I used a Pyrex glass measuring cup to boil water in the microwave. The water exploded in the glass (cup did not break) and blew the door open when it did. Now nothing on the microwave works.. not the panel, light inside... nothing. It's as if you unplugged it. I turned the circuit breaker off and on (it did not trip off) and still nothing. Is there a fuse in the microwave itself that may have blown? We have a wall-unit microwave. Thanks, Pat in VA

Conduct what the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service calls a "Time-to-Boil" test, which will help you estimate your microwave's wattage. Add 1 cup of water to a microwave-safe 2-cup measure. Add ice cubes and stir until the water is icy cold. Pour out the excess water, leaving just 1 cup. Place the measuring cup inside the microwave. Set the oven for four minutes on high. Watch through the glass to see when the water boils. If it takes less than two minutes, the microwave is 1,000 watts or more; if it takes 2.5 minutes, the oven has a rating of 800 watts or more; if it boils in 3 minutes, the estimated wattage is 650 to 700.


How to Find Microwave Oven Wattage eHow

You can do an exact power measurement by putting exactly
500 ml of water in a glass (Pyrex) or plastic measuring cup in the microwave. Measure the beginning temperature and record it, preferably with a digital thermometer. Run the unit on high for exactly 18 seconds. Use a digital watch or a stop watch, not the timer on the unit. Remove the measuring cup and stir the water to make sure that all the water is a uniform temperature. Record the temperature rise. Say the temp rise is 20 degrees Fahrenheit Multiply that figure by 38.75, this would indicate that the power delivered into the cavity is 775 watts. This is the old standard of measuring the power. The new standard called the IEC 705 would add 10% to that for a total of 852.5 watts. This matters more than the rating of the unit because if the power output is more than 15% below the units rated power, the magnetron is probably getting weak and needs to be replaced. Probably not worth the cost to repair. The voltage at the wall could also cause a low power output output. 'Google' the model # to see if you can find any info on this model #......

Self-cleaning microwave oven?

Loosen up gunk and grease splattered inside your microwave by following this simple tip. Fill a pyrex measuring cup or other microwave safe bowl with one cup water and put in microwave on high for three minutes. This should bring the water to a boil. Let it set in microwave for several minutes with the door closed.

Then, wet a sponge or soft rag with a tablespoon of vinegar. If you need a degreaser, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to it. Wipe microwave clean with the rag or sponge. The microwave will practically clean itself. Now that was easy!

The main fuse in the microwave oven has blown, the cause is probably a defective door switch.

Check on the material the containers are made of. If they are not microwave friendly then they will cause problems.
Some materials are designed to "Roast" the contents by absorbing the energy.
Check with a Pyrex glass container and water. The glass should stay fairly cool.

wow, from the looks of it you need to unplug wait 60 seconds plug in to restart, ot buy a new microwave. Perhaps if in the microwave terms it didn't say not to do that call the manufacturer and the will replace it for free

I just read this in my microwave manual. It says to combine 1 cup water, grated peel and juice of one lemon and several whole cloves in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Boil in microwave for several minutes using 100% power. Let sit in over until cool.

I imagine any type of citrus fruit would work just as well.

If there's no damage it should be fine.

I would double-check for cracks, especially in the inner door glass and the screen / mesh.

If it looks fine, heat a cup of water in a microwave-safe container for about 2 minutes and see if it cooks without arcing or odd noises and that it boils in about 2 minutes.

As always, never leave a microwave unattended while running.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

Normally you have to separate the door panels (as shown in the attached photo) and then you'll see the previously hidden screws you need to remove.

Or you can watch a YouTube video (not a video I made) that demonstrates how it's done.

You can usually find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your full model number here.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

This is not unusual, and it can reuslt in a nasty burn.

It may help if you be sure the sides of the container are wet before you heat it.

Also, after heating, if you push the microwave back and forth a little bit before opening the door, that may trigger the outburst in a safer manner.

Even better, if this happens a lot with a certain container, put a wooden (non-metallic) spoon in the container before you heat it.

Here's an interesting article about this from Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp

And an advisory from the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html