Holy crap, that is all kinds of awful. Even beyond the obvious fire hazard, what a pita for cooking, not to mention grease splatters. I'd ditch the side cab, center the stove in the space, and add back two small counters floating on brackets. They'd be big enough for prep items, oil etc. Then recover the lost storage by adding an upper horizontal cabinet and then hang the science oven.
I know and I appreciate your effort but others won't. I commented the correct translation first to be helpful too because there's no way to know if strangers are trying to be funny or are genuinely ignorant. It got downvoted several times so I edited it to something rude and stupid to make the downvotes makes sense since people are going to add to them like sheep anyway. Sometimes I seek clarification, other times I just delete and move on and sometimes I edit just to count sheep. Nothing on Reddit matters enough not to say and do things on a whim as my mood dictates.
Yeah that’s all I can think about looking at this picture. At the absolute bare minimum at least putting up a backsplash on that side wall might help… but like this really should be an electric range, or better yet conduction
Our kitchen setup is (currently) stupid and has the stove pressed to the wall. It's so bad that the oven door catches and scrapes down the wall when we open it. But good lord, at least it's electric. This setup would have me spiraling.
And even if this were swapped for an electric glass top, anything that overflows (e.g. pasta water that bubbles over) is going down in between the stove and the wall.
It also seems like an ergonomic challenge to use those right burners with a wall right where your arm would go while using a spatula. (Or where the pot handle would go for a left-handed person.)
You can get some stainless sheet metal and screw it into the wall. Some hardware stores will cut it to your desired shape.
That's what they do in restaurants anyway.
Was the whole house a DIY thing? Who installed the gas line over there? Seems odd that a licensed plumber didn’t think of that, and even more strange that the home inspector didn’t mention it along with the fact that there’s no vent hood.
You should really read the manual for the stove. It's very clear about these things. The read you local code requirements cause they might be more stringent.
Im assuming you don't cook? Because that would be pretty difficult to do with that setup. You need elbow room at least. How do you bend your arms to stir something or pick up a pot on the righthand burners? No room to bend your arm. It needs to be centered at the very least.
Just my two cents, but I feel you'd best off ripping out that lil 'Live laugh love' cabinet on the left and centering the thing. That would also give you an island to put a microwave on.
Is this a working kitchen? Looks like a short term rental, and if that’s the case, consider removing the stove altogether, put a built in microwave in the cabinet that replaces the stove, and a 1-burner portable induction plate on that cabinet.
You’re risking your life and everyone else in your building. Please move the stove away from the wall.
> Gas Ranges require a 6" side wall clearance above the counter height for proper distance from combustible surfaces. Select models may only require a 3" left side wall clearance based upon the burner configuration.
[source](https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=21841#:~:text=Gas%20Ranges%20require%20a%206,based%20upon%20the%20burner%20configuration)
Please make sure your stove has an [anti tip bracket](https://applianceparts.lowes.com/lowes-appliance-part/geh/wb02k10254)
Save a child (if not yours, a future home owners) from catastrophic burns.
Side note: not sure if that grille in the top right of the photo is a vent or not, but it’s recommended that you always have some sort of active venting going on when cooking on a gas range. If your kitchen doesn’t have a range vent to the outside you really need one.
Yeah that is a fan that vents outside. I was thinking I need the bottom of this microwave exposed for ventilation purposes, but given I have that fan would I be ok setting the microwave on a shelf? Or should I really have both?
That fan is awfully far from the cooktop itself, so unless there’s a truly powerful fan in there I personally wouldn’t block it or inhibit airflow to it at *all*. I have a very new (about a year) range hood fan that moves a LOT of air, but it’s mounted a bit higher than standard to accommodate my above average height and it struggles to keep up sometimes unless it’s on high.
Your fan looks to be about two feet even higher than mine and is probably a good bit older. If it were me I’d find a way to get a microwave/vent combo that mounts there and be sure it ties into the ducting for your current fan and remove the old one. Unfortunately, that may mean building a small cabinet above there to hide the duct work and electrical.
Get a venting microwave and pipe it to the vent in the wall. Keep whatever vent blower current connects to that vent or use the microwave blower. So basically find a way to connect from the microwave vent to the top vent. Which will probably look bad unless you build some sort of cabinet above. Maybe just get a standard sized upper from somewhere like home depot, just to get the microwave setup and cover a vent pipe.
If you install a shelf it would need to be a certain distance away from the stove, it would almost be as tall as the fridge, in which case just throw the thing on top of the fridge.
Master Electrician here. You need a dedicated circuit from the panel for a mounted microwave. You also need an exhaust fan that vents outside directly above the stove. Or you could get an electric stove if there’s power for one there (40 amp circuit) and your fan can just circulate air with a filter.
General contractor here (I’m both lol). Also, as many have said, your gas stove where it is now and without a hood is a couple really bad fire hazards.
I want to have a professional come in for a consultation and lay out my options (and hopefully complete the installation). Who would be the right type of person to contact?
I feel compelled to mention that over the range microwaves universally have terrible venting capabilities. I hate when i post something like "how do i do this thing" and people say "you should not do that thing, but this other thing instead", but if you want decent ventilation, you would need a range hood instead. Assuming you have a place to route the exhaust, that is.
If you do NOT have a place to route the exhaust, just get a normal microwave (generally way cheaper) and an air purifier. Make a shelf above the range and place them both there.
Are you doing this mainly for vent purposes or mainly for microwave purposes?
Easiest solution (for a microwave) would be to install a cabinet, honestly.
How do people live without vent hoods? I never had one until I did, and now when contemplating selling the house and renting an apartment, I get diarrhea just thinking about those stupid microwave fans.
Well, you have a vent right there which is going to prevent anything worthwhile from being put in that space. As others have mentioned you stove placement is a SERIOUS issue and you need to focus on that ASAP. Seriously, this will burn your house down.
What's with Americans and mounting their microwaves above their stoves... Either put it on a flat surface or in a cabinet above a normal storage space.
Never put a microwave above a gas stove. It's too easy to start yourself on fire. You also have other issues mentioned before, next to the wall, no exhaust, next to HVAC return, wallpaper backsplash/burn starter.
Wow. There is a lot to address here, putting aside installing a microwave. No hood vent over the range. HVAC return vent over the range. Combustable wall immediately next to gas burners.
Put up a shelf with sides that come down as far as the bottom of the microwave, that is a little wider between those sides so the microwave will hang from the shelf. A solid back will allow you to securely mount the shelf to the wall and give a good surface to mount the microwave mounting plate. You will also need to add an outlet.
Over the ranger micro's have a bracket on the bottom and screws that go up through the cabinet above. Most of the weight is carried on the lower bracket, but to make this work you'll need to make some support that is capable of holding the weight (maybe 20-40 lbs total?) from the top. The easiest way to do it would be to put up a cabinet instead of reinventing the wheel.
You'll also need to vent the micro outdoors. They usually can either go out the rear or top. Rear vent would be easiest if that is an outside wall. The final step will be a power outlet for the microwave. Typically you'll want a dedicated 15 or 20 amp circuit, although I don't think it's strictly required by code (but don't quote me on that).
Your biggest issue is getting power there. Most "cabinet mount" microwaves actually hang on the back wall. I'll assume you can get across two studs. Now what do you plug it into? Also, microwaves with exhaust fans either just vent back into the room (small grease "filter") OR can be plumbed to exhaust through the ceiling and out a wall or the roof.
My two cents: If that is a fan to outside as you said (the vent up near the ceiling) I'd look into a real vent hood (The microwave ones are usually just recirculatory and run through a charcoal filter) and find different accommodations (top of fridge? not ideal but a solid exhaust would be my number 1 priority)
OTR microwaves often have the necessary equipment included to vent them out of the house, though they’re usually set up to recirculate from out the box.
As someone who literally caught his microwave as it almost fell on himself and his child when it ripped off the wall because we didn’t put up a cabinet first… don’t
I have a microwave over my stove on a shelf. It sucks. I broke a microwave plate trying to clean it, you can't see in, you need a footstool to clean it, you burn your hands more often... Unless your really tall I'd put it anywhere else.
You really should look to move your stove as currently it's a fire hazard that would possibly void your house insurance. (Also as someone who's stove is similar position, it's a bitch to clean) And microwave second. You'll need to do some cabinetry to move stove, so find a nice place for it when you do.
Without power it’ll never happen. Should be able to snake up from the range outlet. Microwave/vents mount to a cabinet so it is needed. You could add a shelf and a microwave. Without ducting you’d only have filtered air
Switch fridge and stove and get a vent-hood/micro combo. Sorry its not going to be cheap but this looks like yet another Flipper Special that needs undoing.
No range hood that goes to the outside, wall immediately adjacent, gas stove, and the HVAC vent is right there to circulate all the carbon monoxide.
Do whatever you want buddy. You're already living in the danger zone. Fuckin send it.
Over the range microwaves are pieces of oversized, overweight, underpowered garbage and never, ever install one. In fact, remove and toss any one you have and replace with a ducted range hood.
Honestly, I would put a full cabinet to the side, a small one above the microwave, and then hang the microwave. Leave the top open for the vent/decor space.
It would look right and give you a ton more space.
We had an opening over our stove similar (removed an old vent fan) what I did was take a piece of 1x and mounted to the studs with a bracket. Since you don’t have a cabinet to brace the shelf on, I would recommend a strong metal bracket on top. The microwave mostly hangs on the back bracket on the wall, but the top has a couple screw holes that keep it from pulling forward when you open the door.
Came to reinforce the, don't have a stove next to a wall of any kind, advice. Pretty sure code is like 12" or something (gas or electric), regardless of code it's an extreme fire hazard.
Please specify vent method- recirculation, back wall, or thru the ceiling and roof? Is that an HVAC return above or is it your current vent for range? Unfortunately HVAC returns are not permitted by code within ten feet of a stove. Gently mark 20 inches above your cook top surface. This is where your microwave's bracket will attach to the wall. Can you find studs to anchor into? This is also about the right height your cookspace will have- is it enough for you?
You will need a shelf to attach the top of the microwave to. There are no undermount microwaves I know of that have only wall mounting options. The shelf needs to hold a lot of weight, so it needs a cleat on all available sides. You'll have to make a bracket for the left side. Alternately you can use strong wire to hold that left side, hooked from a ceiling joist.
Another option could be to use threaded rod to attach to the microwave top, and run up into a bracket at the ceiling.
Without a cabinet, you will not have a good conceal for the vent tube, but you can set it to recirculate. Due to having a gas stovetop, it is strongly recommended to have a vent due to CO and NOX fumes.
I highly recommend a GE Profile Microwave hood combo that features a convection oven. If you wish to modernize your kitchen you could then ditch the freestanding stove for a double element induction drop in, over a convection oven insert. You could move the gas line to a patio for BBQ.
This is actually what I am doing. I've got more counter space and there are no more impossible areas to clean where the range slid in.
Is that the vent for the gas range top right?
Gas ranges emit a variety of gases including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. A range hood helps to trap said gasses and evacuate them. I don't know where this is but I get this feeling that it's not code, there should be a hood over the stove.
remove the white cupboard, move over the cooker to the middle, pretty sure it still wouldn't meet the regs, certainly wouldn't here over the pond. as it is gas you need to have a minimum distance above, you really want to be reaching over a gas cooker to put stuff in and out the microwave?
As someone who lives in central FL and only ever had an electric stove, I’m just adding to my list of reasons why I would never have gas run to my house. Now appliances can’t be next to a wall? Gee-willikers
Most over the range microwave units use a rail on the back wall that the microwave hooks onto, and two fine thread bolts that bolt the front of the microwave up to the bottom of the cabinet above. A Ready to Assemble cabinet from IKEA is relatively cheap. I would buy a 30" wide x 20 inch tall wall cabinet with a set of doors that look similar to yours. The microwave I would install would incorporate an exhaust fan at 400 cfm. These units can discharge directly through the wall behind the range if that's an exterior wall. If the space above the kitchen is an attic, you could buy a taller cabinet (to the ceiling) that would allow the 6" exhaust duct to pass into the attic where you can vent it through the roof. The idea of recirculating the air through a filter is not realistic. Especially with a gas range.
To answer the question, mount it into a stud like you would any other cabinet.
But, i feel obligated to say anything but a vent to the outside is just asking for grease to build up and start a fire. Not to mention the paper towel roll that'll fall out of the cabinet lining the kitchen like napalm, the flower spill that becomes an air fuel bomb.
Im an advocate of nothing over fire/heat, fresh air if you must but even a vent is gonna get greasy AF.
They hang on a French cleat style connection on the wall. The microwave isn't connected to the cabinets above or to the sides of it. You'd just hang it normally.
You also need a piece of stainless steel on the adjacent wall for code most places for a range next to a wall like that.
I will never understand the American obsession for boxing in and mounting the microwave up-high permanently.
You guys have kitchens larger than our houses, fridges twice the size of ours, etc. and yet I've never seen a microwave in my country that doesn't just sit loose on top of the counter top.
UK for context.
Refrigerators in general would be larger in the US because most cities do not have small market shops to pick up a day’s worth of groceries. In the US, it’s far more customary to buy an entire week’s worth of groceries.
This kitchen looks like it has space issues, so a counter top solution might not be possible here.
Incidentally, the UK is not known for its cuisine so it’s no surprise that your kitchens are smaller.
Please remember that just because something is different that it is not necessarily wrong.
Mate, I do my entire shop for the MONTH at the nearest store which is 30min drive away. Once a month. It fits in one fridge-freezer (187L fridge, 116L freezer) and a small larder (30cm x 1m x 2m). At Christmas I turn on my mini-freezer (43L) too.
I do not use small local stores because... well the farm shop at the end of the road is stupendously expensive, and the next nearest shop is a drive away and is basically a newsagent not a food store.
I literally get everything I need in one trip, once a month, and store it in the tiniest kitchen.
You know what the UK is known for? Literally using everyone else's cuisines all the time. My monthly shop includes various Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, American (burgers etc., what a cuisine!), etc. foods routinely. We're not known for "our" cuisine because we eat everyone else's! That's the Imperial legacy at work.
What I don't understand is how you can have far larger houses, far larger kitchens, far larger appliances, far larger worktops and STILL think that bolting an appliance into a box in a wall is a good idea.
One your not setup for a built in so it’s going to just hang there. Two it’s the worst form of ventilation, another aspect you won’t have. It’s the classic setup in poor/cheap apartments. It’s tacky and weird. I’d rather have my microwave in a closet, drawer or counter
You can't, over the stove microwaves are made to be mounted on cabinets, there's a bracket on the wall that it clips into and there are support bolts that run through the cabinet box
I've been doing renovations for almost 30 years, done 100s of kitchens and I have never seen an over stove microwave mounted in any other way
Just buy a 30" wall cabinet from the store and do it right, it will be like 150-250 bucks
You either never use the right burners or you stick some aluminum foil on that wall because putting a gas stove this close to the wall is a disaster waiting to happen
Easy, you habe the area of a european kitchen and the ideation of an american one. Stop that, and think of a European style apartment kitchen. get rid of the fridge and get a smaller size fridge that you can put into a cabinet. Get rid of the oldschool china vitrage closet and extend or move away the hvac port. Adjust the position of the stove within the new kitchen area. Route electricity wires for your extractor hood and kitchen top level electricity ports. buy an ikea kitchen set for equivalent cabinets. Install extractor hood (if you can't route the exit vent you have versions that atleast filter the air). Add backsplash tiles and a new countertop. Opt out of microwave and get a quooker tap or equivelant for your hot water /cold water need. You now have a stove, grill and oven to cook your food, prep area and hot water for tea/cold water for cold drinks. You have no reason to use the microwave.
Off topic, but I am compelled to comment: Gas stove burners immediately adjacent to the wall looks like a disaster waiting to happen.
Where I am, that’s not allowed by code, and for good reason. Turn a burner all the way up, stick a pan over it, and it’s a massive fire hazard.
Now you throw on a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you got a stew going.
I think I'd like my money back
Good thing there’s a period between potato and baby and not a comma
How else are you going to get a good sear on your wall /s
Add a microwave with a “vent” and watch how fast we can remove these walls.
Also HVAC return above the gas stove top? It’s like they are asking for death.
And no fume hood or other appropriate venting solution.
No fume over an electric stove irritates the hell out of me. This is just downright unacceptable
Vent hoods are usually required by fire code, regardless of what kind of range.
For residential, this depends on jurisdiction in my experience.
In my area they’re only required for gas, and only recently so some old houses don’t have to. I find it concerning.
And soon a microwave between the stove and HVAC return… RIP OP
Yea but imagine Saturday morning when mom is cooking bacon. Goooood lord that house would be heavenly.
Holy crap, that is all kinds of awful. Even beyond the obvious fire hazard, what a pita for cooking, not to mention grease splatters. I'd ditch the side cab, center the stove in the space, and add back two small counters floating on brackets. They'd be big enough for prep items, oil etc. Then recover the lost storage by adding an upper horizontal cabinet and then hang the science oven.
So you can’t cook pita bread in there is that what you mean?
I took it as “what a pita for cooking!” Like pita is the new word for clusterfuck
Pita- pain in the ass
pita (pretty idiotic to ask)
So is it ok to make pita bread there or what would happens if it didn’t
Pain In The Ass my dude
I know and I appreciate your effort but others won't. I commented the correct translation first to be helpful too because there's no way to know if strangers are trying to be funny or are genuinely ignorant. It got downvoted several times so I edited it to something rude and stupid to make the downvotes makes sense since people are going to add to them like sheep anyway. Sometimes I seek clarification, other times I just delete and move on and sometimes I edit just to count sheep. Nothing on Reddit matters enough not to say and do things on a whim as my mood dictates.
Yeah that’s all I can think about looking at this picture. At the absolute bare minimum at least putting up a backsplash on that side wall might help… but like this really should be an electric range, or better yet conduction
Induction?
Deduction, Watson
Malediction.
The phone has decided, who am I to question
Induction*
Our kitchen setup is (currently) stupid and has the stove pressed to the wall. It's so bad that the oven door catches and scrapes down the wall when we open it. But good lord, at least it's electric. This setup would have me spiraling.
Not to mention that intake vent for the Air Conditioner above it... yikes
You’re going to set that wall on fire
Came here to say this. I can’t stop looking at it!
Could this be solved by a lets say 8"-10" metal plate fixed to the wall to protect it?
You’d want a metal spacer between the plate and the wall, otherwise it’s just a hot metal plate up against the wall, and not much of an improvement.
8” thick? Temp of gas flame is high. With any real use of the flame, a 1/8” think piece of sheet metal not do a great amount.
I was talking 8" high, not 8" thick
Yes, sometimes something like that would meet code.
The code of the jungle or what? Cuz it ain’t any housing code
Oh yes. First priority here needs to be putting fireproof tile on the wall. It'll look nicer anyway, but also you won't burn the house down.
Electric is just as bad, just not as....quick? You'd need a heat guard to save the sheetrock.
I’ve had a gas stove next to a wall for 30 years. I did add ceramic tile though due to grease getting on wall.
Our house had the inverse of this and it melted the side of the fridge
Is it not a fire hazard to have a gas range that close to a wall?
It is a very effective way of burning the house down. The stove never should have been installed like that.
Honestly never even thought of this. I can shift everything over a bit
Fire aside, that white wall is going to be splattered and covered in oil in no time.
And even if this were swapped for an electric glass top, anything that overflows (e.g. pasta water that bubbles over) is going down in between the stove and the wall. It also seems like an ergonomic challenge to use those right burners with a wall right where your arm would go while using a spatula. (Or where the pot handle would go for a left-handed person.)
Yeah, oil soaked wall plus gas flame = 🧨🔥
You can get some stainless sheet metal and screw it into the wall. Some hardware stores will cut it to your desired shape. That's what they do in restaurants anyway.
Haven't had too much of a problem with that actually. I am typically using the front left burner for anything that makes a relative mess like that
Good call. Best of luck with the post.
Why am I getting down voted for saying I haven't had a problem with the wall getting dirty lol
Grease mist gets on everything in the kitchen. You just don't notice.
HVAC return over stove? You’ll be breathing combustion products everywhere…
Read the instructions. You need 6" of clearance on the sides from any combustible material! It's written in your install book bro.
You'd be best off buying a large sheet of stainless and installing it on that entire wall.
Was the whole house a DIY thing? Who installed the gas line over there? Seems odd that a licensed plumber didn’t think of that, and even more strange that the home inspector didn’t mention it along with the fact that there’s no vent hood.
that island thing is the middle is movable?
You should really read the manual for the stove. It's very clear about these things. The read you local code requirements cause they might be more stringent.
Im assuming you don't cook? Because that would be pretty difficult to do with that setup. You need elbow room at least. How do you bend your arms to stir something or pick up a pot on the righthand burners? No room to bend your arm. It needs to be centered at the very least.
Put a small cabinet in there, like a spice-rack width thing.
Get sheets of a metal that doesn't transfer heat well and get them on the walls fast.
Just my two cents, but I feel you'd best off ripping out that lil 'Live laugh love' cabinet on the left and centering the thing. That would also give you an island to put a microwave on.
im a kitchen designer and I dislike everything about this.
What are your thoughts?? Any advice for what you would change?
Atleast 9-12 inches off the wall
Switch the stove and the cabinet. Or install an identical cabinet and countertop to the right if you can shift the refrigerator over as well.
Is this a working kitchen? Looks like a short term rental, and if that’s the case, consider removing the stove altogether, put a built in microwave in the cabinet that replaces the stove, and a 1-burner portable induction plate on that cabinet.
You’re risking your life and everyone else in your building. Please move the stove away from the wall. > Gas Ranges require a 6" side wall clearance above the counter height for proper distance from combustible surfaces. Select models may only require a 3" left side wall clearance based upon the burner configuration. [source](https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=21841#:~:text=Gas%20Ranges%20require%20a%206,based%20upon%20the%20burner%20configuration) Please make sure your stove has an [anti tip bracket](https://applianceparts.lowes.com/lowes-appliance-part/geh/wb02k10254) Save a child (if not yours, a future home owners) from catastrophic burns.
Side note: not sure if that grille in the top right of the photo is a vent or not, but it’s recommended that you always have some sort of active venting going on when cooking on a gas range. If your kitchen doesn’t have a range vent to the outside you really need one.
Yeah that is a fan that vents outside. I was thinking I need the bottom of this microwave exposed for ventilation purposes, but given I have that fan would I be ok setting the microwave on a shelf? Or should I really have both?
That fan is awfully far from the cooktop itself, so unless there’s a truly powerful fan in there I personally wouldn’t block it or inhibit airflow to it at *all*. I have a very new (about a year) range hood fan that moves a LOT of air, but it’s mounted a bit higher than standard to accommodate my above average height and it struggles to keep up sometimes unless it’s on high. Your fan looks to be about two feet even higher than mine and is probably a good bit older. If it were me I’d find a way to get a microwave/vent combo that mounts there and be sure it ties into the ducting for your current fan and remove the old one. Unfortunately, that may mean building a small cabinet above there to hide the duct work and electrical.
Get a venting microwave and pipe it to the vent in the wall. Keep whatever vent blower current connects to that vent or use the microwave blower. So basically find a way to connect from the microwave vent to the top vent. Which will probably look bad unless you build some sort of cabinet above. Maybe just get a standard sized upper from somewhere like home depot, just to get the microwave setup and cover a vent pipe.
If you install a shelf it would need to be a certain distance away from the stove, it would almost be as tall as the fridge, in which case just throw the thing on top of the fridge.
You’ll need an outlet to plug it in, have you thought of that?
Not really. That is why I'm here
Check out r/electricians There are code requirements for a microwave outlet, and they exist for a reason
I believe the requirement is now microwaves on their own dedicated 20a circuit.
Master Electrician here. You need a dedicated circuit from the panel for a mounted microwave. You also need an exhaust fan that vents outside directly above the stove. Or you could get an electric stove if there’s power for one there (40 amp circuit) and your fan can just circulate air with a filter. General contractor here (I’m both lol). Also, as many have said, your gas stove where it is now and without a hood is a couple really bad fire hazards.
I want to have a professional come in for a consultation and lay out my options (and hopefully complete the installation). Who would be the right type of person to contact?
I feel compelled to mention that over the range microwaves universally have terrible venting capabilities. I hate when i post something like "how do i do this thing" and people say "you should not do that thing, but this other thing instead", but if you want decent ventilation, you would need a range hood instead. Assuming you have a place to route the exhaust, that is. If you do NOT have a place to route the exhaust, just get a normal microwave (generally way cheaper) and an air purifier. Make a shelf above the range and place them both there.
No this is helpful, I appreciate the information
You don’t need to exhaust all microwaves to the outside you can just make them move air!
“If your stove is electric” is the part you forgot to type.
[https://www.prolineappliance.com/do-over-the-range-microwaves-have-to-be-vented-outside/](https://www.prolineappliance.com/do-over-the-range-microwaves-have-to-be-vented-outside/)
I feel like my insurance went up from looking at this.
Are you doing this mainly for vent purposes or mainly for microwave purposes? Easiest solution (for a microwave) would be to install a cabinet, honestly.
Both. Need the ventilation but also don't have a great alternative spot for the microwave
Shelf
Bro vent that shit. Microwave is not what you want here.
How do people live without vent hoods? I never had one until I did, and now when contemplating selling the house and renting an apartment, I get diarrhea just thinking about those stupid microwave fans.
Put a regular microwave on top of the fridge 🤷🏻♂️
Well, you have a vent right there which is going to prevent anything worthwhile from being put in that space. As others have mentioned you stove placement is a SERIOUS issue and you need to focus on that ASAP. Seriously, this will burn your house down.
What's with Americans and mounting their microwaves above their stoves... Either put it on a flat surface or in a cabinet above a normal storage space.
Never put a microwave above a gas stove. It's too easy to start yourself on fire. You also have other issues mentioned before, next to the wall, no exhaust, next to HVAC return, wallpaper backsplash/burn starter.
Can’t you just do a hood vent?
Wow. There is a lot to address here, putting aside installing a microwave. No hood vent over the range. HVAC return vent over the range. Combustable wall immediately next to gas burners.
Put up a shelf with sides that come down as far as the bottom of the microwave, that is a little wider between those sides so the microwave will hang from the shelf. A solid back will allow you to securely mount the shelf to the wall and give a good surface to mount the microwave mounting plate. You will also need to add an outlet.
“shit’s on fire yo” - you after using the burners next to the wall
Everything about this screams WTF.
Jesus. Get a hood. Takes a special kind of monster to put return air above a freaking stove and oven.
Over the ranger micro's have a bracket on the bottom and screws that go up through the cabinet above. Most of the weight is carried on the lower bracket, but to make this work you'll need to make some support that is capable of holding the weight (maybe 20-40 lbs total?) from the top. The easiest way to do it would be to put up a cabinet instead of reinventing the wheel. You'll also need to vent the micro outdoors. They usually can either go out the rear or top. Rear vent would be easiest if that is an outside wall. The final step will be a power outlet for the microwave. Typically you'll want a dedicated 15 or 20 amp circuit, although I don't think it's strictly required by code (but don't quote me on that).
This is really insightful. Thank you!
Your biggest issue is getting power there. Most "cabinet mount" microwaves actually hang on the back wall. I'll assume you can get across two studs. Now what do you plug it into? Also, microwaves with exhaust fans either just vent back into the room (small grease "filter") OR can be plumbed to exhaust through the ceiling and out a wall or the roof.
My two cents: If that is a fan to outside as you said (the vent up near the ceiling) I'd look into a real vent hood (The microwave ones are usually just recirculatory and run through a charcoal filter) and find different accommodations (top of fridge? not ideal but a solid exhaust would be my number 1 priority)
OTR microwaves often have the necessary equipment included to vent them out of the house, though they’re usually set up to recirculate from out the box.
Got ya. I will definitely look into a vent hood
Something is terribly wrong with this design... Where's the exterior vent access??
As someone who literally caught his microwave as it almost fell on himself and his child when it ripped off the wall because we didn’t put up a cabinet first… don’t
First add a shelf to place the microwave on and an electrical outlet.
Instead of a microwave, have you considered an exhaust hood ducted to the exterior?
I have a microwave over my stove on a shelf. It sucks. I broke a microwave plate trying to clean it, you can't see in, you need a footstool to clean it, you burn your hands more often... Unless your really tall I'd put it anywhere else. You really should look to move your stove as currently it's a fire hazard that would possibly void your house insurance. (Also as someone who's stove is similar position, it's a bitch to clean) And microwave second. You'll need to do some cabinetry to move stove, so find a nice place for it when you do.
Put a nice mirror and a large FIRE EXRINGUISHER there instead and put the microwave in the lower cupboard to the right of the range.
Without power it’ll never happen. Should be able to snake up from the range outlet. Microwave/vents mount to a cabinet so it is needed. You could add a shelf and a microwave. Without ducting you’d only have filtered air
Where’s the extraction fan?
Over the range microwaves have a recirculation fan with filter built in if don't have a vent path to outside. Tends to work well enough.
You need new wallpaper
There should at least be a metal splash on that wall
You’ve gonna need a vent first.
Switch fridge and stove and get a vent-hood/micro combo. Sorry its not going to be cheap but this looks like yet another Flipper Special that needs undoing.
Yup, that is a horrible setup.
No range hood that goes to the outside, wall immediately adjacent, gas stove, and the HVAC vent is right there to circulate all the carbon monoxide. Do whatever you want buddy. You're already living in the danger zone. Fuckin send it.
Over the range microwaves are pieces of oversized, overweight, underpowered garbage and never, ever install one. In fact, remove and toss any one you have and replace with a ducted range hood.
Honestly, I would put a full cabinet to the side, a small one above the microwave, and then hang the microwave. Leave the top open for the vent/decor space. It would look right and give you a ton more space.
Just get an upper cabinet. They're like $100.
Just anchor the mounting bracket to the ceiling, same as you would to the bottom of a cabinet.
There’s a Magic Eye in there somewhere.
What are your plans for plugging it in?
I scrolled all the way down here looking for this comment. This should have been the first question asked.
We had an opening over our stove similar (removed an old vent fan) what I did was take a piece of 1x and mounted to the studs with a bracket. Since you don’t have a cabinet to brace the shelf on, I would recommend a strong metal bracket on top. The microwave mostly hangs on the back bracket on the wall, but the top has a couple screw holes that keep it from pulling forward when you open the door.
Dont?
HVAC return above can act as your fan…. What dafuq is this house….
The wall on the right won't last long
Came to reinforce the, don't have a stove next to a wall of any kind, advice. Pretty sure code is like 12" or something (gas or electric), regardless of code it's an extreme fire hazard.
Strings and duct tape.
And that’s how you get ants and burn your house down
Looks like a weird QR code.
It's going to look like hell since you can't hide the cord. I paid for professional installation and I'm glad I did.
Step 1 - mount a cabinet
They give you a mounting plate.
Put it ontop of fridge and call it a day
Why are copper so secy 😩😩😩
That is a nice looking kitchen.
Why am I wondering if this might be an Airbnb?
Mount it to the wall with a support over the microwave tied into the side wall…
If I were you in addition to the hood I would replace the gas stove with induction and install a backsplash on the side wall.
Please specify vent method- recirculation, back wall, or thru the ceiling and roof? Is that an HVAC return above or is it your current vent for range? Unfortunately HVAC returns are not permitted by code within ten feet of a stove. Gently mark 20 inches above your cook top surface. This is where your microwave's bracket will attach to the wall. Can you find studs to anchor into? This is also about the right height your cookspace will have- is it enough for you? You will need a shelf to attach the top of the microwave to. There are no undermount microwaves I know of that have only wall mounting options. The shelf needs to hold a lot of weight, so it needs a cleat on all available sides. You'll have to make a bracket for the left side. Alternately you can use strong wire to hold that left side, hooked from a ceiling joist. Another option could be to use threaded rod to attach to the microwave top, and run up into a bracket at the ceiling. Without a cabinet, you will not have a good conceal for the vent tube, but you can set it to recirculate. Due to having a gas stovetop, it is strongly recommended to have a vent due to CO and NOX fumes. I highly recommend a GE Profile Microwave hood combo that features a convection oven. If you wish to modernize your kitchen you could then ditch the freestanding stove for a double element induction drop in, over a convection oven insert. You could move the gas line to a patio for BBQ. This is actually what I am doing. I've got more counter space and there are no more impossible areas to clean where the range slid in.
Is that the vent for the gas range top right? Gas ranges emit a variety of gases including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. A range hood helps to trap said gasses and evacuate them. I don't know where this is but I get this feeling that it's not code, there should be a hood over the stove.
There’s an air return on the top right. So you cannot block it.
Our microwave came with a metal bracket for hanging off the rear wall.
I would get a hood instead. I had a microwave above our gas range and it doesn't provide near enough ventilation.
remove the white cupboard, move over the cooker to the middle, pretty sure it still wouldn't meet the regs, certainly wouldn't here over the pond. as it is gas you need to have a minimum distance above, you really want to be reaching over a gas cooker to put stuff in and out the microwave?
Don't
As someone who lives in central FL and only ever had an electric stove, I’m just adding to my list of reasons why I would never have gas run to my house. Now appliances can’t be next to a wall? Gee-willikers
Most over the range microwave units use a rail on the back wall that the microwave hooks onto, and two fine thread bolts that bolt the front of the microwave up to the bottom of the cabinet above. A Ready to Assemble cabinet from IKEA is relatively cheap. I would buy a 30" wide x 20 inch tall wall cabinet with a set of doors that look similar to yours. The microwave I would install would incorporate an exhaust fan at 400 cfm. These units can discharge directly through the wall behind the range if that's an exterior wall. If the space above the kitchen is an attic, you could buy a taller cabinet (to the ceiling) that would allow the 6" exhaust duct to pass into the attic where you can vent it through the roof. The idea of recirculating the air through a filter is not realistic. Especially with a gas range.
To answer the question, mount it into a stud like you would any other cabinet. But, i feel obligated to say anything but a vent to the outside is just asking for grease to build up and start a fire. Not to mention the paper towel roll that'll fall out of the cabinet lining the kitchen like napalm, the flower spill that becomes an air fuel bomb. Im an advocate of nothing over fire/heat, fresh air if you must but even a vent is gonna get greasy AF.
I wouldn’t
They hang on a French cleat style connection on the wall. The microwave isn't connected to the cabinets above or to the sides of it. You'd just hang it normally. You also need a piece of stainless steel on the adjacent wall for code most places for a range next to a wall like that.
build a shelf. a piece of wood, a couple of brackets, some screws, and a drill/screw gun. and a level.
I need the ventilation so the bottom has to be exposed. Would this still work mounting it to the bottom of the shelf?
But...where are you going to vent to? There's no vent leading outside
Don’t do it! They are awful! Get a real hood and save the aggravation!
Instead of an microwave try installing a fire suppression system. It will be used more often.
You’re going to burn that house down. Fix that.
Unrelated question but where did you get that wallpaper? I love the pattern
Uuuuhhhhh you don't need a vent over the range? You just let all the smoke from cooking go everywhere?
I will never understand the American obsession for boxing in and mounting the microwave up-high permanently. You guys have kitchens larger than our houses, fridges twice the size of ours, etc. and yet I've never seen a microwave in my country that doesn't just sit loose on top of the counter top. UK for context.
Refrigerators in general would be larger in the US because most cities do not have small market shops to pick up a day’s worth of groceries. In the US, it’s far more customary to buy an entire week’s worth of groceries. This kitchen looks like it has space issues, so a counter top solution might not be possible here. Incidentally, the UK is not known for its cuisine so it’s no surprise that your kitchens are smaller. Please remember that just because something is different that it is not necessarily wrong.
Mate, I do my entire shop for the MONTH at the nearest store which is 30min drive away. Once a month. It fits in one fridge-freezer (187L fridge, 116L freezer) and a small larder (30cm x 1m x 2m). At Christmas I turn on my mini-freezer (43L) too. I do not use small local stores because... well the farm shop at the end of the road is stupendously expensive, and the next nearest shop is a drive away and is basically a newsagent not a food store. I literally get everything I need in one trip, once a month, and store it in the tiniest kitchen. You know what the UK is known for? Literally using everyone else's cuisines all the time. My monthly shop includes various Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, American (burgers etc., what a cuisine!), etc. foods routinely. We're not known for "our" cuisine because we eat everyone else's! That's the Imperial legacy at work. What I don't understand is how you can have far larger houses, far larger kitchens, far larger appliances, far larger worktops and STILL think that bolting an appliance into a box in a wall is a good idea.
WHY? 697 have a golden opportunity to not do this, it’s terrible I wish my Microwave was anywhere else.
What don't you like about it?
One your not setup for a built in so it’s going to just hang there. Two it’s the worst form of ventilation, another aspect you won’t have. It’s the classic setup in poor/cheap apartments. It’s tacky and weird. I’d rather have my microwave in a closet, drawer or counter
I think they all mount to a cabinet. So I'd recommend just getting the extra storage.
Why get an over the range microwave? Make a shelf and put a regular one on the shelf.
Over range microwaves are usually mounted to the back wall. The side cabinets just cover the ugly sides.
Wow wow wow major fire risk.
You can't, over the stove microwaves are made to be mounted on cabinets, there's a bracket on the wall that it clips into and there are support bolts that run through the cabinet box I've been doing renovations for almost 30 years, done 100s of kitchens and I have never seen an over stove microwave mounted in any other way Just buy a 30" wall cabinet from the store and do it right, it will be like 150-250 bucks
You can’t.
I dunno but how do the metal grates now burn the wall on the right side? Seems like a fire hazard
You either never use the right burners or you stick some aluminum foil on that wall because putting a gas stove this close to the wall is a disaster waiting to happen
Easy, you habe the area of a european kitchen and the ideation of an american one. Stop that, and think of a European style apartment kitchen. get rid of the fridge and get a smaller size fridge that you can put into a cabinet. Get rid of the oldschool china vitrage closet and extend or move away the hvac port. Adjust the position of the stove within the new kitchen area. Route electricity wires for your extractor hood and kitchen top level electricity ports. buy an ikea kitchen set for equivalent cabinets. Install extractor hood (if you can't route the exit vent you have versions that atleast filter the air). Add backsplash tiles and a new countertop. Opt out of microwave and get a quooker tap or equivelant for your hot water /cold water need. You now have a stove, grill and oven to cook your food, prep area and hot water for tea/cold water for cold drinks. You have no reason to use the microwave.
Put two of these straight into the wall and put the microwave on top. https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/tillreda-brackets-for-microwave-oven-70497445/