Funny simple repair of my microwave oven

[joeqsmith]

I just repaired our humidifier (lasted about 5 years before thermal fuse and element went out) and went to heat up my coffee and the microwave died.   I trip the circuit breaker and got out my long chicken stick.  Wife decides to watch so I explain about the number of fatalities from idiots doing home repairs.   I discharge the cap and strap it.   Then pull the main power connector, just in case...   I show my wife how the capacitor is in the far back of the unit away from everything else, I assume for safety.   I pull the HV diode and check it.  Good.   I then check the capacitor.  Good.   I check the HV transformer for leakage and resistance.  All good.  Finally, I check the magnetron.  It was good as well.    After 30 years with no soft start, seems the slow blow fuse just had enough and opened. 

Looking on-line for a fuse, they show it as 1" cube which it's not so I send my wife off to pick up a new one at the repair center.  The person who was helping her asks what it is out of.  She says our microwave oven.  This ends with service person explaining how they will not sell ANY parts for a microwave oven to the public.  They explained how dangerous they are to service and the liability.   

That would have been the end of it, but my wife, who really knows very little about repairs and electrical devices tells them that I'm a EE.  They seemed none too impressed with that.  So she continues to explain my telling her how dangerous they are to work on and how I showed her some part that was stuck in the rear of the unit for safety reasons.   She then described how I pulled out some long pole with a wire on one and used it on that part before getting started.    The service person has a change of heart and sells her the fuse. 

Yes, it's running fine. 

[CaptDon]

My Mom fat fingered the time setting to cook a potato and ended up with a small fire inside the oven. A one time thermal device on top of the cavity tripped. No one would sell me a replacement and this oven was a built-in costing hundreds to replace. Screw that!!! I took the little device apart, reset the little clicker disc and reassembled it. All is well. I can buy gunpowder in quantity, but I can't buy a non-resettable Klixon!!!! Sadly, buy not selling the safety part most people will just bypass it creating a REAL fire hazard!!! Another safety rule creating the real hazards!!!