Possible low power issue in the house

[chiller15]

My microwave died last week - a mug of water in on full power for 5 minutes would come out barely luke warm and the spinning plate would spin - but stick occasionally and kind of be jerky as it went round. So I concuded I needed a new microwave. Went to Argos and purchased the same make/model microwave (Morphey Richards 800W £55). I plugged that in and it does heat things up, however it takes longer than it used to. For example, a mug of milk for a hot chocolate would take 2 minutes to be hot enough to pour the powder in. Now it has to be in for 3 minutes to get to the same temperature. The microwave is set to full power.

I also noticed last week that my power shower needs to be cranked to a much higher temperature setting to get the same level of hot water. I don't know if the two are related or I'm just thinking too much into it.

Has anyone come across something like this before?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Incoming water temperatures are cooling down - water will take a little longer to heat up.

Have you checked your voltage?

 

[ericmark]

There are set limits +4% -6% so voltage can be reduced but although it may affect a shower slightly it is unlikely to affect a microwave, you can get plug in energy meters which show voltage, amps, watts and power factor so easy enough to check without the need to play with leads of a multi-meter, the item in most homes which is most affected with volt drop is fridge/freezer, and also they can suffer for thermal insulation failure so a check every 6 months is a sensible idea, and the plug in energy meter is the easy way to check.

Yes I have noted the drop in last house from 250 volt to 230 volt which did cause the fluorescent light to stop working in the kitchen, but this was also because using a 58 watt tube in a 65 watt fitting it was volt drop being the last straw. It does seem there is a move to correct high voltage in the main to allow micro generation which auto cuts out with over or under voltage or frequency. However in the main we will notice no change.

 

[winston1]

My microwave died last week - a mug of water in on full power for 5 minutes would come out barely luke warm and the spinning plate would spin - but stick occasionally and kind of be jerky as it went round. So I concuded I needed a new microwave. Went to Argos and purchased the same make/model microwave (Morphey Richards 800W £55).

It is foolish and a waste of money buying replacement items when you have not ascertained where the problem is.

 

[chiller15]

Thanks for the replies. I'll get a voltage meter to see what it's drawing and post the results here. Electrics is not a strong suit of mine, so I thought I'd post here before considering getting an electrician in.

It is foolish and a waste of money buying replacement items when you have not ascertained where the problem is.

I ascertained that as the microwave was not heating up - it had failed, which is not an unreasonable conclusion to arrive at. It was not until the replacement microwave also appears to have an issue that I am considering a wider electrical issue with the house, especially given what I mentioned about the power shower (which I had not considered being possibly linked, until trying the new microwave).

 

[crystal ball]

It is foolish and a waste of money buying replacement items when you have not ascertained where the problem is.

As helpful as ever.....

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks for the replies. I'll get a voltage meter to see what it's drawing

With a voltage meter you can see what the voltage is; not the current it is drawing. If the voltage is 230 to 250 then that would suffice to indicate the appliance is faulty.

For measuring the current drawn you will need a current clamp meter just clamped over the line or neutral conductor of the flex.

 

[ericmark]

This was what I was thinking about, easy to use and safe.

 

[winston1]

As helpful as ever.....

Indeed. I always like to be helpful, and hopefully the OP will not waste his hard earned in future.

 

[gman76]

It is foolish and a waste of money buying replacement items when you have not ascertained where the problem is.

It almost sounded like you were encouraging somebody to open up their microwave in order to ascertain whether the problem may lay with the fatal voltages & highly dangerous magnetron found within.

Surely you wouldn't be that silly(?)

 

[Screech20]

There are set limits +4% -6%

Where did you find this figure?

It’s +10 -6 down here and I thought it was national regulation?

 

[EFLImpudence]

It is.