Delonghi Microwave oven not heating ? Then you must watch this video

If your Delonghi microwave oven has stopped heating up and its out of warranty, and was bought from Argos then you must watch this video.
I have discovered a potential manufacturing fault which Argos should put right even if the 12 months warranty has expired, you are going to need a report from a repair shop stating this is a manufacturing fault and present this to the manager of the Argos store where it was purchased from.
.Many thanks for watching .

[@ginettelawes7471]

Hi there. This has happened to me. Argos want to fob me off with paying for an independent report that they want me to pay for. 17 months out of the warranty. It’s exactly the same model as the one you are investigating. Bought only in Sept 2021. All Argos said is it’s out of warranty and don’t seem to be interested. Their customer service is diabolical.

[@German_byte]

Well spotted and explained. Intelligence and experience triumphs again.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Many thanks .

[@rosscammisola335]

Well Done Michael and Thanks for Video , Reminders of the old Samsung Microwaves 30 years ago come out of factory with HV Rectifier fitted in Reverse .

[@roberthorwat6747]

Flippin' 'eck! Hope Argos are going to honour these returns. They should do hopefully.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

A lot of people are not aware there is a law that states electrical goods should be expected to last for a reasonable period of time and if failure is due to a manufacturing fault the retailer is still responsible if failure occurs outside of the manufactures warranty period, you need to obtain a written report stating this failure is due to a manufacturing problem and return the item along with the report to the retailer, Argos in this respect are very good , only a few weeks ago I did a report for a customer and argos gave him a pro rata refund of about 80 percent of the price he paid on a 14 month old LCD TV with backight failure. The retailer should also cover the cost of obtaining a written report from a dealer.

[@321tryagain]

Excellent troubleshooting work Michael

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Many thanks for watching.

[@joehoward6664]

Hey there, I watched your video after my delonghi microwave packed in around the guarantee was just up. With tons of caution regarding the capacitor I found that the fuse had blown, but to my surprise the wiring connectors on the magnetron where crossed over. I put them as to the diagram you showed us and replaced the fuse. Everything works...brilliant...thank you so much for your expert help, you saved me a lot of problems with argos and possible a lot of money if I had to buy another microwave...thank you again cheers

[@michaeldranfield7140]

No problem at all, sometimes the high voltage fuse just dies from old age without any underlining cause, I don't know what effects long term will be caused by running the maganton out of phase but I guess time will tell.

[@majidmalakut3907]

thank you and appreciate of your advice that is perfect and logical. because i have this model also I didn't use it a lot and the warranty it has finished.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

You need to make a complaint to Argos, its usually a case of asking for the manager to get a result.

[@abidh300]

Michael - many thanks for your drawing this to people's attention. I just had the silver one pack up last night (after about 18 months). High Voltage Fuse & Magnetron both gone. Just picked up another one (the current model 900W that's in black) - needs must and so forth - before I plugged it in, curiosity got the better of me. Cover off and guess what? Transformer still goes to FA and Capacitor goes to F. So they are still building in failure (12-18 months), in Aug 2022.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

These are of course not made by Delonghi, just bought in from china for next to nothing and badged up, China don't seem to have heard of quality control and I bet argos get these on a bought out warranty so if you took one back under warranty they would simply give you another rather than do a repair .

[@chrisreynolds6331]

Thank you for this tip. I use to repair microwaves everyday years ago and I had no idea about filament polarity being critical.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I am struggling to find a definitive answer to why its so important but back in the 90s on a microwave training course we were told its because you don't want the filament voltage travelling up the cathode .

[@chrisreynolds6331]

@@michaeldranfield7140 my only guess is maybe the cathode is bonded to one side of the heater. The 3.15 volt heater winding would probably have a high impedance at 2.4 GHz and cause back EMF

[@michaeldranfield7140]

@@chrisreynolds6331 thats got to be one of the best explanations I have come across so far , yes the cathode is connected to one side of the heater .

[@grenvillecook3952]

Same experience at 17 months! Wondered whether this might be an internal fuse and after an online search saw your informative video. Initially had "the run around" from ARGOS 'technical service' & 'customer service' but finally they agree to a pro rata refund. Appreciate your specialist knowledge.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Good man , I have had quite a few people get pro rata refunds from Argos on TV s also .

[@agyire231]

Thanks so much for this video. I tried to change a blown bulb and checked the wiring. It is as you said. Wired incorrectly from factory so I will be taking it back to the retailer.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

a lot of microwaves now don't have an inspection flap for replacing the bulb and you need to take the cover off just to replace the bulb, everything is very poorly made and not designed to last any length of time .

[@richarddunkling2807]

Michael thank you for making your informative and enjoyable videos. In 1972 after leaving school for a couple of years I worked on a moving belt production line firstly as a tester and later troubleshooter on the Thorn 3,500 series colour TV chassis. Back then a 22" cost about £350 and a Ford Granada £950. Your video prompted me to check three microwaves - a De Longhi, a Russell & Hobbs and a Morphy Richards. From the internal construction they appear to have been made in the same Chinese factory. All were fitted with Witol 2M219J magnetrons. All had a green coloured identifying insulation sleeve fitted to one of the magnetron heaters spade connectors (so no excuse for getting it wrong). While these are now a few years old all had the connections crossed crossed wiring which I have corrected. Would love to find out the circuit of your home made capacitor reforming unit.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I remember the 3500 very well , still got some parts for them in stock , ask me tomorrow for the capacitor reformer when im back at work .

[@Ali78699]

You Sir are superb keep up the good work 😊

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Many thanks for that .

[@terryblackman6217]

Very well spotted. I wonder how many other makes have this problem. 👍

[@michaeldranfield7140]

so far this only seems to have cropped up in Delonghi models but as this is a cheap Chinese item with a delonghi badge on the front chances are the same factory will be producing for other brand names as well so time will tell .

[@ovalwingnut]

Wow! Outstanding sleuthing Nancy Drew. That is such a ShOcKeR and a ShAmE. I'm daZzLed and impressed at your tenacity and creativeness to discover this "chime against the TV dinner" :O) In all seriousness, 100 Good_Human points awarded. Cheers MD

[@michaeldranfield7140]

thankyou for that .

[@RWL2012]

Thanks for making me aware of this, even though I don't have one of these microwaves.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

No problem at all.

[@daffyduk77]

great diagnostic effort

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Thankyou for that .

[@MrReeceyburger123]

Hmmm this makes me wonder now, I had one of these exact ones a few weeks ago, with the plugged chopped off. They stated it didn’t heat up, after a new plug it worked fine weirdly. This needs a recall! Nice one Mike 😁

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Intermittent not heating up is usually caused by a poor contact at the filament terminals , as the heater draws around 10 amp and resistance here becomes critical , I usually just pull the connections off and squeeze them with a pair of pliers ,

[@walker55able]

Great to know thank you Micheal

[@michaeldranfield7140]

its not something you would expect but certainly one to watch out for in the future.

[@aimenalmahdy9785]

Mine has the same manufactory error, the damage is already done, I’ll give it a try tomorrow with the shop in order to fix it for free, thanks

[@michaeldranfield7140]

No problem , many thanks for watching .

[@joescience4410]

Very informative video

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Many thanks for watching.

[@itstheterranaut]

Wow, exactly the same finding here on our 3 year old Argos-sourced Delonghi.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

you have done well if it lasted 3 years !

[@annettemcdonagh2841]

Mine went just after the warranty and i was trying to get it fixed and tried contacting them and they just said sorry its out of the warranty so nothing they can do

[@jasonmuriel7574]

Hi Michael, This is exactly what’s happened with my microwave . I spoke to argos and have shared this information though they are still telling me I need to get an independent report which is frustrating.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

It's a standard practice at Argos to ask for an independent report, however you should inform Argos first, preferably in writing to the branch manager, that an independent report is going to cost money and in the event if failure is confirmed to be due to a manufacturing defect you are going to hold Argos responsible for these costs, in my opinion these should have been recalled by Argos when this came to light, let me know how you go on.

[@jasonmuriel7574]

@@michaeldranfield7140 thanks it was purchased when they had a store over a year ago they are now in Sainsburys. I’ve emailed their customer services people though they were not very helpful on the phone let’s see what I get back if not should I get an independent report still or go to an ombudsman ?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I don't think they will do anything if you don't have a report but you must stress to Argos that they will have to reimburse you for the cost involved. Under normal circumstances if you bought this item from a different retailer they would simply return it to the manufactures for either a repair or refund at no cost to themselves, however I strongly suspect Argos obtain these on a bought out warranty scheme, this is where a manufacturer will sell an item at much cheaper price strictly on the basis the retailer has to stand any guarantee claims out of there own pocket and they have no comeback whatsoever on the manufacture, this would explain why the item has not been recalled and why Argos make it so difficult to get any recourse, you could ask for someone higher up the chain, say in head office to complain to but don't give up.

[@jasonmuriel7574]

@@michaeldranfield7140 thanks Michael I spent over an hour on Facebook to them on chat this afternoon - it was hard work but they agreed if the independent report shows they are at fault to cover all costs and refund me for the microwave as well. As I’ve told them I was going to purchase one as I can see this taking weeks (it’s an item you can’t just go without ) - which I have done from another retailer. I’ve dealt with argos for more than 30 years and this experience is really making me ask the question if I will ever shop with them again.

[@denisconnolly5064]

Another interesting video Michael, thanks. Is the reason the magnetron eventually fails due to the filament going o/c?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I don't atcually know, I have tried running different tests on magnatrons but not come uo with a definitive answer. I would assume though they go low emission and fail to oscillate

[@paulwillis240]

Hi Michael, got the same oven, and yes the connections are as you say so swapped them over, hopefully last a bit longer now, thanks for that.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Would be interesting to see if there is any long term damage caused by this mistake .

[@dmd2656]

Had exact issue, De Longhi bought from Argos. Exact magnetron shown in video, and connection terminals reversed as shown in video.

[@user-uz4nq7iy3e]

Hi Michael, is it possible to download your report based on this assessment? Same issue but Argos are refusing to acknowledge saying this is the first time they’ve encountered this problem. Many thanks

[@andrewmicklewright6870]

Delonghi model no 400/7456 had exactly the same thing little used just over 15 months old , while re- heating food one day there was a bang from the microwave everything else works fine but now not heating up. The microwave is little used and looks like new. It always was a loud microwave because the casing on the right hand side vibrated so much during use.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Bad batch, I would imagine everyone of these has been wired wrong and its worse when an item is little used because it means it will fail outside of its warranty period.

[@----79821]

Hi Michael, my mums DELONGHI DE60COMBI is not heating anything up but is fully operational, im suspecting it is the magnetron, do you have a magnetron wiring diagram for this model?

[@regmoore5880]

Have switched F to transformer,works normal.Thanks

[@darren990]

nice one were do i get the wiring diagram from for my model breville brgm2316 cheers

[@alipearsall5918]

This sounds like what has gone wrong with my one! I didn't buy this one, so don't think I'd get a refund sadly (it was left behind by the previous owner of the flat when I moved in). Might look into repair, but they're hard to come by...

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Its an easy repair but quite expensive ,you could pay 70 percent of the cost of a new one for a shop to repair it for you .

[@Cobnapint]

Excellent video. Have Argos/Delonghi been notified of this?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I dont think they would be bothered but a few viewers have complained to Argos and got a pro rata refund on defective units .

[@Cobnapint]

@@michaeldranfield7140 I've just checked my dad's new one. It's the other way around too with one of the wires having a blue crimp to the left hand Magneto connection

[@michaeldranfield7140]

@@Cobnapint some people have commented , is this really a mistake or done deliberately to ensure a short life and it does make you wonder .

[@PAULBOOKHAM1]

Have exactly same problem on P80D20EL - Strange thing is I can detect microwaves from the magnetron when the microwave is empty but as soon as you put food in it - nothing - I suspect that the magnetron has now got to the stage where it cant power up enough to heat the food ie the food is absorbing the waves and it just gives up ?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I would imagine the magnetron has gone low emission as these are a thermionic device.

[@itstheterranaut]

Same here, and same model. And same problem.

[@deanmoncaster]

I've got a delonghi and the output power is utterly terrible. It takes 3 minutes to warm a cup of milk that shouldn't take that long and never did in my parents one from the 90s!

[@michaeldranfield7140]

A common cause of low power is a bad connection on the filament terminals , just pull off the terminals and re fit them to see if the power comes up .

[@kwikyrag]

Hi my microwave is the Same where can I get a independent report done and roughly how much are they

[@michaeldranfield7140]

you would have to go to a repair shop to get a written report , I charge £20 but others may charge different prices, you should make it clear to argos though if they insist in a written report then you want them to pay for it .

[@ibrahimajaj1566]

Hello Sir I have the same De'Longhi Microwave and stopped heating up..How i can find a technician to do a report of miswiring please? As argos refused to admit the fault and after 2 years they escaped any responsibility unless i proof it with independent report

[@michaeldranfield7140]

you need to find a repair shop that will write you a report but it wont be free, you should be able to claim the fee for the report back from Argos though .

[@joescience4410]

WalMart 2020 700watt microwave oven has same issue. FA and F connections reversed.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

It could be they come out of they came out of the same factory.

[@electronicartis]

Can the Megatron be repair.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

no , all you can repair on a magnetron is the filament terminals feedthrough capacitor when it shorts to ground , anything more than this and its scrap .

[@turboslag]

Why does having the heater connected in reverse cause magnatron damage?

[@sw6188]

It's not so much the heater that's the issue, it's the 'A' that's the problem. The 'A' refers to 'anode' - the magnetron is a type of thermionic valve and the anode (or plate) has around 2000 volts on it. This voltage is connected to one side of the filament winding, and I suspect that with these cheap chinese magnetrons the insulation between the filament and ground isn't as good on the F side of the filament as opposed to the FA side. I used to repair microwave ovens for quite a few years and this issue of transposed connections wasn't something I had ever encountered.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

In order to fully explain this you would have to cut a mangatron open to see but in short, the magnatron is directly heated device, and as such the filament is also the cathode and one end of the filament is closer to the Anode to which the high voltage negative supply is applied terminal FA (Filament Anode ) , if you were to reverse the connections high voltage has to travel up the filament to get to the FA end putting it out of phase,

[@turboslag]

@@michaeldranfield7140 Ah ha, got it, thanks :)

[@KaVcr]

@@michaeldranfield7140 Does 2-3 V makes some difference at 4+ kV ?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

@@KaVcr no , its the phasing of the magnatron that matters .

[@darthgardner]

Brilliant video..but please anyone doing this make sure that capacitor is not holding current it will put you in your grave ! if your fingers stray. and ARGOS should do a recall. be interesting to see how the sharp branded vestel ones hold out😁

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Sharp is another great company which went down the pan , Vestel microwaves and UMC TV s .

[@weerobot]

My Matsui MicroOven been fine for 30yrs..

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Things were much better made 30 years ago, I still use a Sharp microwave at home from the mid 1990s , your going to be a little disappointed if you have to replace it with a new one !

[@weerobot]

@@michaeldranfield7140 it's still Running Fine..which is amazing...

[@zero5uk]

So this is deliberate built-in obsolescence?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

It would seem to follow the pattern of everything these days , designed to last as little as possible .

[@travelmail1172]

Argos Delonghi microwave failed after 13 months use, seems to be the same problem! The waste of resources making these disposable microwaves is insane. Really wondering if they are intentionally wired badly like this to reduce the lifespan and ensure repeat purchases...

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were,these days its all about selling a new one.

[@bigt3242]

Well spotted Mike no quality control ?

[@sw6188]

Chinese factories don't have quality control! They are too cheap to pay people to check the products as they roll off the production lines. The customer (you!) is the QC - if the product works for you then it's passed QC, if it doesn't work out of the box then you take it back, the retailer scraps it and gives you another one (the equivalent of the item being binned in the factory) because it is cheaper to do this than pay people to do QC in the factory.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

I dont know how they got this wrong , its not as if the Chinese have not made microwaves before !

[@sw6188]

@@michaeldranfield7140 The chinese don't care. All they're concerned about is being paid, regardless of whether their junk works or not. Slave labour sitting in hot buildings assembling these things, they don't care which terminal the wire goes on as long as there is one.

[@joeambly6807]

@@sw6188 ok boom boom

[@michaelwaite6725]

Well spotted Michael, wonder how many microwaves have failed in Argos warranty and just returned or dumped by customers . Pretty high failure rate I would think and no quality control obviously.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

From my experience with Argos they sell items cheap as they buy electrical goods in on a bought out warranty basis , so the manufactures say we can sell you this item X amount of pounds cheaper but you must take on the guarantee yourself as a trade off for the lower price, so from what I have seen a customer returning a faulty item to Argos just gets given a brand new replacement item and I would guess the old one just goes straight into the bin ..

[@nigelwilliams4800]

Beats me how did they pass QC?

[@michaeldranfield7140]

Do they have quality control in China.

[@toolsarecool]

@@michaeldranfield7140 Or is it possibly even done intentionally to ensure limited lifetime and more sales? One would think this is a really bad long term business strategy, but.... if you don't own the brand they are ultimately sold under, you may not care. Nothing surprises me anymore in this consumption-based economy.

[@sw6188]

First problem - the only thing that's actually DeLonghi on these ovens is the name on the front. The rest of the unit is cheap, mass-produced chinese rubbish . The same units will be sold in different areas/countries with different branding on them. This is becoming very common now. One factory churns out this junk and puts different badges on it depending on who the customer is. Brands that people look up to and respect are doing themselves a real dis-service by going down this route. Second problem - chinese factories don't have quality control! They are too cheap to pay people to check the products as they roll off the production lines. The customer (you!) is the QC - if the product works for you then it's passed QC, if it doesn't work out of the box then you take it back, the retailer scraps it and gives you another one (the equivalent of the item being binned in the factory) because it is cheaper to do this than pay people to do QC in the factory.

[@michaeldranfield7140]

absolutely right , this is just badge engineering but I suspect Argos have just bought the name Delonghi same as they have with Bush , JVC, Hitachi and many other well respected brand from years gone by .

[@user-uz4nq7iy3e]

Hi Michael, is it possible to download your report based on this assessment? Same issue but Argos are refusing to acknowledge saying this is the first time they’ve encountered this problem. Many thanks

[@michaeldranfield7140]

you will need to take your microwave to a repair shop and get a written document stating this is a manufacturing fault, chances are the shop will charge you for a report and then you have to ask Argos to refund the cost of the report as they were the ones who insisted on it .