Microwave with electrical smell - repair or replace?

[JT Smith]

Our ten year old microwave oven has started to emit a slight burnt electrical smell when it's running. The display has been acting a bit odd for the last few years and it's a cheap, modern day piece of disposable electronics. But still the frugal person in me wonders: If the main working parts of the oven are fine and it's just the circuit board that's malfunctioning is it even halfway sensible to try and repair it? Or would any reasonable person simply chuck it and buy a new one?

 

[Baluncore]

Maybe it is a faulty component that smells, and it can be replaced by an electrician.

It is possible that dust, smoke, and moisture, from the kitchen have contaminated the internal surfaces of the high voltage electrical parts. A good cleaning by an electrician is really the only choice. The internal voltages are very dangerous.

You will need to hire an electrician, or buy a new microwave.
Microwaves are now cheaper than electricians.

 

[mcastillo356]

https://www.coastappliances.ca/blogs/learn/how-long-does-a-microwave-last

This link gives clues, and ads too. Too many ones (ads).

 

[JT Smith]

Our microwave sees relatively little use so it seems reasonable that it would last longer than average. Our previous one was over twenty years old before it gave up the ghost. The current one works fine. It just has an odor.

Maybe it is a faulty component that smells, and it can be replaced by an electrician.

It is possible that dust, smoke, and moisture, from the kitchen have contaminated the internal surfaces of the high voltage electrical parts. A good cleaning by an electrician is really the only choice. The internal voltages are very dangerous.

You will need to hire an electrician, or buy a new microwave.
Microwaves are now cheaper than electricians.

I'm aware of the relative cost of hiring a repairman versus a new microwave. That's been true for a long time. I was wondering if it's worth opening it up and seeing if it's something on the circuit board that has fried. Since it was behaving oddly it seemed to me like a possibility. I've had it open before (to remove the piezo). If it's the primary works that are failing then into the pile it goes. There's no way I'm going to mess with the high voltage.

 

[berkeman]

Our ten year old microwave oven has started to emit a slight burnt electrical smell when it's running.

I was wondering if it's worth opening it up and seeing if it's something on the circuit board that has fried.

Sorry, I need to close this thread. One common cause of a burnt electrical smell from a microwave oven is progressively shorting turns on the high voltage transformer feeding the magnetron. That is a bad thing, and could lead to a fire modulo the fuse blowing. Please take this advice and replace the inexpensive appliance:

Microwaves are now cheaper than electricians.