The short answer
On the Black Decker BDMW microwave an oven that runs without heating is usually the programme it is being asked to run rather than a failed component. The BDMW stems step through sizes on a common mechanism, so the sequence below holds across the model list.
What you observe
- The turntable turns, the light is on, the food stays cold — Everything except the heating is working, which is the classic picture and the one that sends people to the settings first.
- Warm around the edges only, over a long run — Partial or intermittent heating.
- A loud buzz with no heat at all — The machine is trying.
- NEAR MISS — nothing runs at all — A dead panel or a door that will not start the oven belongs on the page for an oven that will not start.
Causes, most likely first on the BDMW family
- Power level, defrost and a demonstration mode — First on this family — the BDMW stems step through sizes on a common mechanism — and a panel with power levels and a shop demonstration mode produces exactly this complaint: the oven runs, the timer counts, and almost no energy is being delivered because it was not asked for.
- How the food is arranged and what it is in — Second: a deep container, a cold mass straight from the freezer, or a dish resting off the turntable heats unevenly enough to read as no heating at all.
- Ventilation and a cut-out that has responded to it — Third: an oven that heats at first and then stops is usually protecting itself, and clearance is free to fix.
- High-voltage components inside the cabinet — Last, and the only group that is a repair rather than a check. It is also the point at which the cost of the part meets the price of an appliance of this class.
Check in this order, and why
- Reset the power level to full and clear any special mode — First because it is free and because it explains a striking share of these complaints outright.
- Heat a cup of water for a minute and feel it — Second: a repeatable test with a known load beats any impression formed from reheating a meal.
- Check the clearance and the vents around the cabinet — Third — an oven that heats then stops is telling you about its ventilation.
- Note whether the buzz changes when heating should begin — Last of the owner checks: a machine that sounds identical whether heating or not has moved the fault inside the cabinet.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the oven before touching anything beyond the cavity and the door — and then still do not open the cabinet: the high-voltage capacitor inside can hold a lethal charge long after the oven is disconnected, which makes this the one kitchen appliance that can injure you after it is switched off. Never tape, wedge or otherwise defeat a door interlock, never run the oven empty, and stop using it altogether if the door, its inner panel or its mesh is bent, cracked or burned.
Models in the BDMW family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BDMW0107CB | black-decker:microwave:bdmw |
| BDMW0107CS | black-decker:microwave:bdmw |
| BDMW0107CW | black-decker:microwave:bdmw |
| BDMW0109S | black-decker:microwave:bdmw |
| BDMW0111S | black-decker:microwave:bdmw |
When to call a technician
Call, or weigh up replacing the oven, once a known load at full power stays stone cold with the power level confirmed, the vents clear and the door closing firmly — the remaining causes are high-voltage components that must not be touched at home. Stop using the oven immediately if no heating arrives with a burning smell or a spark.
Other faults covered for the BDMW family
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