Kitchenaid Turntable Glass Melted

I opened my KitchenAid Microwave to use it and found that the turntable glass had actually melted in one spot on the glass plate in a small circle about an inch in diameter. This did not happen while it was being used. The glass was physically melted in one spot and the metal of the chassis directly underneath the melted glass was discolored from the heat of the glass as the glass melted down, the plastic turntable ring and support were also melted in areas.....I had used our KitchenAid oven during the previous night but don't see how the heat from the oven would have caused this since both the Oven and Microwave were installed three years ago and this has never happened before...The microwave still works fine except the Glass and the ring and support are ruined.......I have attached pictures .......What would have caused this to happen?

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Answer #1: Posted by surferbeto on February 28th, 2012 12:24 PM

surferbeto

Member since:
February 28th, 2012

Points: 40

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Hi, I had a similar experience with my new Kenmore/ Sears microwave oven. Twice! And it is still a bit of a mystery to me. It's an over-the-stove model, with a 1000W output. I bought it last year (early 2011). It seems like a pretty hot, powerful microwave compared to the (very) old one it replaced. My glass turntable melted like that directly under a spot of spilled liquid. And when I replaced it with a new glass turntable (under warranty), that one only lasted about two months before it shattered too, with cracks radiating from one point. Yikes! I just ordered my third glass turntable (about $50, including shipping).We'll see how long it lasts.

I've searched for answers online (which is how I found your question) and found nothing definitive. My first thought was that maybe modern factories are skimping and using cheap glass. My friendly neighborhood Sears repairman suggested that this might possibly be a contributing factor. He said turntables melt and crack sometimes and he didn't think this was evidence that there was anything wrong with the oven itself. I have found no reference to substandard glass online and the glass turntables are so model-specific that I cannot find anywhere to buy a better turntable than the original manufacturer provides. I have found online microwave repair websites suggesting that you can damage your oven if you run it empty for a few minutes (because the microwaves have nothing to absorb them and they eventually damage the magnetron that makes them). I also found references to folks cracking glass turntables by microwaving popcorn (or other foods) directly on the plate with nothing to lift it off the glass. Apparently those glass turntables are a little more fragile than they seem and the food can actually get hot enough to crack the glass. Here is my current best theory: I wonder if someone in my household spilled something in there and then ran the microwave oven empty for a few minutes by mistake? And the spill took all the energy produced, concentrating heat to the point that the glass actually melted? It's easy to turn the microwave on with nothing in it by accident if you are trying to use the kitchen timer feature, hit the wrong button, and fail to notice that the microwave came on (because something else is also making noise- like the dishwasher, the radio, the dog, kids, etc).

I guess I could test this theory by trying to recreate the conditions, but I'm reluctant to because I don't want to damage my oven. I'd love to know exactly what is going on. Maybe a more authoritative person will chime in here? Good luck with yours.

It sounds like it's a good general policy to always cook food on some kind of a microwave-safe plate, to keep it off the glass.

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