[Dixonary] OT: Microwave Ovens

[Guerri Stevens]

Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how
to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some other
person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see whether
that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).

But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on FreeCycle,
if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth repairing, or
might even know how to repair them, and take it off our hands.

So does anyone know whether they can be fixed?

Yes, I should have asked this before getting the new one.
--
Guerri

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[France International/Mike Shefler]

I leave our old stuff that might be fixed out at the end of the driveway
the day _after_ regular garbage pickup. Usually someone stops by and
takes it, whether to fix it or for other purposes I can't determine.
Also, you might check if there is a place to recycle electronics in your
area.


--Mike

On 8/1/2015 8:58 AM, Guerri Stevens wrote:
> Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how
> to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some
> other person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see
> whether that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).
>
> But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on
> FreeCycle, if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth
> repairing, or might even know how to repair them, and take it off our
> hands.
>
> So does anyone know whether they can be fixed?
>
> Yes, I should have asked this before getting the new one.

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[Steve Graham]

I tried replacing a minor part on ours a while back and found that parts were unobtainable.

We have recycling centers out here in Oregon that accept all kinds of appliances, including microwaves. Perhaps there's one such near you.

That's how I got rid of our old one.

Good luck

Steve Graham

-----Original Message-----
From: dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com [mailto:dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com] On Behalf Of Guerri Stevens
Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2015 05:59
To: Google Dixonary
Subject: [Dixonary] OT: Microwave Ovens

Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some other person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see whether that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).

But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on FreeCycle, if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth repairing, or might even know how to repair them, and take it off our hands.

So does anyone know whether they can be fixed?

Yes, I should have asked this before getting the new one.
--
Guerri

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[Guerri Stevens]

There are recycling centers, but they are not close to us. Or I should
say, the close one may not take things like the microwave or other large
objects. My husband is the one that usually goes there and I can try to
get him to find out what they take other than recyclables. I know that
some with take "household trash" whatever that means.

Another alternative is for us to hire someone who does dump runs. There
are a number of things that we own that we should get rid of because we
no longer use or want them.

Guerri

On 8/1/2015 10:20 AM, Steve Graham wrote:
> I tried replacing a minor part on ours a while back and found that parts were unobtainable.
>
> We have recycling centers out here in Oregon that accept all kinds of appliances, including microwaves. Perhaps there's one such near you.
>
> That's how I got rid of our old one.
>
> Good luck
>
> Steve Graham
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com [mailto:dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com] On Behalf Of Guerri Stevens
> Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2015 05:59
> To: Google Dixonary
> Subject: [Dixonary] OT: Microwave Ovens
>
> Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some other person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see whether that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).
>
> But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on FreeCycle, if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth repairing, or might even know how to repair them, and take it off our hands.
>
> So does anyone know whether they can be fixed?
>
> Yes, I should have asked this before getting the new one.
> --
> Guerri
>
> --
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>

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[Daniel Widdis]

I still have a mostly-working microwave that just has an issue with the
door latch interlock... sometimes it won't start until you open-and-shut
the door. I can't even give the thing away.

On 8/1/15 5:58 AM, Guerri Stevens wrote:
> Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how
> to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some
> other person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see
> whether that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).
>
> But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on
> FreeCycle, if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth
> repairing, or might even know how to repair them, and take it off our
> hands.

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[Judy Madnick]

Dan, ours does that...but only if you've put food in the microwave oven and don't turn it on for a while. I guess it wants to be sure that you really want it on after a certain amount of time! Otherwise, it starts immediately.

Judy



Original message
From: "Daniel Widdis" <widdis (AT) dixonary (DOT) net>
To: dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com;
Dated: 8/1/2015 1:07:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixonary] OT: Microwave Ovens

I still have a mostly-working microwave that just has an issue with the
door latch interlock... sometimes it won't start until you open-and-shut
the door. I can't even give the thing away.

On 8/1/15 5:58 AM, Guerri Stevens wrote:
> Our microwave died and we have a new one. But we are now wondering how
> to dispose of the old one. I suggested that we could do what some
> other person did and drop it off along our road (I should look and see
> whether that one is still there, buried in leaf and pine needle litter).
>
> But - if these things can be repaired, I could offer ours on
> FreeCycle, if it's still operating, and someone might feel it's worth
> repairing, or might even know how to repair them, and take it off our
> hands.

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[Jim Hart]

My first microwave died many years ago back when they were still moderately
expensive items, but even then the repair place told me that replacing the
magnetron (the usual fault) would be uneconomical. These days of course the
replace/repair ratio has shifted right off the scale. And as Steve
discovered even do-it-yourself repairs are out of the question so it's
unlikely anyone will salvage a discard for that purpose.

There are however a few strange people in the world who might take one
apart for other reasons. And here I confess I've been guilty of that,
hoping I might find interesting bits inside that could be repurposed, but
it proved to be not very rewarding. The most useful part (for me at least)
was the little 4 rpm motor that drives the turntable, and I have since
salvaged several of these and incorporated them into kinetic assemblages.
In some models the motor can be easily accessed through a cover plate on
the base and I've been know to do this bit of surgery on a discarded device
in situ which saves taking the whole thing home. My salvage days ended when
I discovered I could buy the same motors new on ebay for just a couple of
dollars each with free delivery.

An old microwave is also an easy source for a high voltage transformer if
you should want such a thing. I decided against that path of
experimentation. And I've read that the magnetron itself contains (surprise
surprise) magnets, but taking that apart is risky as there's some unhealthy
stuff inside, and again you can buy magnets online in all shapes and sizes
for very little money so once again why bother.

Jim


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[Guerri Stevens]

The gist of the conversation seems to be that once the thing stops
working, it's probably just as well to get a new one. I wondered about
trying to take it apart, just to have smaller pieces that might be able
to go out with the regular trash, but if there is something possibly
unhealthy, that seems not to make sense.

One of the problems with disposal is that I am the one in my household
that is most keen on getting rid of it quickly. Unfortunately I am also
the one who cannot easily handle it because it its combination of size
and weight. Otherwise I could just take it to the dump myself. I may
make some phone calls tomorrow and find out what can be disposed of and
where.

Guerri

On 8/1/2015 8:53 PM, Jim Hart wrote:
> My first microwave died many years ago back when they were still
> moderately expensive items, but even then the repair place told me
> that replacing the magnetron (the usual fault) would be uneconomical.
> These days of course the replace/repair ratio has shifted right off
> the scale. And as Steve discovered even do-it-yourself repairs are out
> of the question so it's unlikely anyone will salvage a discard for
> that purpose.
> ...

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[Jim Hart]

If it stops working you don't *have* to get a new one - you could choose to
live with a totally useless, large heavy object cluttering up your
kitchen, or live without one at all. But if you want a functioning
microwave then yes I reckon you have to get a new one.

As for the old one, I really don't recommend taking it apart. The unhealthy
stuff I mentioned isn't the problem - that's sealed inside the magnetron
which is not very big. You should however be careful of the high voltage
capacitor which potentially could still be carrying a charge though it's
most unlikely if it hasn't been turned on for a while. No, the real reason
is you will simply end up with a large assortment of metal and electrics
that will be far more awkward to deal with than the enclosed metal box you
currently have.
But if you really want to, have a look at
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Take-Apart-A-Microwave/

A simpler solution to moving it might be to get something like a small
luggage cart to help with wheeling it out the door. And you'll find the
weight is concentrated at the end where the controls are so keep that end
down.

Jim


On Sunday, 2 August 2015 21:04:23 UTC+10, Guerri wrote:
>
> The gist of the conversation seems to be that once the thing stops
> working, it's probably just as well to get a new one. I wondered about
> trying to take it apart, just to have smaller pieces that might be able
> to go out with the regular trash, but if there is something possibly
> unhealthy, that seems not to make sense.
>


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[Guerri Stevens]

We lived for years without a microwave. The trouble is that now that
we've had one, we've gotten used to being able to do things like thaw
stuff that was not taken out of the freezer soon enough, making a cup of
tea (yes, I can still boil water). We really don't use it for much, and
having already bought, but not yet installed the replacement, there have
only been a couple of times I've wanted it. The new one may well be our
last.

Guerri
On 8/2/2015 9:38 AM, Jim Hart wrote:
> If it stops working you don't *have* to get a new one - you could
> choose to live with a totally useless, large heavy object cluttering
> up your kitchen, or live without one at all. But if you want a
> functioning microwave then yes I reckon you have to get a new one.
>
> As for the old one, I really don't recommend taking it apart. The
> unhealthy stuff I mentioned isn't the problem - that's sealed inside
> the magnetron which is not very big. You should however be careful of
> the high voltage capacitor which potentially could still be carrying a
> charge though it's most unlikely if it hasn't been turned on for a
> while. No, the real reason is you will simply end up with a large
> assortment of metal and electrics that will be far more awkward to
> deal with than the enclosed metal box you currently have.
> But if you really want to, have a look at
> http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Take-Apart-A-Microwave/
>
> A simpler solution to moving it might be to get something like a small
> luggage cart to help with wheeling it out the door. And you'll find
> the weight is concentrated at the end where the controls are so keep
> that end down.
>
> Jim

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