I happened to be round my old Mums yesterday when she used the microwave and noticed she was having to hold the start button it to keep it running. In fact it turns out you only have to hold it in for a few seconds (~10?) then it seems to 'take' and is ok from then on.
So, anyone know what's behind these buttons and more importantly, is there anything that could be 'serviced' do you know please?
Are we talking just a sticky solenoid or some such?
Cheers, T i m
p.s. I know they are pretty cheap these days but I know if I suggested getting a new (I'd get her a new one) one she would say it doesn't matter or that she doesn't use it that often etc.
Not quite sure that's in he spirit of d-i-y but ...
Well it might not be. Like, if the solution was a quick spray with some WD40 then that's more simples than going to a shop, buying another one, distracting Mum while I pull the old one out ... ;-)
True, but microwaves are dodgy bastards at the best of times and when you've been bounced off the opposite kitchen wall because you inadvertantly touched a capacitor, and are lying in a dead heap with mum trying to revive you with the wrinkly kiss of life, you'll be thinking 'Mungo was right... I should have gone to Argos".
[1] Joking aside I am aware that there are some nasty things about and hence 1) why I asked here and 2) would have stopped once it was obvious it may involve a) too much effort or b) going near anything likely to treat me how you described.
Or I could take it to the scrap yard when I go there with other stuff but I'm not sure how that gets Mums Microwave working 100%?
Like, our tumble dryer could have gone to the scrap at least 3 times in the past, had I not bothered to take a look and be able to fix it (often at little material cost). Same with the 1 year old 'irreparable washing machine we got via Freecycle than has doing stirling service now for nearly a year.
My point was that scrapping something should be a last resort shouldn't it?
I've just put the newly trimmed end in the screw connector on the chock block in there. (on several machines now).
My last one from Freecycle was a DC07 hat was just bunged up. Before that it was a DC05 with the cord broken a the plug end.
I guess some people look at the time they would spend and cost that against either earning money doing what they do or doing something more interesting. For others, repairing stuff 'is' interesting and the reward isn't financial but knowing you have maybe saved something from landfill or gained something you wouldn't have had otherwise. In fact, many of my cycles, motorbikes, cars, computers and gadgets in general have come that way. "Ere, this laptop has no backlight, any use to you for spares or summat?" One new back light later (shipped from the States 1/2 the price I could get one here (at £20 delivered)) and I've got myself a laptop.
However, there are times when, all things considered it doesn't make good sense (like the risk of electrocution from a Microwave etc) and you have to let go. I won't go up on the roof for example. It's not that I'm afraid of heights it's just that the risks and effort (to me) outweigh the cost of getting someone else to do it.
The best VFM so far was the old Rover a mate sold to me for £100 because it had "loads of things needed doing and I'm fed up with it". Seven years and little expense later it's still plodding along. ;-)
Sorry, I can't make the connection between 'practical' , the time taken and 'free'? [1]
How is me not fixing it going to prevent it going to landfill?
How is me being given a working one for nothing going to give me the buzz (excuse the pun) I would get from repairing this one for_my_Mum?
Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't big enough or if it wasn't working at all or if it was noisy I probably wouldn't hesitate in taking it down the dump, but isn't.
The last but one time Mum mentioned her washing machine wasn't working I brazed a motor mounting plate back on with one of those little portable brazing kits (5+ years ago). The last time it was the large drive pulley had come off. In both cases my questions to her were 'do you want a new one and is this one washing badly?' On both occasions she answered 'No, as long as you can fix it easily' so that's what I did.
Cheers, T i m
[1] To extend the meaning of practical a bit further, isn't it possible a spray of (say) WD40 could be more 'practical' than having to go and get another Microwave (free or otherwise) and disposing of the old one?
Too right! I am fortunate in having spent most of my working life in the repair of consumer electrical and electronic goods to component level, so I keep existing stuff going rather than buy anything new.
I can take things to extremes though, like the >30 year old Glow-Worm that I've kept going!
And the things is, there are times when the 'modern' replacement really isn't as good (in use or longevity) than the old stuff we repair.
kept going!
Now, there are some who would just rip that out and replace it with something more efficient but to get that efficiency is more e complex. Complex often means two things .... more stuff to go wrong and less chance of yer ordinary d-i-y man fixing the broken bits. So that means a guy, driving a van has to come to your house and replace an entire (often expensive) unit because the individual parts aren't (commercially) available and you can't do it yourself (even if you could legally etc).
I have just rejuvenated an American router motor that was refused by a local power tool shop as they 'couldn't do it' and our own tumble dryer for the sake of cleaning out both motor bearings.
Luckily both items looked like they were designed to be taken to bits.
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