Hi All ;

I thought I'd pick-your-brains - before assigning another clean
good-old appliance to the scrap heap .. I hate doing that.
Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -
it will run for just over a minute on high - then the magnetron and
fan shuts down - turntable keeps going - then re-start after 20
seconds. I believe that if it was cycling for defrost or re-heat -
that the fan would keep running
I took the cover off & cleaned a bit of dust there wasn't much
and wiggled wiring connections. There appear to be 2 heat sensor
cut-offs ? would the symptoms point here ? as a possible cheap
easy do-it-yourself fix
Any other experiences, suggestions, ideas ?
John T.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

On 12/6/2015 8:00 AM, wrote:
Hi All ;

I thought I'd pick-your-brains - before assigning another clean
good-old appliance to the scrap heap .. I hate doing that.
Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -
it will run for just over a minute on high - then the magnetron and
fan shuts down - turntable keeps going - then re-start after 20
seconds. I believe that if it was cycling for defrost or re-heat -
that the fan would keep running
I took the cover off & cleaned a bit of dust there wasn't much
and wiggled wiring connections. There appear to be 2 heat sensor
cut-offs ? would the symptoms point here ? as a possible cheap
easy do-it-yourself fix
Any other experiences, suggestions, ideas ?
John T.




Sure a heat sensor could be bad. OTOH the unit could actually be
over-heating...

Although I am one who likes to fix things rather than replace...I've
found that it is rarely worth it to bother with something 20 years old.

Good chance , if you did get it repaired...before too long something
else would go

On 12/06/2015 09:00 AM, wrote:
Hi All ;

I thought I'd pick-your-brains - before assigning another clean
good-old appliance to the scrap heap .. I hate doing that.
Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -
it will run for just over a minute on high - then the magnetron and
fan shuts down - turntable keeps going - then re-start after 20
seconds. I believe that if it was cycling for defrost or re-heat -
that the fan would keep running
I took the cover off & cleaned a bit of dust there wasn't much
and wiggled wiring connections. There appear to be 2 heat sensor
cut-offs ? would the symptoms point here ? as a possible cheap
easy do-it-yourself fix
Any other experiences, suggestions, ideas ?
John T.

After using a Panasonic Inverter microwave, I'm glad my old one broke and I trashed it.

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 09:00:29 -0500, wrote:

Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -

Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).

Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -


Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).
Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.
Don.


Nope - not that model.
I don't feel like it owes me anything - but hate to add to the scrap
stream over a 5 dollar part ..
I might try exchanging the two heat sensors, if they are identical -
as a test ...
John T.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 11:28:42 -0500, wrote:



Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -


Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).
Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.
Don.


Nope - not that model.
I don't feel like it owes me anything - but hate to add to the scrap
stream over a 5 dollar part ..
I might try exchanging the two heat sensors, if they are identical -
as a test ...
John T.


Could be the heat sensors, but then you have to find out what is
causing the heat. Chances are, the parts will cost more than a new,
more powerful, better cooking microwave.

On 12/06/2015 09:20 AM, Don Wiss wrote:
On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 09:00:29 -0500, wrote:

Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -

Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).

Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.


I have a Pennys microwave that's 29 years old (IIRC) and it still works.
I fixed it once (69-cent fuse) around 1990. It does have lower power,
which usually requires adding 25% to cooking times.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).



--
19 days until the winter celebration (Friday December 25, 2015 12:00:00
AM for 1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Ignorance is self-inflicted stupidity." -- Barry B. Longyear, The
Tomorrow Testament

On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 13:23:29 -0600, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 12/06/2015 09:20 AM, Don Wiss wrote:
On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 09:00:29 -0500, wrote:

Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -

Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).

Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.


I have a Pennys microwave that's 29 years old (IIRC) and it still works.
I fixed it once (69-cent fuse) around 1990. It does have lower power,
which usually requires adding 25% to cooking times.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

I used to have the Amana Radar Range Model 2.

It looked just like the early image of all microwaves.

I got it free because the springs that held the door shut had broken
off. Fixed at no cost.

Years later it had arcing in the HV cage, but I covered it with black
GE Silicone from the squeeze tube.

Finally the main transformer failed. They had four in stock, and
that's just for this region, but wanted $250 dollars for one. He
said that was the dealer price. I pointed out I could buy a whole
microwave for 100, fancy for 150. The parts guy told me to write to
Amana Iowa, so I did, and they told me to contact some guy in
Harrisburg. I thought he'd been instructed to give me a deal, since
no one else was going to pay anything for an old microwave like this,
let alone 250. But it was like starting at the beginning again.

So I threw it away.

In a a very old post here I gave details of how long it lasted, so it
must have lasted until 1990, but i forget exactly and I forget when
they were made.

On 12/6/2015 7:00 AM, wrote:
Hi All ;

I thought I'd pick-your-brains - before assigning another clean
good-old appliance to the scrap heap .. I hate doing that.
Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -
it will run for just over a minute on high - then the magnetron and
fan shuts down - turntable keeps going - then re-start after 20
seconds. I believe that if it was cycling for defrost or re-heat -
that the fan would keep running
I took the cover off & cleaned a bit of dust there wasn't much
and wiggled wiring connections. There appear to be 2 heat sensor
cut-offs ? would the symptoms point here ? as a possible cheap
easy do-it-yourself fix
Any other experiences, suggestions, ideas ?

Scrap it. Nowadays, you can buy a small microwave for under $100.
It's not like the "early" days when it was considered a significant
purchase (our first one was $600, IIRC -- when dollars were actually
worth dollars! : )

Most microwaves are designed to be pretty robust -- too easy for
them to be abused (folks leaving silverware in the dishes they
are reheating, etc.). If yours has advanced to the point where
it no longer wants to work, chances are something significant
has happened.

You wouldn't insert a 20A fuse in a circuit just because the 15A
fuse wasn't holding, would you? :

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 16:31:39 -0500, Micky
wrote:

I used to have the Amana Radar Range Model 2.

It looked just like the early image of all microwaves.

I got it free because the springs that held the door shut had broken
off. Fixed at no cost.

Years later it had arcing in the HV cage, but I covered it with black
GE Silicone from the squeeze tube.

Finally the main transformer failed. They had four in stock, and
that's just for this region, but wanted $250 dollars for one. He

I always try to fix stuff too, but Microwaves are one of the home
appliances that are usually not fixable, because the cost of parts is
too high and you still have an old MW.

Sure, if it's a blown fuse or the door dont latch, or a bad power cord,
then fix it, but if the electronics fail, you may as well toss it and
buy a new one. How those companies can justify charging so much for
parts is hard to believe. Apparently they dont want to sell the
parts.... Consider if that $250 part also has a serviceman's repair
charges added to it. You may have a $400 (or more) bill to pay for a MW
that is not worth more than $20 at a rummage sale.

And once you buy that transformer, what will fail next? The timer, the
magnetron, or some other part....

It's a shame that waste is encouraged by these rip-off companies, but
that's how it is in today's world! To add insult to injury, you'll
probably have to pay $10 or more to dispose of it.......

On 12/06/2015 08:28 AM, wrote:


Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -


Is it one of the recalled models? The affected microwaves have the model
numbers EM-C8787B UK2 (a black colour) or EM-C8787W (a white colour).
Getting 20 years out of a microwave is pretty good. Newer ones are more
powerful. Time to move on.
Don.


Nope - not that model.
I don't feel like it owes me anything - but hate to add to the scrap
stream over a 5 dollar part ..
I might try exchanging the two heat sensors, if they are identical -
as a test ...

You should be able to get a number off of them to find out what temp
they open up at, at which point you can just hook it up to a multimeter,
stick it in some water on the stove, and see what temp it opens up at
(this assumes you have a thermometer to put in the water).

Jon

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 14:59:59 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

You wouldn't insert a 20A fuse in a circuit just because the 15A
fuse wasn't holding, would you? :

Who would use a 20A? In the old days of plug fuses, everyone replaced
them with 30A. If they had made 50A plug fuses, people would have used
them too....

When I worked for an electrician, I recall going on a job where all the
power was out in a second floor apartment. When I got there, I
immediately noticed the odor of smoke, and not from burnt cooking or
cigarettes. I quickly looked at the apartment, then went to the
basement, where I found ONE 30A fuse where there should have been a 15A.
I also found smoke and the old BX cable above the box was too hot to
touch. I killed the power to the whole building, and had to go to the
nearest payphone to call the Fire Department (this was before cellphones
and the guy had no landline).

I quickly went back to the job and the smoke was worse. I told the guy
(who was very drunk), to get out. He refused. I took a hammer and
smashed a hole in the wall on the first floor above the fuse box. There
I found the wood smoldering around that BX cable. About the time I
dumped a bucket of water in that wall, the Fire Dept arrived. They
busted out more walls, and found that BX had charred all the wood around
it, all the way to the second floor, but fortunately there was no flame.
I stuck around just to watch and the FD had to drag that drunk out of
his apt, because he refused to leave.

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.

This was somewhere in the 1970s, and this building was a slum where
drunks lived. I still doubt my boss even got paid for that job. But at
least no one got hurt and there was no actual fire. This was the most
crazy and exciting job I ever did.....

wrote in message
...

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.


The wiring almsot sounds like a duplex I lived in for a while. It was nice
but built before ww2. It had 2 fuses in , both rated for 15 amps. There
were 2 bed rooms ,a living room and kitchen and bath.
Just had to be careful what I had on at a time. Did not have any of the plug
in things like toster ovens or a coffee pot as I did not fix coffee there.

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 16:01:43 -0600, wrote:

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 16:31:39 -0500, Micky
wrote:

I used to have the Amana Radar Range Model 2.

It looked just like the early image of all microwaves.

I got it free because the springs that held the door shut had broken
off. Fixed at no cost.

Years later it had arcing in the HV cage, but I covered it with black
GE Silicone from the squeeze tube.

Finally the main transformer failed. They had four in stock, and
that's just for this region, but wanted $250 dollars for one. He

I always try to fix stuff too, but Microwaves are one of the home
appliances that are usually not fixable, because the cost of parts is
too high and you still have an old MW.

Sure, if it's a blown fuse or the door dont latch, or a bad power cord,
then fix it, but if the electronics fail, you may as well toss it and
buy a new one. How those companies can justify charging so much for
parts is hard to believe. Apparently they dont want to sell the
parts.... Consider if that $250 part also has a serviceman's repair
charges added to it. You may have a $400 (or more) bill to pay for a MW
that is not worth more than $20 at a rummage sale.

Being me, I know I would have paid 50 for it, maybe even 100.

In my letter, I told them to save enough parts so that the
grandchildren of the inventor could keep repairing their radarranges,
but sell the rest for as much as you can get.

And once you buy that transformer, what will fail next? The timer, the
magnetron, or some other part....

I wasn't worried about that. After all, I like fixing things.

It's a shame that waste is encouraged by these rip-off companies, but
that's how it is in today's world! To add insult to injury, you'll
probably have to pay $10 or more to dispose of it.......

I've tried to repair a few microwaves over the past 30 years.
One need a new magnetron. It was a $150 part. A little time consuming to
replace. Worked for another year and then a control board failed and I
sent it to the bone yard.

Another oven had door interlock micro switches that failed. Inexpensive
but tough to replace. Oven was good for a few more months until
magnetron got weak.

Last one that failed, badged as a GE, a controller board failed. The
cost of the board was almost the price of the cost of a new microwave.
Not worth repairing.

The last one I purchased was badged Frigidaire, but inside looked just
like the GE model with a few minor updates. Seem to be very few actual
microwave manufacturers with companies just rubber stamping their logo
on the outside of the box.

On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 18:06:06 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.


The wiring almsot sounds like a duplex I lived in for a while. It was nice
but built before ww2. It had 2 fuses in , both rated for 15 amps. There

Reminds me of where I lived for 10 years, in Brooklyn. Also 2 fuses,
both 15 amps, but both supplied from a 20 amp fuse in the basement.

For a 6-room, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment in what was, before I
got there, a luxury building, built in 1930. Cedar closet in every
apartment, parquet floor in the living room, 9 or 10 foot ceilings,
dumb-waiter going to the basement from every apartment (with doorbell
style bells to call the concierge or for him to call you), and there
had been a doorman, switchboard operator, elevator operator, and
concierge.

were 2 bed rooms ,a living room and kitchen and bath.
Just had to be careful what I had on at a time. Did not have any of the plug
in things like toster ovens or a coffee pot as I did not fix coffee there.

I was able to run a full-size washing machine (and probably could have
run a gas dryer if I had one) and eventually I got a small AC that ran
okay at night, when the tv's were off, and I used an electric
rotisserie a few times, but not when washing clothes or using the AC.
I used to use a small electric broiler all the time, that is just
before dinner, so it never bumped into the other devices.

The landlord had put in Fustat sockets so that the only fuses which
could be inserted were the ones he wanted, 15a upstairs and 20a in the
basement.

I only blew the basement fuse about once a year, and after the new
landlord put a lock on the basement button in the elevator, I removed
the 4 brass screws holding the big brass escutcheon on the wall of the
elevator, ran lamp cord parallel to the key switch, so that the cut
edge of the cord just reached the bottom edge of the escutheon. When
I wanted to go the basement, I'd push the basement button while
holding a quarter or any coin against the end of the wire. I only
did this when none of the neighbors would notice.

Half the time I was there, the LL was a slumlord, and didn't provide
enough heat. I would unscrew the hasp that locked the furnace room
(which wasn't put on correctly or the screws wouldn't show) and check
out the furnace room. Then I'd put the hasp back on, spit on my
fingers and wipe the screws, so they woudl rust by morning and any
scratches my screwdriver made wouldn't show.

When I checked 10 years after I left, the hotwire for the elevator had
been removed.

I moved out in '83 and I think it was rewired after 2000, maybe around
2010, after a new landlord took over.

On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 19:49:15 -0500, Steve Stone
wrote:

I've tried to repair a few microwaves over the past 30 years.
One need a new magnetron. It was a $150 part. A little time consuming to
replace. Worked for another year and then a control board failed and I
sent it to the bone yard.

Another oven had door interlock micro switches that failed. Inexpensive
but tough to replace. Oven was good for a few more months until
magnetron got weak.

Last one that failed, badged as a GE, a controller board failed. The
cost of the board was almost the price of the cost of a new microwave.
Not worth repairing.

The last one I purchased was badged Frigidaire, but inside looked just
like the GE model with a few minor updates. Seem to be very few actual
microwave manufacturers with companies just rubber stamping their logo
on the outside of the box.


I bought a replacement today ~ same size 1.2 cubic ft -
Panasonic inverter ... $ 109. Canadian !
at Lowes price matched to WalMart.
Do we take bets on when this one goes to the scrap heap ?
.... disposable world ,,
John T.



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

wrote:
On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 19:49:15 -0500, Steve Stone
wrote:

I've tried to repair a few microwaves over the past 30 years.
One need a new magnetron. It was a $150 part. A little time consuming to
replace. Worked for another year and then a control board failed and I
sent it to the bone yard.

Another oven had door interlock micro switches that failed. Inexpensive
but tough to replace. Oven was good for a few more months until
magnetron got weak.

Last one that failed, badged as a GE, a controller board failed. The
cost of the board was almost the price of the cost of a new microwave.
Not worth repairing.

The last one I purchased was badged Frigidaire, but inside looked just
like the GE model with a few minor updates. Seem to be very few actual
microwave manufacturers with companies just rubber stamping their logo
on the outside of the box.


I bought a replacement today ~ same size 1.2 cubic ft -
Panasonic inverter ... $ 109. Canadian !
at Lowes price matched to WalMart.
Do we take bets on when this one goes to the scrap heap ?
.... disposable world ,,
John T.



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

We always had good luck with Panasonic MW oven. I gave away original
Litton one purchased in the '70's. Built like tank and heavy, won't quit.

On Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 8:00:19 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Hi All ;

I thought I'd pick-your-brains - before assigning another clean
good-old appliance to the scrap heap .. I hate doing that.
Sanyo microwave oven 1995 has worked fine until recently -
it will run for just over a minute on high - then the magnetron and
fan shuts down - turntable keeps going - then re-start after 20
seconds. I believe that if it was cycling for defrost or re-heat -
that the fan would keep running
I took the cover off & cleaned a bit of dust there wasn't much
and wiggled wiring connections. There appear to be 2 heat sensor
cut-offs ? would the symptoms point here ? as a possible cheap
easy do-it-yourself fix
Any other experiences, suggestions, ideas ?
John T.

Please be careful my friend. I've repaired a lot of microwave ovens over the years and there could be any number of things wrong with a 20 year old oven. Unless you know what you're doing, you could get yourself seriously injured. There is a high voltage power supply that can be lethal and if microwaves hit your eyes, the lenses in your eyes can be damaged resulting in cataracts. I'd suggest that you do some research on just how dangerous the MO can be and read everything online you can find about repairing them. Knowledge is power but microwave oven repair isn't a good choice for a DIY project. Be safe. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Microwave Monster

On 12/6/2015 5:45 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 14:59:59 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

You wouldn't insert a 20A fuse in a circuit just because the 15A
fuse wasn't holding, would you? :

Who would use a 20A? In the old days of plug fuses, everyone replaced
them with 30A. If they had made 50A plug fuses, people would have used
them too....

When I worked for an electrician, I recall going on a job where all the
power was out in a second floor apartment. When I got there, I
immediately noticed the odor of smoke, and not from burnt cooking or
cigarettes. I quickly looked at the apartment, then went to the
basement, where I found ONE 30A fuse where there should have been a 15A.
I also found smoke and the old BX cable above the box was too hot to
touch. I killed the power to the whole building, and had to go to the
nearest payphone to call the Fire Department (this was before cellphones
and the guy had no landline).

I quickly went back to the job and the smoke was worse. I told the guy
(who was very drunk), to get out. He refused. I took a hammer and
smashed a hole in the wall on the first floor above the fuse box. There
I found the wood smoldering around that BX cable. About the time I
dumped a bucket of water in that wall, the Fire Dept arrived. They
busted out more walls, and found that BX had charred all the wood around
it, all the way to the second floor, but fortunately there was no flame.
I stuck around just to watch and the FD had to drag that drunk out of
his apt, because he refused to leave.

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.

This was somewhere in the 1970s, and this building was a slum where
drunks lived. I still doubt my boss even got paid for that job. But at
least no one got hurt and there was no actual fire. This was the most
crazy and exciting job I ever did.....


Sounds like you saved the building and the drunk.
I respect your concern and your action. Good going,
sir.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 18:06:06 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.


The wiring almsot sounds like a duplex I lived in for a while. It was nice
but built before ww2. It had 2 fuses in , both rated for 15 amps. There
were 2 bed rooms ,a living room and kitchen and bath.
Just had to be careful what I had on at a time. Did not have any of the plug
in things like toster ovens or a coffee pot as I did not fix coffee there.


That's pretty much what this place was. I dont recall if there were 1 or
2 bedrooms, because all I needed to see was the (and possibly only)
outlet in the whole apt. It was in the kitchen and there was lampcord
tacked on the wall going every which way. (which was wired right to the
outlet screws), then more extension cords all over the place.

When I got that call, it was late in the evening and my boss said I had
to go right away because the guy had no power. He said the landlord
called and he told me to just walk in and go upstairs, because the
tenant was drunk and would not answer the downstairs door. The guy was
awake but not very coherent. He just told me to fix it and layed down on
the couch. As soon as I saw that mess of lamp cord and extension cords,
I knew this was not going to be a simple repair. The power was not
completely out though. The refrigerator kept cycling, and when it was
not trying to kick in, the lights were very dim. But when it did try to
run, the lights went black. (Yea, that fridge was also plugged into lamp
cord).

My plan was to shut off the power and rip that nightmare outlet apart,
but I never got that far after finding the overheated wire. The FD broke
down the door in the lower apt. No one lived there. After they got the
drunk tenant out, he was very irate about going back in his apt. and he
kept telling me to fix his power because his beer was warm in the
fridge. The police took him away, probably to a shelter. I left after
the FD confirmed there was no fire. Then I called my boss, and told him
rewiring is the ONLY solution. At first he thought I was joking around
when I told him the whole story, but I told him this was not a joke, and
he better call that landlord, and tell him that the power can not be
turned back on.

We never did rewire that place, so I dont know what was done.

Several years later I drove past that building, and there was no
condemned sign on the door. I dont know if it was occupied, but it was
still there. (A lot of buildings like that would have been condemned and
demolished by the city, if the owner did not bring it up to code).

I still remember seeing the sizzling wire above the fuse box, shutting
off the power, and and feeling a state of panic, like I was not sure
what to do. Because I didn't want to leave that guy in there, but he
would not leave, and I did not have time to argue with him. Also, I was
not sure where there was a payphone in the area, so I had to drive
somewhere. Luckily there was a phone nearby. Then I rushed back and
immediately busted that hole in the wall without even thinking about it.
Then finding the wood smoldering brought another scare, so I ran back
upstairs and found a cooking container and filled it with water ran back
down the stairs and tossed it into the wall. Thank God the FD arrived
then.... While the FD was getting their equipment, I ran back upstairs,
checked the guy, he was asleep. Then I began feeling the walls directly
above the hole I had made downstairs, and found the plaster was warm in
one spot. As soon as I told the FD, they busted that wall open. Sure
enough, there was that BX cable and more charred wood and smoke, but no
flames. I ended up working with the FD until they had exposed all
possible places that wire ran, and were sure nothing was burning.

Although this happened 40+ years ago, I remember it like it just
happened yesterday. Its the kind of thing a person dont forget!

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 16:45:17 -0600, wrote:

On Sun, 06 Dec 2015 14:59:59 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

You wouldn't insert a 20A fuse in a circuit just because the 15A
fuse wasn't holding, would you? :

Who would use a 20A? In the old days of plug fuses, everyone replaced
them with 30A. If they had made 50A plug fuses, people would have used
them too....

When I worked for an electrician, I recall going on a job where all the
power was out in a second floor apartment. When I got there, I
immediately noticed the odor of smoke, and not from burnt cooking or
cigarettes. I quickly looked at the apartment, then went to the
basement, where I found ONE 30A fuse where there should have been a 15A.
I also found smoke and the old BX cable above the box was too hot to
touch. I killed the power to the whole building, and had to go to the
nearest payphone to call the Fire Department (this was before cellphones
and the guy had no landline).

Well, what about his satellite phone?

I quickly went back to the job and the smoke was worse. I told the guy
(who was very drunk), to get out. He refused. I took a hammer and
smashed a hole in the wall on the first floor above the fuse box. There
I found the wood smoldering around that BX cable. About the time I
dumped a bucket of water in that wall, the Fire Dept arrived. They
busted out more walls, and found that BX had charred all the wood around
it, all the way to the second floor, but fortunately there was no flame.
I stuck around just to watch and the FD had to drag that drunk out of
his apt, because he refused to leave.

A fireman told me I probably saved that building, and possibly the
tenant too. A few more minutes it would have been in flames. I never did
find out what was done, but I'm sure the inspectors made them rewire
that whole building. (Or condemned it). That wiring was a disaster.
Amazingly, that ONE fuse was ALL the power for that entire apartment.
The other 30A fuse apparently powered the lower apartment. That's all
there were, TWO 30A fuses.

This was somewhere in the 1970s, and this building was a slum where
drunks lived. I still doubt my boss even got paid for that job. But at
least no one got hurt and there was no actual fire. This was the most
crazy and exciting job I ever did.....

wrote:
On Sun, 6 Dec 2015 19:49:15 -0500, Steve Stone
wrote:

I've tried to repair a few microwaves over the past 30 years.
One need a new magnetron. It was a $150 part. A little time consuming to
replace. Worked for another year and then a control board failed and I
sent it to the bone yard.

Another oven had door interlock micro switches that failed. Inexpensive
but tough to replace. Oven was good for a few more months until
magnetron got weak.

Last one that failed, badged as a GE, a controller board failed. The
cost of the board was almost the price of the cost of a new microwave.
Not worth repairing.

The last one I purchased was badged Frigidaire, but inside looked just
like the GE model with a few minor updates. Seem to be very few actual
microwave manufacturers with companies just rubber stamping their logo
on the outside of the box.


I bought a replacement today ~ same size 1.2 cubic ft -
Panasonic inverter ... $ 109. Canadian !
at Lowes price matched to WalMart.
Do we take bets on when this one goes to the scrap heap ?
.... disposable world ,,
John T.


Been using one for about 10 years. Very powerful. Sometimes too much, but
It has real power levels unlike most.

Greg