Working on the design of kitchen with a customer and she wants a reasonably effective hood solution. The problem is the kitchen is really small, so the space efficiencies of the microwave/hood is attractive.
I don’t think she is going to be happy with the venting capabilities of the classic Microwave hood combo.
Has anyone tried boosting the CFM of a Microwave/hood with a fantech style blower?? Or maybe remove the fan from the microwave completely and use a remoter blower??
any thoughts or experience appreciated!
Replies
It really depends on what they cook.
I cannot remember ever hearing our vent fan on and I don't every remember needing one. The last time I remodeled my kitchen for me, I used ductless fans. Running a vent to the outside would be pointless and a waste of energy for me.
Their cooking habits might be different though. It's a small space and sometimes they have to compromise something.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
We just use our fan to keep the humidity down when boiling pasta. For odors - pretty much everything just improves the smell in the house - except maybe kippers.
Jim,You must not cook meat often indoors, you are correct about it depending on what's being cooked. During our home remodel last year, we had to live in an apartment that had a microwave-recirc hood. It was horrible! I couldn't make my favorite pan seared pork chops for a year. The recirc did not cut it for any fancy form of pan searing. There are a lot of great recipes that you can find over in the Fine Cooking forum that require searing for flavor.
I have not found the micro fans to be bad at all. The only concern I have is if there are young kids. The microwave is usually the first appliance the get to use. So reaching across a pot of boiling spagetti to cook the popcorn can be hazardous. If no little kids it is a great $250 solution.
Have a good day
Cliffy
I have a GE Spacemaker and I think the vent fan is on a par with most ordinary range hoods, maybe a little better. I don't use the vent all the time but that depends on your cooking style. The GE is a first class micro, lots of features, easy to clean, rock solid with the mounting. I've had a less expensive combo and you get what you pay for.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Since your customer has mentioned the ventilation, I think you're right about her not finding an OTR micro/hood combo acceptable. They really provide only the minimum when it comes to ventilation. And I'm a firm believer in getting the steam vapors, odors and grease out of my kitchen.
If you can't put the micro anywhere else, and you have room for the ductwork, I'd opt for the remote blower. They provide much better pull, are quieter, and give you more options for running ducts, as you probably know.
As an alternative to the combo, I'd consider the GE Spacemaker micro or maybe a Sharp. The other current trend for monster micros also is a waste of space. You can fit the GE in a cabinet (without the big trim kit, also a waste) or below and only lose about 12" of vertical space. They only project about 12", but remember that the plug needs to be above or you'll have a problem.
I have had my Spacemaker for 5 years, with no problems and can get anything I like in there. No one's cooking holiday dinner in a regular micro.
Huh???
My old Sharp will suck the chrome off'n a trailer hitch. If you aren't getting good results with the combos on todays market, your doing something wrong, IMHO
Thanks for the info. That's the kind of ventilation I like!
My builder has been using Whirlpool or JennAir, sometimes GE. His buyers don't complain, but I have had other people tell me they don't think those models do a very good job. I'll definitely look into the Sharp!
Not everyone who has a combo installed has it venting externally, and even those who do sometimes have a less than perfect duct run. It can be pretty finicky to make tight connections up through the cabinet.
Generally, any of the combo units will work pretty well. I wouldn't get hung up on the brand.
Course, some people are never happy. Unless you spring for some pretty high end hoods, you won't get perfect smell extraction. But it's usually more than adequate.
I have a 25-year-old GE microwave with remote fan. Works pretty well. Be sure to mount your remote fan on rubber mounts to reduce the sound from vibration conducted through attic framing members to the ceiling.
Bruce is that an external fan that was added to a microvent with a fan?Or was it designed to work with an external fan?.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
It was designed that way; came with fan box and long wire bundle to reach.BruceT
I've thought along the same line as your op. We got a GE Spacemaker microwave.It doesn't get all the smell out of the house. Thought about putting in a fan tech with a timer switch. Put a ventl on the celing above the stove. Just haven't gotten around to doing it.
I've put some in kitchens I built. have not gotten any complaints..But,, the ducting is a PITA. look first, and allow for that...
Bud
Does your customer cook with a lot of grease? They have filters for that. It's best to catch it where you can deal with it. Some people just cook with a lot of grease.
Just to throw out another idea, in our house we have an unvented GE spacemaker above the cook top with a down draft cook top. Not sure how effective the downdraft really is (not being a cook) but the 6" dia metal pipe looks substantial. The DW says it's too loud when on high.
BTW - I think not venting a range to the outside is a mistake. In the Energy Star home certification program it is required. Maybe if the range isn't used it's OK for some people. At our house we occasionally cook fish and shrimp and to not have an externally vented range would suck...
I built a house for a guy a few years ago and he got higher end stainless steel appliances with the big SS hood and all that. There was a plumbing problem with the dish washer that he called me about a few months after he moved in. I was amazed that the problem hadn't shown up earlier. I asked him a few Qs and his response "Oh - no. I don't cook, and this was only the 2nd time I used the DW". :-)
Thanks to all who have contributed their thoughts, this forum and the people to use it are a great resource.
To answer a few of the questions. The customer cooks alot, however, doesn't think she needs a commercial style range. I took a look at a old microwave combo hood I have in my shop(pulled out of an old job) to see how they do the venting. This one had a 1.5" by 9" or so channel up both sides of the microwave turning at the top and exiting out the center. So each side has two elbow, not good for air flow.All of that said I think the customer is going to put a real hood in
and a smaller microwave.Now I need to find the best place to put the outlet. Any one had any experience with the roof mounted fans. We are in the Northeast and this customer is 1/4 mile from the ocean. Worried about blowing rain and snow infiltration.Thanks again.
FWIW, My wife can burn a meal with the best of them.
Our Micro/vent combo is more than up to the task.
Unless the HO is a BIG cook, I can't imagine a properly installed unit not handling their needs.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
"My wife can burn a meal with the best of them."
The only reason we used to have black coffee at home was because my XW burned the water.
My XW had a cookbook entitled, "When It's Smoking, It's Cooking, When It's Burnt, It's Done".
LOL
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
"Unless the HO is a BIG cook, I can't imagine a properly installed unit not handling their needs."I don't see what the size of the cook as to do with this, but a tall one may not like the microhood in their face when cooking.A fat one will still have problems getting close enough to the stove no matter what kind of venting is used.But again that might be a selfcorrecting problem..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Edited 4/14/2008 7:44 pm by BillHartmann
LMAO!
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
I saw 1/2 dozen of those the last couple of days.But I have not had time to respond with the attention that they needed..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
FWIW, My wife can burn a meal with the best of them.
Our Micro/vent combo is more than up to the task.
What brand/model is it?jt8
So what was that like?It was like coming THIS close to your dreams. And then watch them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd. At the time you don’t think much of it. You know we just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening. Back then I thought, “well, there’ll be other days.” I didn’t realize that that was the only day. --FoD
Just installed a new LG O-t-R (Over-the-Range) microwave- it purports to have a 500 cfm blower- will let you know if it works OK.
Bill
I gotta Frigidaire micro/hood combo. The blower, she's LOUD. But it doesn't seem to pull that hard off the stovetop. I've got a 5-burner gas range, and I am a serious cook occasionally, so I can generate quite a bit of heat/smoke/steam from the rangetop.
It's a brand-new install; I've checked airflow from the fan itself, through the duct to the outside, and at the bottom of the range, and no dice. I'm figuring there's some inefficient duct design inside the unit, or I just screwed something up when I installed it. : )
Jason
Here's the link to the LG:
http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home%20appliances_cooking_over%20the%20range%20microwaves_LMVM2277.jhtml
I notice they now spec it @ 470 c fm... was 500 when I bought mine 3 months ago.
Bill
I have a GE Spacemaker XL1400 - microwave / vent fan / hood combination.
About 7 years old - zero problems.
Good microwave and vent fan performance.
Transitioned the rectangular duct out of the unit at the ceiling to a 5" round, 1 90 degree bend in the 5", 8' run of duct total.
Only complaint is the fan at the high speed setting is somewhat noisy - but it does do a good job of venting.
Yes, on occasion, I do fry fish.
jim