The answer, before the detail
On a Black+Decker EG microwave, no heat with everything else working is one of the few faults where the honest answer is that there is little to check at home. Run the two-minute water test to confirm it, rule out a power-level setting and a door that is not quite closing, and then book it. The cabinet is never opened by an owner, on any model. Settle the build before the ranking applies: these models divide on a touch panel rather than a dial.
What the owner actually sees
- The turntable turns and the food stays cold — Confirm with a cup of water rather than with a plate of food.
- Food needs twice as long as before — Time the same task you have done for years — that comparison is the measurement.
- A louder or different hum while it runs — Do not open anything to chase it.
- A power level or a defrost setting left on — A defrost setting heats so gently it reads as no heat at all.
- NEAR MISS — nothing happens at all when you press start — If the turntable is not turning, this page is not yours.
Most likely first on this family
- The magnetron or another high-voltage component — It ranks first while also being the one cause an owner may do nothing about. Unplug it and book the visit rather than investigating further.
- A power level, defrost or demo setting — It rises in any household where the panel gets pressed by more than one person. Reset to full power and run the water test again.
- Grease-blocked filters or a vent tripping a thermal cut-out — It is ranked here because it explains intermittent heat rather than none at all. Intermittent heating that improves after the oven has cooled points this way.
- The control board or the relay that enables the heat — It comes last as the remaining possibility rather than the likely one. Both end at the same place: a technician, with the oven unplugged until then.
The order that finds it fastest
- Run the cup-of-water test — Use a microwave-safe mug and never run the oven empty.
- Check the power level and any defrost setting — A low level or a defrost programme heats so gently it reads as nothing at all.
- Close the door and feel for a positive latch — If it does, that is its own fault and its own page.
- Slide out the filters and look at them — They wash in hot soapy water and go back damp-dry.
Power off first
Safety
Never open the cabinet of a microwave oven. The high-voltage capacitor inside can hold a lethal charge long after the machine is unplugged, and nothing behind that cover is an owner part on any model. Unplug the oven before cleaning anything, leave every door interlock exactly as it is, and do not run the oven empty. If the door is damaged, if it has been dropped, or if the oven runs with the door open even for a moment, stop using it and unplug it.
Where the owner job ends
Call as soon as the power level, the door and the filters are ruled out — that is the whole owner-side list on this fault. The cabinet is never opened by an owner because the capacitor inside can hold a lethal charge after the plug is out, so there is no further step to take at home. Unplug the oven in the meantime and do not run it empty to test it again.
Other faults covered for the EG models
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
