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Rubber_Ducky1's avatar
Feb 18, 2015

High Pointe Microwave

Has anyone that has a High Pointe microwave in their RV had problems with the microwave. Last fall the keypad on my High Pointe microwave quit working. It is a built-in microwave. This was about 2 months after the warranty ran out. Since it was about the end of camping season I did not replace it. Camping season will start for me in about 6 weeks so I'm ready to replace it.
I'm trying to decide if I want to go with another High Pointe microwave or some other brand. Since it is a built-in I'm limited on microwaves that will fit in the space. It is 0.9 c. ft. in size. The opening it goes in is 20 1/16" wide x 13 1/2" high x 15" deep.
Any suggestions?
  • 1. The dimensions are standard for a RV small Microwave cabinet. You should be able to find 3 or 4 brands that will fit.
    2. High Pointe---We replace about 2 a month at out dealership under warranty. They have a high failure rate. But, almost ALL the small RV built in Microwaves are cheaply made.
    3. I would use the cabinet for something else or just go to Walmart and buy a countertop small microwave and it may fit in the cabinet without a mounting ring. You remove for travel and lay on the floor.
    4. From what I have experienced as a RV tech, I would NOT buy another RV designed M/W. I would do item number 3 above.
    5. They probably fail because they cannot handle the 120 voltage ups and downs that is prevalent in RV parks and the fact that some have Generators that have fluctuating voltage. Especially the Portable kind of Gensets. Doug
  • Open it up and look for a ceramic fuse. It's shaped like a glass fuse but much bigger. They tend to blow in some models that run close to their current rating.
  • If you're handy, it might be worth trying to take the keypad unit apart and seeing if you can resurrect it. If the whole keypad stopped working at once, I'd be inclined to think it's something simple like a connector that worked loose or a cracked common (ground) trace on the keypad PCB or maybe a door safety switch that's gummed up and not registering as being in the "safe" position.

    Do be careful poking around the inside of the microwave if you check this. There are deadly high voltages present, possibly even when it's been off and unplugged. (The magnetron requires a couple thousand volts at a relatively high current, the better part of an amp. That's quite literally capable of killing the unwary.)

    A Panasonic .8 cubic foot inverter microwave oven would fit in the opening pretty nicely and most likely be an upgrade in quality from the original, too. The inverter microwaves perform much better than others when powered from a MSW inverter; you don't lose a good chunk of the cooking power, and the circuitry is somewhat more efficient as well, so you get more cooking from the batteries.
  • I had a Magic Chef microwave in my fifth wheel that died after a year and a half of use. I replaced it with an Advent Brand Microwave that I bought off of Amazon. It looks like the dimensions are right for your space. I've been happy with the quality of this product so far.

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