I have a Kenmore built-in microwave/vent combo installed beneath a cabinet over my range. When I boil a pot of water, with the vent fan on 5 (highest), before the water has even come to a boil the smoke condenses on the bottom of the microwave and the water droplets accumulate and drip back down into the pot! This is gross and unacceptable. It’s impossible to make even pasta or hard-boiled eggs! A repairman checked it out by seeing if a sheet of paper stayed attached to the vent filter as it ran, and it did. He declared that this meant it was working, and told me that these combos are never good and never ventilate anything. Is he correct? Should I replace it with a range hood, and if so what brand do you recommend? Should I go the Home Depot/Lowe’s route? And, (last question, I promise) is it simply a matter of removing the microwave and installing the vent hood in its place, or is it more labor (and cost) intensive? Thanks for any information you can give.
In the cabinet above the unit, there is a brand-new, rigid (not corrugated), circular vent. This was recently installed by an electrician per inspector’s advice to replace old vent (I recently purchased this home). So, it would appear that the unit was installed to vent to the outside. Before I had the repairman come, I removed the filters and washed them, even though they appeared clean and shiny. Behind the metal grilles of the filters were what appear to be charcoal filters. Should charcoal filters be on an outside-venting unit? I didn’t learn ’til after the repariman left that the unit’s exit vent needs to be turned the right way (in this case, in an “up” position) to match the direction of the vent pipe. Is the most likely cause of the problem that the exit vent is in an incorrect position? Should the repairman have checked this? If this is a 2-man job, is it worth having 2 repairmen come out to check this or should I just replace with a hood vent? Thank you all so much.
BTW, 19 1/2″ from range top to bottom of unit. I read that 2 men would be needed because in order to check that the exit vent is turned correctly the unit needs to be removed
I guess what I’m really asking is should I spend the time and money trying to see if this unit is vented correctly, etc. (minimum quoted was $180) if a unit such as this will never really vent well anyway (as the repairman told me). Can these units work well (and not result in water droplets!) or should I spend the money on a vent hood?
How to choose a Cooker Hood
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
If the vent is ductless, it has a charcoal filter.
Or it should have one.
You didn’t mention one in your question.
That leads me to believe that you are unaware of this.
Take off the screen and remove the filter and check it.
If it hasn’t been cleaned for a while, it should be because if it’s clogged with grease and such, it won’t work as it should.
You can also purchase a new one at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
What’s the distance from the stovetop to the vent inlet?
It sounds like there might not be enough space there; like the bottom of the microwave is too close to the stovetop.
There’s a minimum amount of space that’s allowed for safety reasons.
This should be specified in the installation instructions for the microwave.
If you want to install a new range hood with a duct, the duct piping would have to be run up, through the cabinet, ceiling, attic, and roof, to terminate at a proper roof jack.
Then there’s some electrical re-wiring to do to supply the power. Then there’s repairs to the wall where the microwave hanger was placed.
Probably a weekend job for a DIYer.
EDIT -
I’m sorry, I just saw your added details.
If your unit it vented outside, then yes, by all means remove the charcoal filters. You no longer need them. Keep the screen covers, but discard the charcoal filters.
That should open up the vent-ways so you have a proper air-drawing vacuum.
(Your unit is convertible, from ducted to ductless.)
If it’s ducted outside, you shouldn’t feel and air coming back into the kitchen from the return air vent. It should be going outside.
If that doesn’t work, THEN I’d remove the unit and check the damper to make sure it’s in the right position. It’s probably not since whoever installed it should have known to remove the charcoal filters. Makes me think they didn’t know what they were doing..
Also check the roof jack to make sure it’s open and clear of any nests or anything.
Anyway, this is getting long, so I’ll close by saying that if your unit is clean and set correctly, it should be doing a fine job and you shouldn’t have to replace it..
in Canada your vented range hood has to be vented (bylaw) to the outside
before you can sell your house, something to think about before you get into it
just because the paper stuck to the micro doesn’t mean its working properly? the exit end of vent needs to be set to vent out side through proper sized vent duct and vent motor turned in micro to exit correctly? also is your micro/vent-hood high enough from range top? min 18 in.- max. 30in..most 30in wide range hoods will fit in place of the micro/vent just be sure the height of hood is per local code? most brands are ok ? pick the one that has best warranty.
Microwave vent combos only have one side that really draws, even if there are two filters, it is because the other side that would of been the vent is filled with components to make your microwave work. they are all built the same. If you want to change out the microwave for a vent it is fairly easy. remove the microwave and then the take the bracket off the wall. with the microwave out of the way you can now see if the vent is thru the wall or up theru the cabinets and now you can measure the size of the vent and remember if it is round or rectangle. Now go and buy you new vent and a cord with a plug on it. Wire the cord to the vent cause you are gonna plug it in where your microwave used to be. and attach the vent to the cabinets according to manafacturer instructions and you now have a new working vent. Enjoy and cook away.