GE Profile Microwave is blowing through door switches

You do not need to replace “bad” switches, just open the switch box with a razor, sand away rusted metals, bend the spring to make stronger. It will work again

What happened on my microwave was that after a while, the switch alignment was a little off between the three door switches, which caused them to actuate at slightly different times when I opened the door. This was totally fine if the microwave wasn’t running. But if I opened the door while the microwave was running, what was supposed to happen was all the switches would get tripped simultaneously causing the microwave to stop; what would actually happen is they would trip at slightly different times, which would cause an overload in one of the switches, cause the switch to fuse together like you’re experiencing, and cause the breaker to trip. I’m not an electrician and don’t know how to technically explain it, but all I know is as long as I press the stop button before opening the door, the switches stay fine and the breaker doesn’t get tripped. I hope this is helpful.

Try buying the actual OEM part. I would get from a local Appliance parts dealer. In Seattle I use Apex Appliance on Aurora.,

Inspect it at the store and see if it looks materially different? If the wire you say is melting is larger, that could be your issue.

I also wonder if the microwave itself could be cooking the switch? It’s an odd theory, but a switch doesn’t usually have high voltage, its usually just a gate for the rest of the circuit; If SOMEHOW the microwave was leaking radiation onto the switch, that could be an explanation too. wrapping the wire in foil tape might help this. Just crazy thoughts, I know.

No, My issue was with the top switch. I was replacing the switch about every 2-3 weeks. I finally gave up and replaced it with an oven from Sharp.

From what I’ve seen there are two major manufactures of Microwave ovens, Look at any brand, you will find a door lock switch that goes straight out with a hole in it, and another type of swich that is like a hook that slides into an opening on the frame of the oven. My KitchenAid has the first type of switch, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Frigidaire all have an identical door lock switchs so that is one manufacturer, this is a very common problem! The ones that have the hook type switch (LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Zline) seem to be more reliable in my experience. My Kitchen Aid is bad now and this is the fourth time its gone bad so my extended warranty is giving me a refund of the entire purchase price under their “No Lemon policy”! I've had the oven for almost 5 years.

If you have a problem with the microwave blowing fuses or the breaker while opening the door, chances are really good it’s the monitor switch. Which is the middle or second switch. If you remove the plastic “latch board,” the receptacle the door hooks latch into which holds the switches, be certain to reinstall correctly. Because there’s a small plastic hook or clip that must go through the metal structure before the board is slid downward into position. It’s possible to install this without properly seating it, without sliding it downward into position, but if you do the switches will not align properly with the door hooks and it’ll just blow the fuse or breaker again. Also when ordering the monitor switch make sure you order the right one. Because the upper switch has the same KW3 number on it but they’re not the same switch. And they cannot be substituted because the upper is normally open and the monitor switch is normally closed. Lastly, do not open the microwave door while it’s running. Because it arcs the monitor switch internally every time and shortens its life. Let it finish running, or hit cancel. Finally, the price of the switch imo makes no diff. Some are overpriced simply because the supplier is price gouging.

I have another problem with our GE over the stove microwave. The monitor switch is blowing the 20A fuse when I close the door. I replaced the monitor switch twice to no avail. When I disconnect the monitor switch, the microwave works fine. I cannot see a way to misaligned the switch assembly, but it seems obvious that the monitor switch is not opening before the primary and secondary switches close; thus bowing the fuse every time. Has anyone encountered this problem and how can I test this and rectify the problem? Operating the microwave without the monitor switch is probably not the best solution.

These switches are notoriously hard to align properly. If you can get a new bracket to replace the worn one it may help. After ten years you will notice allot of wear on the bracket where the door latches make contact. Mine kept blowing the 20 amp breaker and burning it the center switch. I got tired of trying to fix so I ended up buying a new microwave.

I have a GE Profile over-the range microwave unit, Model #PVM9006DJ2BB. Stopped working and the only way to work on it is to lower it from it's mounting position. Can't even check the fuse unless you do. Found the fuse had blown so replaced it with a 120Volt 20 amp fuse that I bought on Amazon for $9 for a package of four. The parts supply store wanted $56 for one!! Still didn't work. Checked the door switches and found the middle one had failed. This is the door monitor switch. Since I had to go through the effort of lowering the unit I decided to replace all three door switches. These switches are all identical and are normally closed (N/C) but they have different part numbers. The GE part numbers are WB24X10146 for the top switch, WB24X10205 for the middle switch and WB24X10204 for the bottom one. GE and popular parts supply stores want over $200 for all three switches. I bought them on Amazon for $25 and they are all made in China and no better or worse than the OEM ones which are also from China. Unit is now working fine with a total repair cost of $35. Word of advice, do not open the microwave door while it is running. This is what blows the middle door switch, so turn it off before opening the door.