Microwaves are amazing electrical devices that have made all our lives a lot easier. Cooking and reheating leftovers from the previous day has never been easier. But, the one thing that annoys the most users is the annoying noise the appliance makes.
Let’s admit it. We all hate the beeping sound of the microwave oven. It feels like there is no need for an electronic appliance to confirm every input we give with a high-pitched beep, and they beep too much to let us know that the food has been prepared even when we are looking at it. Sometimes, the microwave malfunctions and lets it all out with a continuous bout of beeping that can drive anyone crazy.
Thankfully, you can take measures and steps to limit or mute a microwave, which will be explored deeply in this article. Even though the features may differ for different appliances, we will cover each scenario where the machine is likely to make sound and provide insights into preventing it.
Diagnosis: Things to Check
Before we get started, you need to figure out what’s wrong with it. This is to ensure that there are no faults or problems with your microwave. If your problem is that the microwave has a beeping sound whenever you push a button, you can skip this step as it is entirely normal. However, if your microwave keeps on beeping even after you take the food out or close the microwave, you need to diagnose the problem before approaching to solve it. Here are some of the most common issues seen with microwaves in households:
- If your microwave keeps on beeping after you take the food out and there is no need for the microwave to function anymore, you are dealing with a glitch in the appliance because it hasn’t yet recognized that you have taken the food out.
- Sometimes, the door of the microwave can be a problem. Due to heavy usage or prolonged use over many years, the microwave door can be rendered inefficient and even beeping after closing. This is because the microwave couldn’t register the closing of the door into its program and thinks it is left open. This can happen with most electrical appliances over continued usage and can probably be fixed with a more forceful close from your side.
- Home appliances require a certain level of power to function efficiently, and there are in-built systems that will be triggered if the power supply is above or below the required range. You can contact your power suppliers to fix the problem or contact an electrician to check the wirings of your home.
If your problem isn’t listed above and these actions didn’t seem to address your situation, we can look into some more advanced options, including a hard reset of the microwave.
5 Methods to Silence your Microwave
A word of caution before proceeding further. Electrical and electronic appliances have a limit for manual repair by the users. If the door sensor doesn’t work on your microwave, it doesn’t matter much and can be solved by muting your microwave altogether. However, if there are some problems like the display blinking, microwave malfunctioning, timer glitching, you may want to consult a professional or opt for a replacement.
You may be tempted to open it up and remove the soundbox of the microwave, and that may seem “solve your problem,” but tampering with a cooking device utilizing microwave radiations and rated voltage to work is not recommended unless you are a professional in the field because there can be instances of electrical fires and other hazards.
Let’s explore some feasible, risk-free options and potentially solve 99% of the problem with microwave beeps. The below-mentioned methods are specially curated and are completely DIY.
Put your Microwave on Mute
It’s as simple as that. Most new microwaves have an in-built silent mode that is not publicized. Most major brands in the microwave manufacturing business have a silent mode, and all you have to do is to toggle it on and never hear the beep again. But, how do you know if your company has one?
Check out the button pad of the microwave.
Most probably for newer versions of microwave ovens, there are sound options on the keypad on the front. There won’t be a button named “Silence” in your microwave to silence your appliance, but you should be able to navigate to the sound settings and turn down the volume of the microwave.
Explore the Remote Control
If you have a remote control with several buttons, you don’t even know the functionalities of, now might be a time to study it carefully. Check out all the keys in the remote and look for sound control options available in your “smart microwave.” It doesn’t necessarily need to be remote, and some microwaves can be connected to your phones via their application to silence a microwave without a sound button in the keypad.
Check User Manual
The user manual of your microwave should have all the information about the appliance’s functionalities, which include the silent mode (if it has one). It should also contain graphic instructions to put the device in silent mode (again, if the microwave has a silent function).
Go Online & Download User Manual PDF file
Let’s face it. No one likes to read a user manual. Or sometimes, you may have misplaced or even lost the user manual. In such cases, you can always go online, visit the manufacturer’s website, type in your model number, and download the user manual.
There are advantages to reading a PDF user manual. It helps the user quickly search for keywords and find them instantly. For instance, in this case, all the user needs to do is to search (Ctrl + F) for the keywords such as “mute,” or “silent,” or “volume” instead of scanning through the whole text.
If your microwave has a volume adjustment setting, it will be easy enough for you to find via the methods mentioned above and turn down or completely turn off the microwave beeping noise.
Hard Reset Your Microwave
Don’t be afraid of the jargon. There are instances when the microwave will not stop beeping, even when you don’t have any food content inside. This occurs due to a glitch in the system and is very common. In such cases, you can always opt for a hard reset. It just means to unplug your device completely from the power socket and wait for a few minutes before plugging back in.
This is done primarily to remove the residual electricity in the appliance causing the sensors to malfunction. Doing so will reset the sensor back to its initial state, and the beeping should stop.
If it doesn’t, you can assume other complications with your microwave and move on to another solution.
Quick Run Your Microwave
Most of the time, the microwave beeps are due to the malfunction of sensors and the false-positive conditions it detects. If the microwave doesn’t stop beeping even when there is no food inside it, you can have a small cooking session to operate the device and see if it helps in any way.
- For this, take a cup of water and add some salt (or sugar) to it. Please place it in the microwave and turn it on for a few seconds, enough for the sensors to register the events. Now, remove the cup and stop the device.
Take extra care and never place plain water inside the microwave as there are chances for the water to explode.
Contact Customer Service
If the methods mentioned above don’t work, it might be time to seek more professional help to disable microwave beep. You can always look up your manufacturer’s customer care number and contact them. They will direct you on what actions can be taken next and see if there are other simple fixes available for the particular model of your microwave.
If no simple fix is available, they will also provide you with valuable insights on how to proceed next in terms of repair or replacement. You can also utilize your guarantee/warranty card on such occasions to get the best deal from your manufacturer.
Buy a new microwave
Finally, this is a no-brainer. If there is not much anyone can do to repair it, replace it. Such heavy-duty appliances should not be run under faulty conditions as there are potential risks involved. You can go online or to your nearby store to look for a new microwave under your budget and requirement.
We can’t fix some errors, or it doesn’t make much sense to do so. If you have a wholly fried microwave, pun intended, it costs as much as to buy a new one. It doesn’t make financial sense to repair the old one.
Consider buying a new microwave if your timer, display, or heating effect seems to be faulty, unreliable, or out of control. These are some of the main aspects of the microwave, and if it’s broken, it can be a potential fire hazard. You can also consider buying a new microwave if your microwave is more than 15 years old and shows malfunctions regularly. This can happen due to constant wear and tear over prolonged use. Finally, if the microwave beeping noise is that annoying and there is no silent mode, you can consider buying a new microwave.
How To Silence A Microwave Without A Sound Button
It is often an unwritten rule for major manufacturers of microwaves to have a system or the sound button with which the user can switch to silent mode, if necessary. However, some brands do not provide the feature, and with such models, it can get tricky to access the sound settings and turn the silent mode on in your microwave.
If your microwave doesn’t have a Sound button, the chances are that the settings are hidden inside the keypad. Some keys will have dual functionalities, and most probably, long-pressing or holding down the “0” button or the “1” button or the “Cancel button” will grant you access to the sound settings of the microwave. If this doesn’t work, don’t give up yet.
You can always look up the manual or go online to the manufacturer’s portal to find the specific key binding to access the sound setting. The user manual will guide you through the keys you need to press to access the sound settings of the microwave.
Don’t miss:
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Conclusion
There are several ways that your microwave could potentially make sounds. It may be “alert beeps” that may be reminding you of the food you’ve left inside or the timer that shows the time left for cooking. It may even be a call for help because of a malfunction in the sensors or the system.
Switching on the silent mode on the microwave is one of the most straightforward solutions if your concern is the confirmation beeps for every input. You must identify the sound you want to silence and then carry out the specific methods mentioned above. Or, if there is a glitch in the system, try a quick break routine or do a hard reset of the appliance to get the residual charge out.
Seek professional help if and when necessary. There may be some problems beyond your control, and you should learn to accept that and move on to seek professional help/repair or opt for a new microwave with the required specifics.