35
TROUBLESHOOTING
Questions and Answers
Operation
Question
Why is the oven light not on during
cooking?
Why does steam come out of the air
exhaust vent?
Will the microwave oven be damaged if it
operates empty?
Does microwave energy pass through the
viewing screen in the door?
Why does a tone sound when a pad on the
control panel is touched?
Can my microwave oven be damaged if
food is cooked for too long?
When the oven is plugged into wall outlet
for the first time, it might not work properly.
What is wrong?
Why do I see light reflection around the
outer case?
What are the various sounds I hear when
the microwave oven is operating?
There may be several reasons why the oven light is not on.
Have you:
• Set a cook time?
• Touched START?
Steam is normally produced during cooking. The microwave oven
has been designed to vent this steam.
Yes. Never operate the oven empty or without the glass turntable.
No. The metal screen bounces the energy back to the oven cavity.
The holes (or ports) allow only light to pass through. They do not
let microwave energy pass through.
The tone tells you that the setting has been entered.
Like any other cooking appliance, it is possible to overcook food
to the point that the food creates smoke and even possibly fire
and damage to the inside of the oven. It is always best to be near
the oven while you are cooking.
The microcomputer controlling your oven may temporarily
become scrambled and fail to function as programmed when you
plug in for the first time or when power resumes after a power
interruption. Unplug the oven from the 120-volt household outlet
and then plug it back in to reset the microcomputer.
This light is from the oven light which is located between the
oven cavity and the outer wall of the oven.
The clicking sound is caused by a mechanical switch turning the
microwave oven’s magnetron ON and OFF.
The heavy hum and clunk is from the change in power the
magnetron draws as it is turned ON and OFF by a mechanical
switch. The change in blower speed is from the change in line
voltage caused by the magnetron being turned ON and OFF.
Answer
Food
Question
Answer
What is wrong when baked foods have a
hard, dry, brown spot?
Why do eggs sometimes pop?
A hard, dry, brown spot indicates overcooking. Shorten the
cooking or reheating time.
When baking, frying, or poaching eggs, the yolk may pop due to
steam build-up inside the yolk membrane. To prevent this,
simply pierce the yolk before cooking.
CAUTION: Never microwave eggs in the shell.
