I've been dealing with a weird issue for about a year now where my microwave trips the breaker whenever I open the door. I thought it was just a coincidence until today when it tripped again. I reset the breaker, and even without anything else plugged in, the microwave now trips it just by starting it up. Could it be related to the door switch? I want to be sure before I start replacing parts since I can't access a voltage tester.
2 Answers
Opening the door and starting the microwave are definitely different actions, so I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it's the door switch based only on your description. Still, replacing the door switch is a relatively cheap fix if you want to try that out. Sometimes a worn breaker can also be the culprit. Just be cautious!
It sounds like you might be dealing with two separate issues here. The door opening shouldn't normally trip the breaker unless there's some short happening inside the microwave, which is pretty unlikely since the door itself doesn’t have any power wires. I suggest figuring out the wattage of your microwave and trying to plug a similar wattage appliance into the same outlet. If that trips the breaker too, it could be a house wiring issue. Also, if possible, try plugging the microwave into a different circuit to see if it trips there as well.
You might want to try swapping out the breaker if it's getting old; that can sometimes cause issues like this.
Since my microwave is installed above the range, it's tricky for me to plug anything else into that outlet, but I did try plugging it into a different one and it tripped again.