I was looking to get a little more counter space and am thinking of installing a Microwave above the stove. Is there a Minimum distance above the stove? I do not want to remove or modify the cabinet above the stove, and am not ready to remodel the kitchen just yet.. Thanks JRE
We just replaced our over-the-stove microwave, and the instructions say that the top of the mounting plate (about the level of the top of the appliance when it's installed) must be at least 30 inches above the cooking surface. Our microwave is approx. 16 inches high, thus the minimum clearance for *this* microwave is approx. 14 inches.
Perce
On 03/24/05 11:23 am Mastermech tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:
how high is the cabinet over your stove? If you don't have a cabinet over your stove I doubt that you can install a MW over your stove because the unit bolts both to the wall and to the underside of the cabinet over the stove.
just yet..
You're right. All of the manufacturer's specs that I've seen require a minimum of 30" from top of cooking surface to bottom of cabinet that m/w hangs from. (I sell them for Sears). However, in the county that I live in (N. Illinois), the powers setting the standards for construction have seen fit to set the minimum as 32". Thus, you could install it yourself at the
30" minimum and not void the manufacturer's warranty but to get a licensed contractor to install it, you have to have the 32" min. All of the m/w hood combos that I've seen have a built in thermostat that kicks the fan in if the heat from the stove begins to get hot enough to have an affect on the m/w's controls. TomI will measure.
Thanks a bunch! JRE
The extra 2" of lifting in a dish could be a deal breaker for many people, like my wife for instance. Ed
Tom.
I don't recall how high the underside of the cabinet was, but over the minimum 30". And, yes, the plate had to go on the wall with a couple of "ears" touching the underside of the cabinet above so that the microwave could be secured to that cabinet -- by two bolts on the new one, three bolts on the one we took out.
I got the impression that the OP already had a cabinet over the stove. If it doesn't allow for sufficient clearance, s/he can't just take it out (which s/he said s/he didn't want to do anyway): there must be a cabinet above to support the microwave -- at least on all the ones I've seen.
Perce
On 03/24/05 12:34 pm Sam tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:
You probably knew this already, but the installation instructions tell you the minimum distance.
You probably knew this already, but the installation instructions tell you the minimum distance.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.