Have you ever wondered how to discharge a microwave capacitor? If so, you’re not alone. Hundreds of people are looking for answers to their questions about this topic. When it comes to checking the fault of the microwave or repairing the microwave or if you’re going to repair a microwave oven, then you must have an idea about how to discharge a microwave capacitor because of some safety reasons.

As we all know that the best microwave capacitor has the ability to provide dangerous shocks and be damaged if not properly discharged a microwave capacitor, so we must say it’s a most important part of the DIY repair skill set.

Even after unplugging a microwave, there is still a deadly charge in its capacitor because it stores up power and amplifies it for use. So in this order to safely repair many parts of the microwave then, you should discharge the capacitors first. So we are going to tell you how to discharge a microwave capacitor.

How to discharge a microwave capacitor?

There are some easy step-by-step guides to discharge a microwave capacitor.

1. Disconnect the capacitor

First of all, you have to disconnect your capacitor from the power source. Simply unplug the electronic device from your wall outlet but if you can’t do this, then you must locate the house’s breaker box and turn the switch that will control the flow of current.

2. Set the multimeter

Now you should set the multimeter to the highest DC voltage setting. Infect, the Different multimeters have different voltage ratings. So you have to Turn the dial in the center point of the multimeter to the highest voltage setting. So that you can get an accurate reading of the volts of electricity that a capacitor is charged with.

3. Connect the multimeter

Now it’s time to Connect the multimeter to the capacitor. Here you can see the two posts sticking the capacitor out of the top. Here you need to touch the red lead from your multimeter to one post and after that touch the black lead to another post. Now you have to Hold the leads on the posts so that you can read the display on the multimeter.

Now open the appliance to access the capacitor. You can also get help from the repair manual if you don’t access the capacitor. Now touching both leads to the same post will not create any accurate reading because it’s reading the level of electricity passing from one post to another post.

4. Check the reading

Now you check that reading which is higher than 10 volts. But If the capacitor reading is less than 10 volts, then you don’t need to discharge it. If the reading level of the capacitor is between 10 and 99 volts, then you have to discharge it with a screwdriver. If it is hundreds of volts, then you have to discharge it with a discharge tool.

5. Discharging with a Screwdriver

Now you have to discharge the charge by using a screwdriver with an insulated handle because you have to touch the tip to a capacitor and then drag the screwdriver slowly towards the one across from it. This will make the reason to create a small short circuit, in this way, the electricity will be discharged easily.

But keep in mind that you have to repeat this process multiple times. When it is properly done then you will hear a pop sound after the short circuit. Don’t be so panic, this sound will pretty loud when this short circuit is complete, now it is safe to work or repair your microwave but you need to keep it disconnected from the power outlet.

When you replace the turntable motor, it is perfectly safe to do so without discharging the capacitors, while when you are repairing the capacitors, a high-voltage diode will need to discharge.

Conclusion

One of the easiest ways to discharge a microwave capacitor is to unplug the microwave for a long time but this is why you have to wait for some days. That’s all you need to know about “how to discharge a microwave capacitor”. Repairing a microwave is so complicated and dangerous. If you aren’t comfortable with to discharge of electricity, contact some professional instead of doing it at home.