The Whirlpool microwave oven has been ranked high on user satisfaction and reliability. Users have found it to be straightforward to use and clean.
Whirlpool already has an excellent standing in the home appliances industry, and users trust the company to produce kitchen appliances that will last a long time.
Although the microwave oven is of superb quality, sometimes users face problems while using it. One of the problems is the “start” button not working. If you have been encountering the same issue, read below to find out its possible solutions.
Whirlpool Microwave Start Button Not Working
1. Activated Control Lock
Microwave ovens have a control lock. This control lock is a feature that enables the control panel to shut down the buttons or control pads and thereby lock the oven door.
This feature is built to prevent unintended use of the microwave and make your microwave last for a long time.
Now, if this control lock has been activated, the buttons will, of course, not work. You can refer to the manual that must have come with the Whirlpool microwave. It will have detailed instructions as to how you can turn on the lock control as well as turn it off.
Read the instructions carefully and then deactivate the control lock. Try pushing the start button, and it should work this time.
2. Faulty Control Panel
The most common reason behind the buttons of a microwave not working is a faulty control panel. An undeniable indicator that your control panel has become defective is that some buttons may work, and others might not.
Also, a button may work right now and not work later, or vice versa.
If you have someone who can replace the control panel for you, then you should get it replaced. Or, if you want to do it yourself, here’s how you can do it:
- Unplug the microwave from the socket. The capacitor should also be fully discharged when you are replacing the control panel, so unplug the microwave and let it sit for a while. If you are in a hurry, you can discharge it by connecting it to two metal objects or a bulb and letting it run down.
- Next, remove the screws from the front to take the grill out.
- To make this easier for yourself, it is a good idea to remove the microwave cabinet as well. This way, you will have better access to the inside of the microwave. If you don’t know how to do this yourself, you can use the manual. It should contain instructions as to how you can remove the cabinet.
- Now, remove the control panel at the front. You will again need to unscrew a few bolts to do this. Then disconnect it from the wires to completely free it of all connections.
- When it has been removed, locate the touchpad membrane on the control panel.
- Peel off this touchpad membrane and carefully put a new one in its place.
- Once you are sure that the touchpad membrane has been set carefully in its place, you can now place the control panel back in.
- Screw the bolts on just as the way they were before.
- Now connect all the wires to the control panel again.
- Place everything back in its original position: the cabinet, grill, and anything else you might have taken out.
- Lastly, plug the microwave back and see if the start button works this time.
3. Door not Closed Properly
Sometimes we worry about appliances getting damaged when buttons don’t work, fearing that something significant has gone wrong. When in reality, it is as simple as the door not being closed properly.
If you have not shut the door of your Whirlpool microwave properly, then the start button will not work. Therefore, ensure that you have closed the door properly, and then press the start button again. Your microwave should work perfectly well this time.
4. Defective Membrane Switch
The membrane switch, also known as the touchpad, can sometimes get damaged and not work. So if the start button on your Whirlpool microwave is not working, it could be because of a defective membrane switch.
The membrane switch, when pressed, sends a signal to the control board, which then performs the requested action. If this pathway is somehow disturbed, your request will not be completed.
This is how you can check if the membrane switch has become damaged:
- Remove the microwave from its source of power.
- Also, remove the microwave cabinet so that you have better access to the interior of the microwave.
- Now, find where the membrane switch is and disconnect all the wires from it.
- Using a multimeter, check the membrane switch for continuity.
- If the membrane switch has continuity, it means the start button was not working because of some other reason.
- But if the membrane switch does not have continuity, it means that the regulator has become defective and should be replaced.
- You can then replace the membrane switch.
- Now put everything back in its place and plug the microwave into a power outlet.
- Test the start button, and it should work correctly this time.
5. Resetting the Whirlpool Microwave
Whenever any electrical appliance starts acting up, you must hear the advice: have you tried turning it off and then on again?
Well, it actually works at times. If the start button is not working because of some internal issues, resetting the Whirlpool microwave oven may actually solve the problem.
A simple method of resetting the device is that you can unplug the microwave from the power source and let it rest for a while. Then, you can plug the microwave back into the power socket and see if the button has started to work.
Resetting the Whirlpool microwave brings the kitchen appliance back to its original settings, which will make the buttons start working again.
The Bottom Line
The start button not working is a problem that can be solved easily with the troubleshooting methods above. If you don’t feel confident with any of the plans, or if they don’t work, we suggest contacting support.
You can either ask the Whirlpool team to help you out or some trusted technician of your choice.