Kenmore Microwave automatically starts popping popcorn

Deanna:

There is a door sensor in the door frame of your microwave that tells the microwave if the door is open or shut. That sensor is not working for some reason. The sensor is near the latch mechanism and is made of plastic and has probably broken and needs to be replaced. I would take it to a small appliance repair shop. Microwaves are nothing to fool with if you do not know what you are doing.

Owner Manual
Manual Kenmore Elite Microwave hood combo 72186013010

Check the power setting it may be too high and are you useing microwave popcorn?you generally can not use standard popcorn in a microwave.The power setting required is on the bag of microwave popcorn

My kenmore microwave will not work. The light stays on inside, buttons will push, but the start button does nothing. I've tried everything. The last thing I did was express defrost which was fine. Could it be something really simple? I hope so.

My Kenmore microwave oven fan has been turning on and off, almost every hour. Sometimes 3 or 4 times in one hour. It's very random. Model No. 721-80593401 Serial No.503TA03208
Please help!!!

Hi,
Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with yourMicrowave Oven....

Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101
q

Popcorn is a food that has a very low moisture content, and microwave ovens rely on moisture content (water molecules) in order to cook.

If there is not enough moisture to absorb the microwave energy, much of the the energy is reflected back to the magnetron and damage it.

This is also what damages a microwave when it is run empty.

A simple solution is to add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe container in the back corner of the oven and cook your popcorn a little longer.

You'll have to experiment a few times to get the combination right for your particular model.

But allow our microwave about 15 minutes or so for the magnetron to cool down between popcorn cooking sessions.

Also, I would suggest putting a paper plate upside-down on the turntable tray, then putting the popcorn container on top of that.

This does two things: It keeps the extremely hot popcorn off the tray, reducing the chances it will crack, plus it raises the popcorn up so it will heat more efficiently.

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

If you mean that the automatic popcorn cooking is not working properly, it's probably a bad humidity sensor.

If it's still under the one year warranty, they'll replace it free. Otherwise, they can steer you to a Viking-authorizes servicer.

You can contact Viking customer service here.

We're happy to help and we appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

Placing the bag on an inverted glass bowl or pyrex casserole dish worked!!!!!  For 2 years, I have cursed my Dacor microwave for its inability to make popcorn (burns a hole in the bag, bag stays flat, almost no kernels pop, etc...)  I read the last suggestion to use the glass plate and I am now sitting with a bowl full of perfectly popped popcorn - with only 1 kernel unpopped.  The metal tray in the microwave conducts too many waves through the bag I guess.
Thanks for the solution!

That code means a defective sensor, and the "H" probably means it's the humidity sensor. The sensor can be replaced, but you do need to find your exact model number. It would be on a tag on the back of the oven or maybe along the door or door frame. If you or a friend want to do it yourself, you can find affordable parts here: http://tinyurl.com/gv383 Otherwise, you can call Sears service.