How can I repair the turntable floor in a microwave oven?

[MM]

I have a Sanyo domestic microwave oven approximately 8 years old that still functions all right. The problem is that the floor of the oven on which the glass turntable rotates on its spindle is rusted through in one or two places. The turntable still rotates okay, but if the floor is left to rust through further, sooner or later the little carrier wheels that support the turntable will get trapped and the turntable will lock up or something.

How could I repair the base of the oven? I have thought of Kurust first, followed by a layer of epoxy resin soaked fibreglass from Halfords. Any other ideas? It seems daft to buy a new microwave if the actual heating feature works fine.

Similar oven here:

MM

[Fash]

I'd say you were wrong about the daftness. 1. Would you cook in a rusty saucepan? 2. If the holes are of any size then the microwave cavity will no longer be intact which is not a good thing. 3. They're cheap, one like the picture you linked to will cost you all of =A325 in Asda or somewhere similar. If you value your time at all then it's cost effective to replace. You'll spend half the replacement cost on 'stuff' and then time as well and still be left with a crappy old microwave anyway. If it makes you feel bad then make sure you recycle it nicely. Design life is ~5 years so even if you do fix it the microwave generator will probably pack up soon anyway!

Fash

[:Jerry:]

Your problem is any repair is going to have to be 'invisible' to the microwaves, otherwise you will cook your repair along with your ready meals, not only that but if the microwaves get deflected and your door seal is not 100 percent you might also cook yourself!

Quite frankly, whilst I know that this is a DIY group, with new microwaves being circa 50 UKP in the supermarkets....

[Harry Bloomfield]

MM formulated the question :

Any small metal particals which become detached from the oven case will causing arcing and burning - which is why rust in an oven gets rapidly worse. Any repair you needs to be well bonded to the rest of the case liner, if it is at all conductive to microwaves and any holes in the lining can permit microwaves to escape and put you at risk. So generally the only sensible economic option is to buy a new oven and if you want longevity, get a stainless lined one.

[Tony Bryer]

I had exactly the same thing happen on my LG. In the early days a bit of foil causes some arcing which took the paint off under the turntable and I failed to touch it up. Of course moisture collects there, so the bare spot is repeatedly dosed with boiling water so rusts all the quicker. It's a good reason to buy one with a SS interior, though they tend to be more expensive.

[meow2222]

here:

> MM

Really not a smart idea. Rust holes are an immediate safety test failure as they tend to let the microwave radiation out. Time for a new oven. Next time keep an eye open and sort any rust long before it gets that bad.

NT

[MM]

here:

>>> MM

Yeah, I just thought it was gravy stains...

Anyway, you've all twisted my arm! I'm off to Comet in a few minutes.

MM

[Lurch]

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:31:30 +0100, MM mused:

here:

>>>>> MM

Oh dear. I'd have maybe avoided Comet and all the other useless big stores. I get most things cheaper and with better service from local independent retailers.

[MM]

here:

>>>>>>> MM

In the end I bought it from Sainsbury's. I tried the local independent: Daywoo: £37. Spalding independent: Sanyo: £59. Boston Comet: £39.99. Sainsbury's: Own brand: £23.97. All are manual. I don't need fancy pushbuttons on the front panel. The Sanyo was 800W, all the others 700W. It'll suit my minimal requirements for a few years, no doubt. Shame they're all boring white nowadays. I wouldn't touch a silver one with a bargepole; they look totally naff. Sainsbury's also had a stainless steel own brand one for another four quid, but that looked totally naff as well. Hinari do pale blue or pale yellow (cream) ones, but Hinari haven't much of a reputation, I think. And anyway, they were way more expensive.

MM

[Owain]

Don't you clean your microwave?

Spraypaint?

Owain

[RedOnRed]

> MM

When our Panasonic microwave failed after about 5 years I took it off for repair and was quoted about £125 when a brand new one was 20 quid more.

Needless to say we went for a brand new one.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Sorry, but that's an immediate PAT test failure because of microwave leakage. You need to render it unusable (cut the mains cord off right up against where it enters the case) and dispose of it. Repairing it safely and correctly would be much more expensive than a replacement.

[meow2222]

Theyre a tenth the price now, but will they last a tenth as long?

NT

[MM]

Every now and then... More then than now...

Good idea! I've sprayed loads of things in the past, including a Ford Popular.

MM

[MM]

Who knows? My 14" Sony Portable TV is still going strong after sixteen years. It broke a few days after the guarantee expired when it was two years old, and I thought, oh, right, planned obsolescence. But since the repair it's worked fine. The front panel covering the tuning gubbins fell off ages ago, but the TV works fine. It'll probably still be working when I buy my first digital TV in around 2016.

MM

[MM]

>>> MM

I know. And the council keeps telling us to recycle. How much better to design things to be repairable, as once was the norm. Imagine just buying ONE washing machine, ONE toaster and never having to buy another. I mean, what washing machine is dumped because the drum is worn out? Same with the outer casing. The modern way is designed only to suit fat capitalists. Think of the work there'd be for thouands of trained workers to repair appliances. Much more rewarding, mentally and physically, than a call centre. I imagine a world in which the local Replacement Officer calls unannounced to remove your appliances that are older than, say, six months. "Sorry, Mrs Jones, but you know the law. New one every quarter, otherwise it's a £5,000 fine and two years in the slammer." Well, this IS Britain, after all. A place where the state can get away with anything.

MM

[MM]

Okay, okay, hofficer! I'll come clean! Look, no guns! No, that's just a table leg! I was trying to render the microwave unusable. ID card? DNA sample? What else do you need? Oh, my fingerprints. Right-o.

MM

[John A Knight]

replying to MM, John A Knight wrote:

know this is a very dated post, however I'd like to post a more constructive reply.

Q: how to "*/_repair_/*" a hole in a microwave oven?

The internet is a network of information, unfortunately we did not find it here, I will continue my research into this topic, I will update my reply when I have a tried and tested repair method(s), ***for now, for all of us who share this problem I recommend following the warning signs on the kitchen appliance (do not place mental or foods that increase in pressure has they cook ect.) if the hole in the microwave oven is bigger then 2 inches for your safety I recommend

*/_not_/* using the microwave oven, if the hole is 2 inches or smaller I recommend keeping it isolated (away from anything that's a fire hazard), putting it in a clay or dish tray and leaving the kitchen while your meal is prepared.***

This is just my opinion and I do not wish to impose it on to anyone, it's easy to through money at problem rather then maintain it, I believe there's no harm in trying to be self-sufficient and acquire a new skill.

I hope this helps everyone a bit.

Thank you for the thread MM.

[tabbypurr]

That site's info re hole size & leakage is complete ballcocks.

What a surprise.

NT

[Graham.]

Clearly the OP needed to buy a new microwave, but from an RF perspective the information on that scienceabc.com page is actually quite accurate.