainless & hard vented & I put it in 12 years ago & still working.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jul 10, 2015 11:38:27 GMT -5
I've had my microwve\convection oven combo since 1996. Still going strong. Will hate when it dies since counter top combos are not to common any more or cost a lot. At least that's what I found last time I checked. Luckily I found replacement part online.
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kent
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Post by kent on Jul 10, 2015 11:41:13 GMT -5
One of the main reasons they conk out is too much ambient heat if it's a built in vs. countertop unit. We have a built in and I drilled several "breather" holes under it and it's doing just fine.
I didn't know abut this(breather hole) with the old unit and found myself changing the internal thermostat unit about one a year (about $26 for a DIY fix)
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emma1420
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Post by emma1420 on Jul 10, 2015 11:42:55 GMT -5
My last bargain basement microwave was 15 years old when I got rid of it. It still worked, but the inside had chipped away. It was gross. I figure if I get 5-10 years out of the new one I'd be happy.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Jul 10, 2015 11:45:49 GMT -5
I had one from 1981 that lasted till 2003. I got a Panasonic 1200 watt from Walmart for $125.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jul 10, 2015 12:06:17 GMT -5
I got rid of mine when it died in 2009.
I never replaced it and have never missed it. $$ and counter space saved!
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jul 10, 2015 12:29:16 GMT -5
My parents bought me one when I went to college in 1993. It died about 2-3 years ago, so about 20 years?
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Jul 10, 2015 12:30:25 GMT -5
They seem to work forever in my book.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 10, 2015 12:38:47 GMT -5
Mine will be 10 years old next year. I think I paid $50 for it while I was in college. I don't think I could kill if it I tried.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 10, 2015 12:42:58 GMT -5
Ours is 15 years old and still works. We don't use it very much. In fact, it's in the basement. I would happily replace it with an itty bitty dorm microwave because it's used so infrequently.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jul 10, 2015 13:22:49 GMT -5
... it just died in the middle of cooking something-the timer kept going but nothing was happening. I tried to get it to work but each time I tried the timer would work but the oven didn't. ... Sounds like the microwave cartridge is empty. Have you tried replacing it?
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 10, 2015 13:30:24 GMT -5
I inherited a counter top microwave (probably one of the early models when microwaves were a bit past being 'new') that lived to be about 25 years old - it suffered a terrible death when the transformer in the alley blew up and sent a backlash of electicity back into all the houses. The microwave's fuse blew AND part of it's circuitry melted. I lost an answering machine too... my neighbor's lost a TV and another lost a garage fridge and a dryer over all that was an exceptional and terrible day. I then bought an on sale 30 dollar "dorm room" style counter top type microwave that is still going strong - I'll guess it's been 10 years. That said, the fancy smancy expensive over the stove microwave in my rental died after just under 5 years. I suspect I'll get about 5 years from the new $250 fancy smancy microwave that replaced it. My friends and relatives seem to replace their microwaves (the over the stove kind) about every 3 to 5 years. Maybe it depends on the location of the microwave as to how long it lives? FWIW: it might just be the microwave's fuse that has failed. If you feel brave and are mechanically inclined - you could attempt to remove the microwave's case, find the fuse, run out to the hardware store to see if they have replacement fuses (should be $5 or less would be my best guess). I have heard of people doing this - usually an older guy who's comfortable taking stuff apart. I DID take the case off my 25 year old microwave - in hopes that it just needed a new fuse - but it was way worse the circuitry melted (which was comforting to me - since I smelled something burning/burned after the Transformer mishap. The Fire Department did go house to house and was checking walls/wiring to make sure there weren't any fires/hot spots... and my house was ok... but the smell made me paranoid.)
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jul 10, 2015 14:57:14 GMT -5
They seem to work forever in my book. Mine do too. I've never had one break down, countertop or over-the-stove. Sometimes I give them away just so I can go buy a new one.
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Jul 10, 2015 15:13:42 GMT -5
It sounds like your problems are stemming from an operater error. My parents have had 2 microwaves in their 35 years at their house. I don't know if they got it right when they moved in, but it lasted all the way up until they remodeled their kitchen like 15 years ago. I bought a microwave in 2004 and it lasted until I sold the house in 2011. I moved into my house in 2011 and still have the same one. Honestly, I thought Microwaves were like VCRs. They'll last as long as you want to keep them
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 17:10:18 GMT -5
My Mom and Aunt pitched in and bought me a fancy-dancy microwave for my new place when I was pregnant with my son. He's almost 23yo now and I've never replaced it. But..... a few months ago, I was using it and noticed the timer was still counting down but the microwave wasn't doing anything. I pressed the button to open the door and discovered that with the right amount of pressure on the button, the microwave would stay on.
I don't use the microwave a lot, so I keep forgetting to put "microwave" on my "to buy" list. I should probably go do that now.....
I also had a built-in microwave that was already installed when I bought this house. I don't know how old it was when I bought the house. I hardly ever used it because it had a rack in it that was in the way, the other one was more convenient. I think it was something else in addition to a microwave. It stopped working several years later when my kids set my stove on fire trying to fry some chicken. I replaced that microwave with a range hood.
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mrnewengland
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Post by mrnewengland on Jul 10, 2015 18:22:29 GMT -5
Microwaves never break. The technology just improves so quickly they become obsolete.
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phil5185
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Post by phil5185 on Jul 10, 2015 18:45:35 GMT -5
The Magnetron is very sensitive to voltage fluctuations. The voltage regulators on the low-cost microwaves are probably not as good as the expensive ones. But look at your wall plug-in - a loose connection could be causing the failures. The microwave might run for a few seconds, then the connection heats up and the impedance (in the connector) shifts and causes the voltage to fluctuate. That fluctuation, repeated daily over a year or two, might be burning up the magnetrons.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Jul 10, 2015 18:59:01 GMT -5
I've moved a lot so microwaves cycle in and out of my life accordingly. I've never had one break and never spent more than $50 on one. My current is probably about 3 years old. The microwave at work has been employed longer than I have, at least 8 years, and still works just dandy, although it has always had this weird glitch where it goes into a faux cycle if the door is closed to quickly.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 19:05:38 GMT -5
I buy around $100 or less microwaves (me & both kids) and they all still run fine, so at least 5 years old on all of them.
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cranberry
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Post by cranberry on Jul 10, 2015 20:09:20 GMT -5
Last winter I replaced one that lasted about 10 years.
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iono1
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Post by iono1 on Jul 11, 2015 9:34:30 GMT -5
The Magnetron is very sensitive to voltage fluctuations. The voltage regulators on the low-cost microwaves are probably not as good as the expensive ones. But look at your wall plug-in - a loose connection could be causing the failures. The microwave might run for a few seconds, then the connection heats up and the impedance (in the connector) shifts and causes the voltage to fluctuate. That fluctuation, repeated daily over a year or two, might be burning up the magnetrons. That sounds like the most likely thing since the other posts indicate that my microwaves shouldn't be burning out at the rate they are. I had it plugged into the plug-in with the ground fault interrupter & I have moved it to the regular plug since the ground fault interrupter outlet may be defective. I won't know if this will work for a few years, but it's worth the try.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2015 9:19:37 GMT -5
DH and I replaced our microwave 3 times in the 12 years we owned the last house. Once it was the built-in oven + microwave combo when the oven failed (not sure how long the previous owners had it). After that we had a carpenter build a shelf above the new oven and we put a freestanding microwave in it. It probably lasted 9 years. I'm not enamored of built-in microwaves because they're so expensive to replace.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Jul 12, 2015 10:13:42 GMT -5
9.675 years!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 12, 2015 10:21:08 GMT -5
My cheap $100 one I bought in 2000 I gave to my brother in 2013, and it still worked well. It is still working for him....so 15 years last month.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Jul 12, 2015 10:23:21 GMT -5
Personally, I like a small microwave. I don't need a big honking one because I don't cook in it. Just use it to heat up some leftovers and defrost. I got one at Walmart and it works great and have had it a couple of years.
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