Repair or replace?
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 19:41 last edited by
Is your drawer unit vented? Like to the exterior of your home? Just curious.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 19:50 last edited by
No. It's not acting as a range hood and the microwaves themselves don't vent air to my knowledge.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 20:14 last edited by
I guess I’m asking the wrong question. I want to know its location .. above counter or below counter within a cupboard space, or if it’s in an island?
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 20:20 last edited by
What’s its brand too?
I’m building a house now btw. Have also have had to replace above counter shelf type microwaves in 2 other homes. Oh and 1 above the stove thing.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 20:23 last edited by
In an island. (Peninsula, I guess)
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 20:27 last edited by
Are those pop up controls?
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 20:30 last edited by
If your unit is made by SHARP, and I think most are no matter their branding, you should have no problem replacing it.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 21:29 last edited by
I bought our first microwave as a Christmas present for Mrs. George in 1982. It was a Panasonic and it cost $700 - do the inflation-adjusted thing. When we sold our house in 2013, it was still working.
In the condo, we have an above the stove GE profile. Been fine since 2009.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 21:57 last edited by Renauda
@jon-nyc said in Repair or replace?:
In an island. (Peninsula, I guess)
I know microwaves are not vented but they do produce heat that needs to be dispersed. I have always been led to believe that the air vents on the microwave cabinet should be offset or spaced away from any walls or frames by at least 2 or three inches to allow heat dispersion around the unit.
To be honest I have never encountered a microwave in a drawer like you have. Only a dedicated wide open nook/shelf beneath a cupboard or in the open on top a counter or stand alone table/sideboard.
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@jon-nyc said in Repair or replace?:
In an island. (Peninsula, I guess)
I know microwaves are not vented but they do produce heat that needs to be dispersed. I have always been led to believe that the air vents on the microwave cabinet should be offset or spaced away from any walls or frames by at least 2 or three inches to allow heat dispersion around the unit.
To be honest I have never encountered a microwave in a drawer like you have. Only a dedicated wide open nook/shelf beneath a cupboard or in the open on top a counter or stand alone table/sideboard.
wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:06 last edited by@Renauda said in Repair or replace?:
To be honest I have never encountered a microwave in a drawer like you have.
Other than saving counter space, what's the advantage of this style? I see it as cumbersome.
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I would think so too, having to stoop down to place in or remove anything from the microwave. Counter level or just short of shoulder height would be my preference.
wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:20 last edited by@Renauda said in Repair or replace?:
having to stoop down to place in or remove anything from the microwave.
Think of it as loading a dishwasher - that needs regular cleaning.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:22 last edited by
I’d rather have a below counter drawer microwave than what builders here are doing .. a below counter swing out door microwave. Still, both suck when it comes to cleaning up messes.
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@Renauda said in Repair or replace?:
having to stoop down to place in or remove anything from the microwave.
Think of it as loading a dishwasher - that needs regular cleaning.
wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:25 last edited by@George-K said in Repair or replace?:
@Renauda said in Repair or replace?:
having to stoop down to place in or remove anything from the microwave.
Think of it as loading a dishwasher - that needs regular cleaning.
Even worse.
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:30 last edited by
I think builders are into aesthetics, maxing out counter space, and avoiding over the stove microwaves when they can. You can only vent so much with the over the stove microwaves with the built in hood fans. Lot of people prefer a dedicated fan over their stoves. They suck better lol
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 22:35 last edited by
@blondie said in Repair or replace?:
Are those pop up controls?
Yeah you can close that and it’s flush with the door
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I think builders are into aesthetics, maxing out counter space, and avoiding over the stove microwaves when they can. You can only vent so much with the over the stove microwaves with the built in hood fans. Lot of people prefer a dedicated fan over their stoves. They suck better lol
wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 23:11 last edited by@blondie said in Repair or replace?:
ou can only vent so much with the over the stove microwaves with the built in hood fans.
Yes. The microwave vents are next to useless.
Lot of people prefer a dedicated fan over their stoves.
When we remodeled the kitchen in our house (1986) our cooktop was on an island. We didn't want an overhead vent coming down over it, so the contractor (who was great) installed a vent that would rise up behind the burners and vent down the back of the island, into a vent under the floorboards, and out into the back yard.
Ours only rose about 8 inches, iirc and didn't have lighting. Worked well, though.
https://www.thermador.com/us/products/ventilation/downdraft
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wrote on 14 Jan 2025, 23:29 last edited by jon-nyc
No stooping required. It’s a drawer. If it were a normal microwave installed under the counter that would be different.
I don’t mind it at all. I was worried it would cook unevenly since there’s no turntable but they seem to have figured that out. I’ve had a cheap microwave on my counter since this broke 12/24 and I want my counter space back
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wrote on 15 Jan 2025, 00:51 last edited by
Jon, I think what’s key for you given the tight space in that corner is the installer. He/she needs to get that thing out and a new one in without wrecking anything. If it were me, I wouldn’t be ordering online. I’d be going to whatever appliance center builders send clients to in your area, with that picture in hand, and seeking out who they recommend.