no. current code is separate line for a microwave. you probably have an outlet on a general lighting circuit, which is shared amongst other sockets, and probably isn't a 20 amp circuit anyway.
you're going to trust a salesman, who hasn't ever seen your place, as to what you have inside your walls?
By electrical code microwaves are considered fixed appliances, they need there own circuit. If your home is older than 18 years then I can almost guarantee that there is not a separate circuit for the hood/light combo. We just did not do that back then.
Will it work, probably. You might trip a breaker once in a while until you figure out what else is on the circuit the new microwave is going to be connected to.
If it is easy to install a new circuit for the microwave I would.
Other issues you may have not thought of are back then we would have run 3 wire circuits to the appliances, like the oven and cook. If your new stuff is electric best check to see if they need a 4 wire circuit. 4 wire includes a neutral.
Does your local building department require upgrading anything when upgrading the kitchen? A quick call with out your last name will find out for sure.
Really?
Microwave/hoods are very common now, and I was planning it as part of my new kitchen.
Have there been a lot of reported problems with these?
Banty (Les wants to replace 17 year old appliances - don't think he'd be interested in trading for my current 45 year old ones! They're 'vintage' age now, but they're not 'vintage' condition. :-)
[snippage]
My 2 cents: Replacing a dead microwave/hood combo probably isn't an issue. As you say, they're common, and they're standard sized. What I've read and experienced, though, is the fans in the combo units aren't particularly good. A dedicated fan works much better. We have a
3-speed Broan Allure we like a lot - very quiet, nice design and features, powerful enough on Boost for wokking. Just me, but I find a microwave over the range exceedingly inconvenient. Should one use the range and the microwave at the same time, a common occurence in our house, one is reaching over flame, heat, and/or steaming spattering cooking. Also, like a TV/VCR combo, if one breaks both are effectively broken. That said, if a combo is what you want, it's your home, so of course do what you like best :-).Been there :-). The ex got a lovely old Magic Chef range. Wish I could have taken it with me, she replaced it with a new crummy Jenn-Air. One reason she's "ex" ;-).
Planning on buying all new kitchen appliances, since they are all about 18 yrs old. Currently have a hood over the range that has a fan and light as part of it. I would like to replace the hood with a microwave oven over the range.
My condo is 18 yrs old. Can I assume that since I have electricity with the hood, that the electrical wiring is ample for the microwave, like the salesman says? Or how can it be tested to make sure that the current electrical wiring is OK?
Well the wiring is likely sufficient but the question might be what else is already on the circuit.
It is never a good idea to make any assumptions about electrical work.
I would also advise you to rethink the combo hood-microwave. If something happens to the microwave, you will never find another to fit the space. You will pay more for the combo than either alone. The hot space above the range is not a good spot for a microwave.
Don't know about the wiring, but I would NEVER EVER have another microwave/exhaust hood over my range. All the smoke and grease go into it and never comes out. Over time, it gets really nasty.
Just my preference.
Steve
It's a galley kitchen, tight for space, with only two people in the house (basically only one cook).
But what you say is an important consideration.
Banty
The problem is most microwaves don't last 17 years, range hoods do. In five years you will likely not be able to find a replacement for the microwave and no one will want to bother repairing it if they can get the parts, they are throwaways. New ones are better and cheaper every year.
My OTR microwave only lasted about 18 years. They wouldn't even honor the warranty after that.
Sarcasm aside, if the OP is going to run a new circuit, he may also want to consider a microwave convection combo unit. Sure is hand to have a second oven at time and to use the fast bake feature.
Kitchens these days tend to be "operated" by more than one person at at time. We went with a separate cooktop and oven arrangement in the kitchen of our new home and have found the ability for one person using the oven and another on the cooktop to be a great feature over having a range (or oven beneath the cooktop!) where one has to step out of the way while the other accesses the oven.
I couldn't imagine the hassles of adding a microwave to the mix of things at one location.
Of course, if your kitchen is tight for space, then the whole picture changes anyways.
Just a touch of realism and a bit of sarcasm. Replacing the hood with a hood/microwave can be done but will likely be unsatisfactory (the hood part) and will certainly cost a lot more than the two separately. But, do it if you really want it.
Second. All house circuits are at least 15 amps. It is unlikely that you would buy a microwave that uses more than 13.5 amps. The hood fan and light probably don't use more than 1-2 amps, thus that circuit with the will support the microwave alone and probably the microwave, hood fan, and light all running at the same time. Just don't put other things on it, or at least turn them on when the microwave is running.
Just remember that thousands (err;; make that tens of thousands, actually probably millions)) of people just set the microwave on the counter and plug it into wall circuit which is usually 15 amps with no problem at all. Mine also has a toaster in the same plug. Both do operate at the same time, if yours won't then avoid the hassle of resetting breakers by not operating other appliance on that circuit when you use the microwave.
See SQLit's comments, he seems to have a handle on the issue and a reasonable view.
If they both operate well at the same time, they are likely on a split circuit so the upper and lower plugs are really two different circuits.
Thanks all for the replies....
Here are a few additional facts that would be pertinent to my original question.
1) Current range hood is on the "main" breaker, which is 70 amp2) Tech support of microwave said it requires at least a 15 amp circuit; it is a 950 watt microwave.
3) Currently have counter microwave which is plugged into socket controlled by "main" breaker. It also is 950 watt.4) Only one person works in kitchen at a time, and microwave and range below would not be used at the same time.
5) The " main" breaker controls lots of stuff in house. (but not sure exactly what!)Again, my question is if you guys think I am wired OK now? If not, and I continually trip the breaker, I would then call an electrician to create a separate breaker for the microwave. A GE technician will be doing the microwave installation.
Any further comments would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
See info below #5
Sounds about right. 15 a should easily handle that load. What else in on the circuit though?
See #5
Two of us work in the kitchen and we don't have a problem with that setup. The OTR saves a lot of space.
No. The main breaker, if it is truly the main, should control every breaker in the box. There must be another breaker of 15 or 20 amps to control the rest of the circuits. If the 70 amp breaker is truly controlling much of the house with no sub panels or other fuses or breakers, you are living in a very dangerous environment. Please, have a competant electrican look at it and fix it. At least get someone knowledgable to confirm this if you can't get an electrician right away.
If the fan was installed according to US code, it's not on one of the two 20 amp kitchen appliance circuits. If the fan is on a lighting curcuit it's definitely inadequate for a microwave. Plan on running a new circuit.
Actually no. But it is a 20 amp circuit. Previous microwave was 12.5 or 12A and the toaster was 8, so the amp load was right on the edge. Never tripped the breaker but you could hear the microwave kind of slow down when the toaster went on. Never figured out why the breaker never tripped but probably because the two were probably never both on more than 45 seconds to 1 minute at at time.
Is that 12.5 or 12 amp figure for the microwave and 8A figure for the toaster what was printed on a label, or an actual measurement you took?
Typically ratings on appliance labels are worst case values and may not reflect what is actually being drawn, which is why you never tripped the breaker.
[snip]
Too far to walk across the room from the La-Z-Boy to the TV/microwave? Perhaps you'd be a tad more "motivated" if instead of (yech) veggies, you made tater tots or popcorn. Or better, toss the microwave and put the BBQ on the TV and a cold keg of beer beside it.
;-)
[snip]
Yes, if one has the space and the money, separating appliances - and work areas - is a real convenience, even when only one person is cooking. We have a range with a large oven, but also a smaller wall oven which gets the most use. The large oven we use only for, well, large items, or special times like Thanksgiving when two ovens are useful to bake several things at the same time at different temps. Not the turkey, though - that goes on the Weber charcoal grill :-).
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