Microwave Repair near you

Health Canada regulates microwave ovens under the Radiation Emitting Devices Act, with a limit on how much leakage is allowed from any microwave oven sold, leased or imported into Canada. It says that limit sits well below the level of microwave exposure that would cause any known health effects. What keeps a working oven within it is the door: the seal, the screen, the hinges and the latches that stop the oven from running while it's open.

Health Canada advises against using a microwave whose door doesn't close or is bent, warped or damaged in any way, and notes that noticeable damage to the door, its hinges, latches or screen may mean excessive leakage. In that case it recommends having the oven professionally inspected by the manufacturer, the distributor or a qualified service technician. It also says never to insert any object through an opening in the oven or around the door seal, and to keep the door and seal clean without abrasive cleansers.

Sparks, flashes or crackling inside the cavity are called arcing. The usual causes are metal that shouldn't be there, such as foil, twist ties, a fork left in a bowl or dishes with metallic trim, and splatter built up on the waveguide cover, the small panel on an inside wall where the microwave energy enters the cavity. Grease on that cover can char and keep arcing, and a cover burned through, or paint chipped off the cavity walls, exposes metal that sparks.

If you see sparks, stop the microwave. If something inside catches fire, keep the door closed, switch the oven off and unplug it if you can reach the plug safely, and call 911 if the fire doesn't go out or spreads. Don't use the microwave again until the cause is found. A scorched waveguide cover is a simple part to replace, but arcing that has marked the cavity or damaged the parts behind the cover is a job for a technician.

Inside the outer cabinet, a transformer produces very high voltage, and the capacitor that works with it can store a charge long after the microwave is unplugged. Touching the wrong terminal can kill. Unlike a fridge or a dryer, a microwave has no safe owner repair behind its panels, and the only parts to handle are the ones you can reach with the door open.

An over-the-range microwave hangs on a plate screwed into the wall studs and bolts up through the upper cabinet. It's heavy and awkward to lift into place, so installers work in pairs. A new model rarely lines up with the old one's holes, and its own mounting plate and paper template decide where the bolts and the vent opening go.

For a basic countertop microwave, a failure on the high-voltage side often makes replacement the practical choice, since the service call and parts are hard to justify and many models aren't built to be opened. A door switch, a turntable motor or a burned waveguide cover on a newer or higher-end unit is an easier case for repair. Door damage on an older model whose door parts are no longer made settles the question.

Over-the-range and built-in units shift the balance toward repair. Replacing one means matching the cut-out, the mounting plate, the vent and the trim, and a model that fits the old opening may no longer exist. A magnetron, control board or door assembly is worth pricing before you decide. Also search the Government of Canada's recalls and safety alerts site with the brand and model number, since a recalled unit comes with its own instructions.