Whirlpool microwave is rated at 1000 watts but performance is closer to a 700 watt microwave. Dealer claims that a magnetron either works or it doesn’t work and that they don’t just get weak.
My question is if magnetrons just die or can they lose power gradually until they are dead?
How did you measure your output wattage?
Here’s a quick & easy way to find out what’s taking place in there:
Fill a Microwave-safe container with 1 carefully measured liter of water, preferably at room temperature, about 70F, and measure its temperature (Fahrenheit) as accurately as possible. Write that temp. down, and place the container in the MW. Set the timer for 2:03, and hit start. (If yours is a ‘mechanical timer’ type, with just a dial, use a stopwatch - this must be accurately timed.)
Carefully measure the ‘end’ temperature and multiply the difference by 19.4. The result is the approximate energy gain in watts. (I know you’re wondering about those 3 seconds - it takes about that long for the magnetron tube’s filament to heat and start to ‘fire’, and we want exactly 2 minutes of heating)
Keep in mind that it’s normal for a microwave to produce less energy as it ages (hmmm… sounds familiar somehow!), but your results should be within about 50-75 watts of the rating.
Sounds like you know plenty about microwave ovens already (most techs don’t know the procedure you just gave for calculating output power). Was your original question a test? Look at your power transformer. If it has a secondary third tap marked “HI”, move the output wire off the one marked “LO” to HI, and see if that doesn’t get you a little closer to that 1000W rating.
This microwave is 3 months old. The dealer is giving me the round-a-round about the wattage strength. He claims that a magnetron either works or it doesn’t. I want to know from someone who knows about magnetrons if what he said is true or a cop-out. Could there be a weak magnetron in this unit? Or can a 1000 magnetron operate at less than 1000 watts?
Magnetrons don’t get weak. They develop shorts and fisures, and, like the dealer said, either work, or not. If you have low power, it is most likely in the power transformer, or the capacitor. It is possible for the waves to be mis-directed, or scattered; this usually happens if there is physical damage to the oven cavity or the wave guide, or, in very rare instances, loose magnetron fasteners.