GE Spacemaker Microwave

Factual Questions
1

I have a GE Spacemaker microwave mounted over my stove. It is the original microwave installed by the builder 13 years ago. It still works fine but I would like to replace it. A few questions:

  1. Is this something I can install myself, or should I pay extra to have a professional do it?

  2. If I were to install it myself, and I bought another GE Spacemaker, could I use the same mounting hardware that’s already installed? It looks like I may be able to slide the old one out of the brackets and slide the new one right in. If this is the case, I’ll definitely buy a GE. Otherwise I’ll look at the other brands too.

  3. Any recommendations on brands? They all seem pretty similar to me. This GE has lasted 13 years and still works fine, so it seems to have been pretty well made.

2

Okay, to answer question 1: You will need another fit person to help with the install. If you are comfortable hanging things like ceiling fans and other modest fixture installs, the m-wave swap is do-able. Have someone to help with the swap.

I have swapped out GEs on the same bracket 10 years apart from date of manufacture. GE is a fine brand, and m-wave technology is pretty generic and reliable. Buy a GE with the features/style you like. Leave the old bracket up, and be fairly confident the new one will rest on the old bracket.

In home improvement, everyone hedges on guarantees. Something pops up way to often to give you a 100% guarantee it will fit.

3

Interesting question. We’ve got a spacemaker microwave that we need to replace and it’d be nice to be able to do it ourself.

However, I’d say that our small sample of 2 does not bear out the product’s quality - we put a GE in when we remodelled our kitchen in 2001, and within a year the light had quit working, and within a year after that the whole thing had died (we had sold the house, and heard that back from the new owner).

And our current house has one that was installed in 1996 (roughly). It died in 2002 a few months after we bought the house. We had it repaired to the tune of 250 dollars (as it was a higher-end model - range hood and convection). It died again within a year.

Admittedly, the timer, surface light and fan work fine, but we had to buy a cheap countertop microwave (which we’ve been using for 5+ years now). Check into brand reliability before you get another GE.