Panasonic Microwave Advice

[rp2813]

I'm pretty sure my Panasonic model NE 7720 B needs a new belt for its turntable. The oven is over 25 years old and I love it, it works great, easy operation, and the belt is original. Can anyone advise if this is a fairly straight-forward repair or if there are any tricks involved? I'm going to pursue getting the new belt today but may not get around to installing it for a while.

Thanks for any pointers on this.

Ralph

 

[rp2813]

Just bumping this one back to the top. I figure it's probably a fairly easy job but was just looking for any comments that might indicate otherwise.

 

[toggleswitch]

Can't really answer that for you, however:

Personally I would not open a nuker to repair it. PARANOIA and such.

New ones are quite inexpensive from USD 50 and up............

25 years is quite impressive! I'd say 7 to 8 years is the average life-span.

 

[rp2813]

Togster, I've had this one opened up before. It has a twin that makes pretty yellow flashes and sounds like a Jacob's ladder when it kicks in so I traded out the magnetrons to see if it made any difference and it didn't. So one of them is shot for sure and not worth fixing. But replacing the belt on the good one I think would be pretty easy and wouldn't involve dealing with the innards. It's a panel on the bottom of the oven that would be removed from what I can tell, and likely there's a pulley or two in there and that's all. I guess I'll tackle it and see what I find.

I have seen new Panasonics that have a fairly easy to use knob rather than a touchpad (I absolutely hate touchpads) and also employ a system that uses lower power rather than cycling on and off when you have it set to a lower setting. I like that. But not as much as I like the zapper I currently have!

Ralph

 

[buffster]

Safety First

I must echo what I wrote in an earlier thread...
Just a word of caution... You might want to check those old microwave ovens for radiation leakage. Here's a link to the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health where you can find more information on related topics.

As Toggleswitch wrote above, microwave ovens have become so inexpensive and while I strongly advocate recycling most things, I just don't think it's worth the potential health and safety hazards.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your concern when it comes to microwaves. I've been wanting for a while to get my hands on a meter to check my Panasonic for leaks but can't see spending the money on something I'll probably use only once in a great while. From what I've read, the microwaves are weak (hence the term "micro" maybe?) and if you're a few feet from the oven while in operation, even with leakage you're still a safe distance. I make sure I don't have my nose pressed to the glass on ANY microwave oven regardless of age.

My partner is a very out-with-the-(not very)old-and-in-with-the-new type of guy and has been nagging about replacing the microwave for a long time, but its ease of operation and the fact that it has a temperature probe (seems they are a thing of the past) makes me want to hang onto it until it truly fails, maybe like its twin did. It's a fairly low mileage machine for its age but I see no reason to open it up again if it has problems. When your time's up, it's up, and that's all there is to that. Meanwhile, I know that replacing the belt is not a hazardous operation so if there are no leaks and the belt is replaced, this oven should work like a champ and I'm hoping for quite a while longer.

 

[toggleswitch]

If it lights up near the nuker - you'z toast, baby.

There is a way to check for leaking micowave radiation with a fluorescent bulb (lamp).

Don't remember the length, diamter or wattage one is supposed to use.

Can't check right now, but maybe will scour the web and provide a linkie, if no one beats me to it.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Togs, and trust me, I used an extension cord and left the room when I changed out what I thought was the bad magnetron and gave it a try. I could see and hear from a good distance away that it was still malfunctioning. So the twin zapper is toast and so far not me, and I intend to keep it that way. I wasn't comfortable troubleshooting any further and my good oven works fine except for the turntable that's gotten flaky and I know that's the belt, located far away from the nuking mechanism so it's a safe repair to make. I do love this oven, but it's not worth risking my health and safety to keep it going if anything other than the belt fails going forward.

 

[toggleswitch]

I'll find that darned fluorescent lamp testing trick sooner or later...........

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/microwave_ovens.html

 

[panthera]

non-ionizing

The radiation is non-ionizing and I bet the marketing folks are still kicking themselves for letting "micro-radio-waves" get named "microwave radiation" back then.
Micro refers to their wavelength, not the amount of damage they can do.
You can be seriously hurt - your body cooks just as well as any other piece of meat.
There are lots of complicated, expensive meters to test for leakage, but a simple test (I ain't promisin' nothin' here, tho' I did read this in a German consumer reports magazine) is to hold a little neon glo-bulb (like in the handle of a line-testing screwdriver) up against the slits between the door and the frame. If it lights at all, then the door is leaking.
You can do the same with a florescent tube. Again, I don't know the threshold here, so: light at all, trouble. No light, either no trouble or under the threshold of the light.
Since the microwaves are only about 2 meters, if you are further away than about 7 feet (and let's not all run and calculate that to the last 1/64", ok?) nothing can happen to you.
Those inverters are pretty cool, by the way - much better than other ovens at lower power levels.

 

[buffster]

FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health

Oops! Not only forgot to include the link in my original post, but posted to the wrong thread. Here's the link.

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.html

 

[dj-gabriele]

TEMPERATURE PROBE?!

Maybe I'm too young to have ever seen those but in every microwave I've seen that probe is missing!
This year I just bought a new does-all-by-itself LG microwave to replace an old (but still perfectly working) 550W power Delonghi, it too doesn't have a temperature probe, what was that used for? To stop the oven when the inside of the roastbeef reached the desired temperature?

 

[rp2813]

DJ, yes, exactly. The temp probe uses a different dial to control the oven (on mine anyway) so in addition to the dial that controls the power level, there is another one that you set to desired temperature. This can be used for roasts or just heating liquids in a measuring cup or whatever. I used it to cook a whole chicken for enchiladas once and the chicken turned out perfect. Browning wasn't an issue in that case. On my oven, if the temperature dial is accidentally turned on, like maybe it was clicked on while cleaning the oven control panel or whatever, it overrides all other dials and the oven will not turn on because the probe isn't in place. It's a great system and I don't know why it was abandoned. It hasn't been problematic at all and even if I don't use it all that often, it comes in handy sometimes. Just another reason I prefer to hang on to this oven. Thanks for all the links and tips everybody. I will be checking them out.

 

[brisnat81]

Panasonic Thoughts

My Mum still has her Panasonic Microwave/Convection Oven from 1984 and its going strong.

On hers there is a seperate panel that comes off, like the Light bulb replacement hatch on the back. It wasnt a hard job to do.

I spoke to a Panasonic Service agent over here about getting it tested, and he said that the Seals on the Panasonic are that good, that as long as your door aligns properly in the frame, there are no scratches on the choke seal around the transparent perspex and the door closes tightly, then there is no problems and he wouldnt bother wasting money getting it tested. If the door has dropped and doesnt align properly, then getting it tested would be smart.

In relation to Power output, Mums is 650Watts, and it manages to do a must faster reheat/defrost jobs, than our 850watt LG. When our Kitchen remodel happens, we'll put in the 47L 1100 Watt Inverter Microwave/Convection oven as a replacement for our LG.

Regards

Nathan

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Nathan. The door on my oven fits fine. This oven hasn't had any kind of mistreatment during its lifetime. I'm not too worried about leakage but will still check it just to keep my partner from complaining about that being an issue.

 

[maytagbear]

I love the probe on my Radarange!

I use it all the time, especially when making bread. I use it to bring the milk and butter up to a perfect 120F. By the time I get to it, and stir the milk-butter combination, it is a perfect 115F.

Saves a lot of time and wondering if it's too hot or not hot enough.

I actually cook in my Radarange, and find that people who do cook in their microwaves generally are partial to older microwaves. Generally.

I have seen, and tried newer microwaves, but they all seem so tinny...make me nervous. I know my 80 something pound Radarange is safe.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rp2813]

LMB, I love the industrial design of the Radaranges of the late 70's and early 80's and the door that opens down instead of to the side. And they have the coolest name of any microwave oven too! I got my Panasonic as a xmas gift from my parents and took it back to the store to trade it in for a Radarange but the sales guy assured me I was better off with the Panasonic and talked me out of an exchange. I can't exactly say he was wrong considering the thing is still cooking away over 25 years later.

I recently saw a couple of Radarange owners manuals at a thrift store. One of them was a small 3-ring binder type of design for a late 60's model, the other was a regular book for a later model. I wanted to snag them and offer them here but my partner is doing a pretty good job of breaking me of my collecting habits.

Ralph