Our microwave oven doesnt work, it's popping the breakers?
Question:We just bought a ge/adora above the range microwave oven, it's a 1.8 cubic feet oven listed at 1100 watts. Every time we run the microwave it pops the breakers for the oven and the lights in the kitchen, my assumption is that the electrical outlet cannot handle 1100 watts, how can I check/ fix?
Answers:
USA The answers so far are correct. You stated the lights also go off when the breaker trips; this indicates that the lights are on the same circuit. The addition of the microwave overloaded the circuit. As stated above, install a new 20 amp circuit using size 12 wire to the receptacle for the microwave. Do not put any other receptacles or lights on the circuit.
Please have a licensed electrician do the work to ensure the job is done safely and correctly.
It sounds like you are correct in your thinking. The circuit is probably overloaded. The only safe way to correct this is to run a new 20amp circuit to the breaker box.
Just to be sure try putting the microwave on a different circuit and see if it trips the breaker.
The smallest breaker I have seen is 15 amps, about 1800 watts. You have an overloaded circuit. The best fix is to add a 20 amp breaker to your box, run 12 gage, NM 2 conductor, 3 wire including ground (sometimes incorrectly termed Romex), from the breaker box to the outlet used by the microwave and connect only the new cable to that outlet.
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