A microwave is one of the most useful kitchen appliances that there is. It can reheat food, either chilled or frozen, incredibly quickly, and it can cook food quickly as well.
Although this sounds like everything an oven can do, when you come home late at night after a long day of work, desperate for some quick food, we all know it is the microwave you are reaching for, not the oven.
It is perfect as a quick alternative for long cooking times, but it does have one problem. The sound. You know the one I mean.
Not the sound when it is cooking, the sound when it stops. That horrific beeping noise that just goes on and on. It is high-pitched, whiny, and doesn’t stop.
If you are not sensitive to high-pitched noises it probably doesn’t sound that bad, but for the rest of us, it is a teeth grinding experience.
If an issue happens, then that sound is with you forever as well, and suddenly it’s all you can hear.
So, what can be done when it is broken? Can you ever stop the beep? Or is it going to be an ever constant reminder that you left your ready meal in there?
In this article, we will look at microwaves more closely and discover what can be done to rid us of that horrible beeping.
Diagnostics
Before you even think about taking action against your beloved microwave, you need to work out what is going with it and how it works.
For most of the people here, this is not a necessary step, as their microwave will be working fine, and they just want to stop an annoying noise.
However, for those that are sure there is a problem with their microwave related to the beeping – for example, it won’t stop beeping, then we need to do some diagnostics.
First check on the way your microwave is beeping. Is it beeping when food is still inside it? Or does it continue when you have taken food out?
If it continues to beep when the food heating cycle is finished with the door closed and that beep is consistent at timed intervals, then that is probably part of the design.
But if that beep is continuous long after the door has been opened and the food taken, then there may be a glitch somewhere in your microwave.
If the beeping doesn’t stop when you open and close the door, then it may be that your microwave’s sensors are faulty or breaking.
A harder shut of the door should fix this, but if the beeping continues, then the sensors are definitely gone.
There may also be the problem that your microwave is just not getting enough power.
These are called brownouts, and it may be because the power settings are too low on your microwave, or you may have faulty wiring.
If you discover something wrong in your search, and you are wondering what to do, well it’s a difficult decision to make.
A hard reset may be all you need to get your microwave working, but if it is old or cheap, then I would suggest just buying a new one.
Appliances will always break down, and there comes a point where trying to fix one is a waste of time.
Quick Break
Microwaves have sensors inside them that trigger the beeping noise.
When the heating cycle stops and there is still food inside the microwave, it will detect this and trigger a beeping noise, likewise when the door is opened the sensor will trigger and stop making any noise.
If the beeping is non-stop, then it may be the sensor detecting something in the microwave that isn’t there.
There is a very quick way to solve this, which is by doing a cooking session without any food to give your microwave a refresh.
Take a cup of water and dissolve some salt or sugar in it, before placing it inside the microwave. Never microwave plain water.
When it is heated by a microwave, the water will become quite volatile and may explode violently.
Similarly, you shouldn’t put your microwave on with nothing inside otherwise, it could damage your microwave.
Put the microwave on a low for at least 20 seconds, then remove the cup, close the door and press stop or clear.
In most circumstances, this will reset the sensors and stop the beeping without having to resort to more drastic measures.
Hard Reset
The hard reset is not as hard as it sounds. This is the method when your diagnostics and quick break methods have failed you.
You won’t have to be some genius level hacker or an engineer with way too much free time, all you need is your own two hands and a watch.
First remove the plug of the microwave from the wall socket and have it completely unpowered, wait 5 to 10 minutes, and then plug it back into the socket and turn it on.
Removing the microwave from its power source will force it back to the original way it worked before.
The waiting time is also necessary, as items powered by electricity can have a residual electric current running through them, keeping them somewhat powered.
Once the microwave is reconnected to its power source, the beeping should have stopped. If the beeping hasn’t stopped, then there is a major fault with your microwave.
Silent Mode
A lot of modern-day microwaves actually have a silent mode that you can change it to at any time, it is just not that well-advertised.
If you look in the microwave’s handbook, on its labels, or at your specific microwave online, you should be able to find out whether your microwave has a silent mode.
Although it is not the same for some microwaves, for most there are only a couple of steps you need to do to silence the beast. Got to set up/menu/options and wait for it to give you options.
For most microwaves, there will be a corresponding button to the option’s menu, for example 1-filter, 2-timer, 3-sound, and so on.
Click the sound button and once again it will give you corresponding buttons, this time for sound on or sound off. Click the corresponding key for sound off and voilà, no more beeping.
Final Thoughts
Sorting out a microwave’s beeping issue should never be a hassle. Most solutions to it are quick, easy, and should take no more than 10 minutes to do.
If you are still having problems with your microwave’s beeping, it might be time to buy a new one or if it is expensive, ask a professional to come round.
With these tips, though, it should never reach that point.
