I’m looking to put in a wet bar with a gas stove top. I’d like to install a hood with an external fan to the outside of the house upon which I can set a microwave. In other words, a standard microwave over stove arrangement. I’d like to just be able to replace the microwave any time. The exhaust fan should vent directly backwards. I’ve seen microwaves with built in range hoods, but they seem to be integrated, and I don’t want to have to replace the entire thing should the microwave fail.
A friend of my mine had his microwave fail and he had to replace the magnetron at a cost of something like $1500, which I really want to avoid.
What is this item called? I’ve looked up range hood with external fan but this does not distinguish from hoods with an exhaust venting through the roof.
IDK but you might want to use a pop up vent instead. The exhaust can go right out the back from under the stove.
Most vent fans have an option for venting out the back. (2 x 10 or 12 so look out for studs).
I’m not aware of any that are self supported that work as shelves.
If you put a shelf between the upper cabinets you would mount the vent fan below it and put the microwave on top.
Yes, there’s no special type of microwave to go on a shelf above a range hood. I don’t know if there are household range hoods design to carry a load on top. I have a combination fan/microwave now, it’s the second one, the first lasted about 10 years, it didn’t cost much more than a similar stand-alone microwave of the same size. The only rub is that they can be difficult to mount, a stand-alone range hood is much lighter and you can just drill holes where you need them to line up with studs if needed. The two combination units I have need to be supported from the top also so I fabricated some pieces of aluminum angle to attach them to the cabinet I built in above the microwave. That cabinet is attached only at the back and top itself, if I had cabinetry on either side of the stove I’d just put in a shelf and use a standard microwave in the manner you suggest.
I think I know what the OP is referring to. Years ago I saw a range hood that had an opening to fit a standard microwave oven (although it would have to be a relatively small one). I’ve been Googling but haven’t found anything similar now. And the specialty range hoods get expensive. So it might be better to just buy a microwave oven/range hood combo (which are easily available for a few hundred and hope the microwave oven doesn’t fail.
Thanks.
I’m thinking that I can just buy a cheap convertible range hood and hook it up so it exhausts out the back wall and then fab a shelf strong enough to support a microwave. There’s a bunch at Home Depot that are real inexpensive. It’ll be a small microwave that doesn’t weigh much. I’m just unsure about the Title 24 energy requirements on these cheapo hoods, but I’m guessing that I can work that out between the city and my Title 24 consultant.
The specially designed rear exhaust hood is way more expensive and doesn’t look like it’s designed to support anything anyway.