probably nobody will care, but I’m sad at the passing of my microwave. It was born in July of 1983, and died march 24th, 2026. I had bought it used in 1992 and it faithfully served me and my family for many years until today, when the keypad decided to partially quit working. Rest in peace Zappy, you will be missed.
I’m looking for a new keypad but unsurprisingly the parts for this ancient thing are no longer in stock so I doubt I’ll be able to resurrect it without some sort of miracle. I know it’s just an appliance but it still makes me sad to see it go.
I am barely older than this microwave and am now worried.
If I don’t find this story dull, what does it say about me?
You’re an enlightened individual?
Let’s go with that.
You work in shed 4 hours a night.
Just to be sure, have you tried unplugging it, waiting 30 seconds, and plugging it back in?
Ya, that was one of the first things I tried… I was hoping it would reset and start going again to no avail.
I’ve got it apart now, but this weekend if I have time to mess with it I’m going to plug everything back in and try it again. Maybe it just needs a little vacation lol!
Sometimes iffy electronics will work if you keep them cold. You might try keeping the microwave in a chest freezer—just run a fairly flat extension cord in.
Maybe it just needs a little vacation lol!
So, I water damaged a laptop years ago, and while i didn’t kill it, the repair shop said it was likely some corrosion would eventually cause problems and it could break in the future without notice, and also my monitor had a damaged area in the bottom corner about the size of a credit card. You could see things there, but the color was really distorted.
I needed a solid and reliable laptop for work as there was real time stuff it was used for where failure would be catastrophic so I got another one, but I still used the broken one for various things.
Well, to my surprise, like 5 years later (after repeated low but yearly use), I turn it on to test some software on the older operating system, and the fucking monitor is perfect, no longer distorted.
Clearly it just needed a vacation!
o7
My toaster oven just died. It was so old all the numbers rubbed off and we just ran it off vibes. Guests were like, how long to make toast? And I just told them turn it till it feels right. I’m going to miss that toaster oven, it was the best.
For that microwave to last that long is the testament to its durability. Actually, up until the 90s most appliances were built like tanks and so why some people hold onto them, partly they were IMHO easier to repair than supposedly “smart” appliances.
I also remember how Sony TVs during the 80s that were sold included detailed electronic schematic diagrams helpful to technicians.
My microwave has the schematics included too, it’s printed inside underneath the cover after you take it off. Handy to have.
In my family we literally have a refrigerator that has been passed down 2 generations. First it was my grandmothers, then it was my dad’s and now it’s mine.
The thing is a tank, clean it out and do preventative maintenance every so often and it should live longer then me.
Refrigerators that old are one of the few appliances that pay for themselves when you replace them because of the efficiency gains.
To an extent. But when you need to buy 2 modern fridges to run 30 years, the math is still advantageous but it’s a lot closer over time.
He served his time!!
My 40 year old heat pump died last week too
Ouch, that sounds a little pricey.
Yeah did the whole furnace too since it was 26 years old. Good news is I can use my cold climate heat pump down to -20 f! But I set it for 20 degrees f usually. Then my dishwasher broke 😆 its been a year
Did you try slapping it on the side?
Actually yes lol! You haven’t ever honestly tried to fix something until you give it a little percussive maintenance.
I fixed many engines with the Italian Tuneup.
I call it percussive calibration, but yeah, if the thing is going to get tossed anyway, sometimes a well-placed bang will keep it going a little bit longer.
That’s what I was hoping for, but I guess I’m not lucky enough for that.
It’s always worth a try. It was the classic temporary repair for old CRT TVs, until that fateful day when you give it a whack, and the terrible picture just reduces to a single line across the screen, and everybody goes, “Uh-oh.”
F
f
…my analog litton minutemaster is still going strong: those digital models are just a scam, that’s why yours broke so soon!..
Hey, fucker. I’m still only 42 :-(
o7
Mine is around 35y old, got it from my parents who don’t use a microwave. Still going strong.
My Mom refused to have a microwave until the stove broke one Thanksgiving.
So my dad brought over the turkey in the morning, and I put it in my oven to cook. They had made most of the sides the day before, and they just needed heating up, so I sent him home with the microwave. The stove top still worked, so my Mom could make anything that required that, like the gravy.
I showed up with the turkey, and everything heated up easily in the microwave, and my mom was hooked. She had a microwave within a few days.
Then we went through that period where she cooked EVERYTHING in the microwave, even though the stove got repaired. I’d go over there for Sunday dinner, and literally everything was cooked in the microwave, including whatever meat there was.
“I cooked EVERYTHING in the microwave!”
“Yeah, Mom, I can tell. You know, your stove still works, you don’t have to cook EVERYTHING in the microwave, right?”
Meat in the microwave. People need to stop.
May yours live longer than mine did. I love old stuff that just keeps going, it’s so satisfying to have things you can rely on without having to buy new every few years.
Must be a big, heavy old box. Nice longevity. Now you can buy one for a fraction of what you originally paid, even though they should be more expensive like everything else.
Ya I’d hate to drop this thing on my foot. It probably would have been fine but my foot would have shattered like a plate glass window.
