--- title: "Microwaves" description: "GE microwaves: over-the-range, built-in, drawer and countertop microwaves. GE publishes a code table for these, and it is genuinely different from the range…" url: "https://gemiami.support/appliances/microwave/" date_modified: "2026-08-31" Appliance type: "Microwaves" --- # GE microwaves ### Over-the-range units are two appliances They cook and they ventilate, and the two halves fail independently. A hood fan that has stopped while the microwave still cooks is a fan or its switch, and it is a much smaller repair than the appliance suggests. ### The high-voltage side is not a home repair A microwave capacitor holds a dangerous charge after the appliance is unplugged. This is the one category where we would rather somebody called anybody competent than opened the case, and it is why the no-heat symptom gets a licensed visit rather than advice over the phone. ### When it is not worth repairing A countertop microwave rarely is once the high-voltage side has gone. A built-in, a drawer or an over-the-range unit usually is, because the appliance is part of the kitchen and replacing it is joinery as well as shopping. ### The high-voltage side, and why we are firm about it A microwave capacitor holds a dangerous charge after the appliance is unplugged, and it does not discharge because the machine sat overnight. This is the single category on this site where we would rather somebody called any competent company than opened the case themselves, and it is why a no-heat symptom gets a licensed visit rather than advice over the phone. ### Arcing is a stop-now symptom GE documents it: metal touching the cavity, a rack placed wrongly, or the interior coating chipped or peeling. Every additional minute of running burns the same spot further, and a scorched cavity usually ends the appliance rather than starting a repair. Unplug it and describe what was inside — that answer decides whether this is a five-minute conversation or a replacement. Over-the-range · built-in · countertop · drawer Microwave repair Its code table differs from the range's — F3 is not the same Over-the-range units double as the hood, and both can fail Arcing is a stop-now symptom Over-the-range units are two appliances They cook and they ventilate, and the two halves fail independently. A hood fan that has stopped while the microwave still cooks is a fan or its switch, and it is a much smaller repair than the appliance suggests. The high-voltage side is not a home repair A microwave capacitor holds a dangerous charge after the appliance is unplugged. This is the one category where we would rather somebody called anybody competent than opened the case, and it is why the no-heat symptom gets a licensed visit rather than advice over the phone. When it is not worth repairing A countertop microwave rarely is once the high-voltage side has gone. A built-in, a drawer or an over-the-range unit usually is, because the appliance is part of the kitchen and replacing it is joinery as well as shopping. The high-voltage side, and why we are firm about it A microwave capacitor holds a dangerous charge after the appliance is unplugged, and it does not discharge because the machine sat overnight. This is the single category on this site where we would rather somebody called any competent company than opened the case themselves, and it is why a no-heat symptom gets a licensed visit rather than advice over the phone. Arcing is a stop-now symptom GE documents it: metal touching the cavity, a rack placed wrongly, or the interior coating chipped or peeling. Every additional minute of running burns the same spot further, and a scorched cavity usually ends the appliance rather than starting a repair. Unplug it and describe what was inside — that answer decides whether this is a five-minute conversation or a replacement. ### It runs, the plate turns, the light is on, but nothing gets hot. That is the classic, and GE's own list starts with the two free checks: whether the timer was used instead of a cook function, and whether the door is closing fully onto its safety switches. After those, it is the high-voltage side — magnetron, diode, capacitor — which is licensed work with a charged capacitor in it and not a DIY repair at any level of confidence. ### There are sparks inside. Stop and unplug it. GE calls this arcing, and the usual causes are metal touching the cavity, a rack placed wrongly, or the interior coating chipped or peeling. Running a microwave that is arcing damages the cavity further every time, and a scorched cavity is often the end of the appliance rather than a repair. ### What do the F codes on a microwave mean? Their table: F1 open thermal sensor from excessive cavity heat, F2 shorted thermal sensor, F3 shorted touch pad, F4 open humidity sensor, F5 shorted humidity sensor, F6 shorted temperature probe, F10 shorted touch screen. Note F3 — on a range that same code is the oven sensor. The appliance decides the meaning. ### It shows 888 or PF. That is a power failure notice rather than a problem: GE says it appears after power is restored or at first installation, and Cancel/Off clears it. If it keeps returning, the supply to the appliance is what to look at, not the microwave. --- **[Read full article: Microwaves](https://gemiami.support/appliances/microwave/)**