A microwave is an easy tool used to heat up food quickly for leftovers, snacks, and even meals, but it can be frustrating when your microwave isn’t working properly. If you find that your GE microwave isn’t heating up or turning, your food may take forever to cook, which can waste your time.
If a GE microwave is not heating up food or turning, the diode may have burnt out. The magnetron may also have burnt out, and both issues can be resolved with a replacement. A microwave’s door switches may also not work properly, causing the microwave not to start.
When you want to heat up some leftovers or microwave a frozen meal, you want it to be fast and easy. So, when your microwave doesn’t work, you may get a bit hangry. Keep reading to learn why your GE microwave might not work and how you can fix it.
GE Microwave Not Heating Food But Runs
If your GE microwave is running but not heating food, you may be experiencing a common issue that many microwave owners encounter. This can be frustrating, especially if you rely on your microwave for quick and easy meal preparation.
There are several reasons why a GE microwave may not heat food even though it runs. These include a faulty timer, burnt-out diode, or magnetron, a blown fuse, a faulty transformer, or a blown Thermo protector. The machine may also have a faulty door switch or electrical faults.
To resolve this issue, you should turn off your appliance and diagnose the problem. You may need to replace the faulty component. A specific fix for this problem would be to check the magnetron and replace it if it is faulty. This is because the magnetron is responsible for producing the microwaves that heat the food.
GE Microwave Not Heating
A GE microwave may not be heating your food for a variety of reasons. Before you check different things, consider if a lack of heat is your problem. Other issues may also involve the turntable, or you may feel the heat in the microwave, but your food still doesn’t cook.
If your microwave doesn’t heat at all, a few things could be the cause. Consider a few microwave issues that may keep the appliance from heating.
Causes
One of the bigger issues that can cause this problem is if the diode burns out. The diode is responsible for converting power from A/C to D/C, and that gives energy to the magnetron to heat the microwave and your food. If the magnetron goes out, you can get the same issue since they work together.
Your microwave also needs to be shut to work properly. A GE microwave has multiple door switches that ensure the door is secure. If one of them doesn’t work correctly, the microwave won’t recognize that you shut the door.
However, other causes could be much simpler. You may not have shut the door completely, even if it looks like that. Using the timer function instead of the cook function could also keep the microwave from heating your food.
How to Fix
How you fix the issue of your microwave that is not heating will depend on the cause. Start by checking the easier issues, such as properly shutting the door and using the right function. If that is your issue, you can use your microwave as normal.
However, if that still doesn’t solve anything, check the diode, magnetron, or door switch. You can check them yourself, but a professional can offer more insight and do the repair more easily.
GE Microwave Turns On but Won’t Heat
If you know your microwave turns on, that can eliminate problems, like a broken power cord or a bad outlet. You can save time when testing possible causes, so you can find the issue easily.
Knowing your microwave turns on is useful. That way, you don’t have to worry as much about replacing your GE microwave. Either way, consider a few possible causes and their solutions.
Causes
You can go through the same steps as above to check your microwave for issues. While the exact problem may be different, the diode and magnetron can be the problem, either individually or together.
However, they won’t necessarily be burnt out. In this case, the issue may be that they’re getting old and aren’t working as well. They will still need repairs for your microwave to work, but it may not be as serious of an issue.
Another problem to consider is if you accidentally set the timer instead of the microwave. A timer can be great for other things, but it can make your microwave look like it’s running.
How to Fix
When it comes to repairing an older diode or magnetron, you should hire someone. If you know how to work with electricity, you may be able to do it yourself. However, it can be dangerous if you don’t have that experience.
Luckily, setting the microwave to cook rather than as a timer is easy. If this happened, make sure you double-check the settings in the future, especially if you plan on leaving the room. That way, you don’t spend time thinking your food is cooking when it isn’t.
GE Microwave Not Heating Up Food
Perhaps your microwave is working well, and it feels warm after you run it, but when you go to taste your food, you notice it’s still cold. Many things could cause this, and some of the reasons are a lot less complicated than other problems.
Whether the issue happens once or multiple times, it can be frustrating when the microwave won’t heat your food. Consider a few potential causes and how to resolve them.
Causes
One reason your food isn’t heating up is if you overfill the bowl or plate. A microwave uses low-powered radiation to heat food thoroughly. The radiation converts to heat to cook your food, and those rays need space for your food to absorb them.
If you have too much food in a small bowl, the outside may heat just fine. However, when you take a bite out of the center, it could be cold. This is easy to feel with foods like pasta and mashed potatoes since those typically go in bowls and sit fairly compact.
You may also not get your food to heat up if the microwave isn’t powerful enough. Perhaps you got a new microwave and didn’t read the specs, or maybe the food you want to cook needs more time or energy to heat up.
How to Fix
You can cook smaller portions of food at a time so that you can spread the food out. When cooking in a bowl, push the food toward the outside so that the center is empty. That will allow food in the middle of the bowl to cook just as quickly as on the edges.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on December 18, 2020.
You should also verify the wattage that the microwave uses. Consider reviewing your owner’s manual and seeing how long certain foods take to cook. Then, you can adjust your cooking time, and you may find your food heats up perfectly.
GE Microwave Not Turning or Heating
Sometimes, you may notice your microwave isn’t heating and that the turntable is still. Many things can cause that, so it’s worth checking your microwave for issues.
While some of the issues are the same as for other problems, there are some unique causes. Here are a few reasons why your turntable isn’t spinning and your microwave isn’t heating:
Causes
One cause for this problem is if your microwave turntable isn’t on the track entirely. If it’s slightly off the track, or if it’s not right side up, that can keep it from turning correctly. Whether the table has wheels or not, the problem can occur.
You may also notice a problem if food or dirt gets stuck under the table. That can cause the table to stay in one place since it can’t move over the food.
Of course, using the timer instead of the microwave settings can also cause this. If you notice a countdown but don’t see the table moving, it may be as easy as not setting the timer.
How to Fix
When you notice the table isn’t turning, check to make sure it is in the right place. Verify that it’s on the track to help it rotate. Check to see if it’s upside down or if there’s any food underneath the plate.
If not, make sure you know how to set the microwave instead of the timer. That way, you can use your microwave to cook your favorite foods.
Final Thoughts
If your GE microwave doesn’t heat up or turn, that can be frustrating. When you use a microwave, you want your food to cook fast. Luckily, there are some easy solutions to some problems, and most issues are easy enough to fix so that you can use your microwave as normal.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on December 18, 2020.