Microwaves that vent to the outside force the air through duct work to the outdoors.
Do over the range microwaves have to vent outside.
Remove the access plate on the top of the unit in order to reach the motor.
Microwaves are shipped from the factory to vent out the top vertically but can also be vented out the rear horizontally.
Since a range hood protrudes further it also does a better job of capturing smoke steam and cooking odors and venting them outdoors.
Over the range microwaves have a light and fan built into the bottom of the appliance.
After the smoke and steam are removed the filtered fan vents the air outside your home or cleans it before releasing it back into the kitchen.
Over the range otr mounted microwave ovens can save space in your kitchen but the exhaust fan in a microwave often just recirculates the air rather than venting it to the outside.
If you have an over the range microwave it should have an exhaust fan that vents to the outdoors.
If rectangular ducting please note.
All over the range spacemaker microwaves can be vented to the outside using an equivalent total of 140 feet of rigid 3 1 4 x 10 rectangular or rigid 6 round ducting.
Otherwise a roof vent will be needed.
Typically there might be a cabinet installed over the microwave and inside that cabinet will be duct work or a soffit above the microwave or a direct wall exhaust.
You have a lot of options when it comes to microwaves.
Countertop built in with a vent without a vent warming drawer etc.
Here s how to go about it.
Microwaves over the range otr typically vent in two different ways.
When a microwave is replacing a standard range hood it is usually best to use the existing venting method.
If you re reading this article you ve already determined that an over the range microwave is the way to go and those are popular options.
Many times an over the range microwave that recirculates cooking fumes can be converted to exhaust to the outside.
The ventilation system may lead to an exterior vent or it may simply recirculate air back into the kitchen.
Proper range venting is very important to follow the manufacturer s specifications for installing a new vent.
A microwave oven designed to be mounted over a cooktop is usually equipped with a ventilation system to cope with the cooking odors smoke and moisture that rise from the cooking surface.
If you are mounting the microwave on an exterior wall then you can use a wall vent.