Amana Microwave Not Heating Food? 5 Likely Causes

You’re in a hurry to heat up food and the microwave is not heating! Help!

Amana microwaves are straightforward appliances that help heat and cook food quickly. However, there are situations where things don’t work as they should, and the appliance doesn’t produce a heating effect. Here’s why that might happen.

Is your Amana microwave not heating your food? Start by checking for incoming power supply problems. Inspect the power cord, plug, wall socket, and circuit breaker to ensure they work. Then, make sure you can close the microwave door firmly. An open door or a failed door switch will prevent any heating. Lastly, the magnetron could have stopped working, requiring a professional to replace it.

A microwave oven without heat can be frustrating, but don’t worry. This guide will walk you through all the likely causes of the problem and show you which solutions you can use to fix the problem.

Why I My Amana Microwave Not Heating?

When your microwave fails to heat your food, you’ll need to troubleshoot it for the following problems:

Incoming Power Supply Issues

First and foremost, you should start the troubleshooting process by checking the basics. In this case, that means checking for any incoming power supply issues.

When your microwave doesn’t work as intended, check for problems with the following:

• The microwave’s power cord and plug
• The wall socket you’re using for that microwave
• The circuit breaker protecting that wall socket

A problem at any of the three points listed above can prevent your microwave oven from functioning correctly to heat your food. On top of that, the problem could stop the appliance from turning on in the first place.

For instance, the power cord and plug could be damaged with rips, tears, or holes. Meanwhile, the wall socket could be faulty, failing to supply the oven with the electrical current it needs to do what it’s meant to do.

Lastly, the circuit breaker could have tripped or been switched off. Both will leave your oven without any power to heat food at all.

The solution: You can solve this problem by checking each item listed earlier. A damaged power cord and plug must be replaced with a new one you buy from the manufacturer or dealer.

Meanwhile, a faulty wall socket needs the attention of a qualified electrician.

Thankfully, a tripped circuit breaker only needs to be pushed back into the ON position.

Read: How To Stop Condensation / Sweating In The Microwave? – Troubleshooting Guide

Microwave Door Isn’t Closed

Another reason your microwave isn’t heating your food is that its door isn’t fully closed. As a protective measure, microwave ovens won’t work until they sense their doors are shut. That’s because it’s only safe for the appliance to run when its door is closed, and the microwaves are contained within its cavity.

Aside from accidentally leaving the door open, it’s also possible that the oven is overloaded with items or that a foreign object is stuck in the door. Any of those reasons will prevent the door from shutting and prevent the microwave from heating your food.

The solution: Firstly, check that you’re not loading any oversized tableware into the microwave, as they will prevent the door from shutting firmly. You can solve that by transferring your food to a smaller plate or something similar for heating.

Next, clean the microwave door and remove any dirt, debris, or foreign objects in the way. Those items will cause a gap in the door that stops the appliance from heating.

Read: 3 Tips How To Clean A Samsung Microwave Filter?

Control Lock Or Demo Mode Is Enabled

Amana microwave ovens also have safety features built into them. Those features will prevent the appliance from heating when enabled, whether deliberately or by accident. In this case, the features to check for are Control Lock and Demo Mode.

The Control Lock feature prevents people from operating the microwave or changing its settings. That feature is especially important if you have children in the household who might unknowingly use the appliance.

Meanwhile, Demo Mode allows the microwave to turn on but prevents it from heating. That’s a feature dealers use to display the unit in stores and for technicians who want to repair the unit.

Both of those modes will stop your microwave from heating if they are enabled.

The solution: This problem is pretty straightforward to fix. You have to disable the Control Lock or Demo Mode features, and your microwave will resume heating your food.

Press and hold the CANCEL button for at least 3 seconds to disable the Control Lock. For Demo Mode, disabling it typically requires you to press and hold the Timer Off button for 3 seconds.

The precise steps mentioned above can differ between Amana microwave models. So, if they don’t work, refer to the appliance’s user manual to see which steps apply to your particular unit.

Read: What Is Eco Mode On Samsung Microwave?

Failed Door Switch

Earlier, you read that the microwave will not run if its door isn’t shut. That’s also true if the appliance mistakenly thinks its door is still open. The component involved is called the door switch.

The door switch senses when the microwave door is closed and signals to the appliance that it can begin heating food. A faulty switch, however, will prevent that from happening even when you shut the door correctly.

The solution: Door switches experience a lot of wear over the years and eventually fail. When that happens, the only solution is to replace it with another one that works. 

You’ll have to unthread the screws holding the existing one in place and disconnect its wire harness.

That will allow you to install a working switch in the same place.

Read: How To Use Microwave Samsung?

Faulty Magnetron

Lastly, your microwave won’t heat if its magnetron is faulty. Again, this component is very dangerous, so never troubleshoot or repair it yourself.

Here’s why:

The magnetron is a highly-electrified component that generates microwave energy to heat your food inside the oven’s cavity. Assuming all other components in the appliance work correctly, the likely reason for its lack of heating is a faulty or failed magnetron.

The magnetron can fail if too much of its microwave energy is reflected back onto itself. For example, running the microwave oven while it’s empty or without its turntable can cause the magnetron to damage itself. 

Even worse, putting metal objects into the microwave (like metal utensils) will also cause the same damage. The magnetron will eventually stop working if that happens for too long or too many times.

The solution: Solving this problem requires replacing the existing magnetron with a new one. That’s a hazardous repair to perform, as the magnetron can remain electrified even if you’ve disconnected the appliance’s power supply.

So, you must only let a qualified repair technician perform that replacement. This repair is not the kind that you’ll want to do yourself at home.

Read: How To Set Clock On Samsung Microwave?

Final Thoughts

Microwave ovens offer plenty of convenience when it comes to heating and even cooking food. However, there are situations where the appliance will work but fail to produce any heating effect.

As a protective measure, the microwave won’t work if the door isn’t fully closed. So, check that it’s free from any foreign objects stuck in the door and close it firmly. A faulty door switch can also cause the same problem despite the door being shut.

Amana microwaves have Control Lock and Demo Mode features that will also disable heating despite the oven turning on normally. Lastly, check for a failed magnetron that must only be replaced by a professional.