9 replies to this topic

[Joe Priestly]

Frigidaire Over-the-Range Microwave

Model#: FGMV154CLF

 

I just need a sanity check before I rip out this newly installed microwave and take it back to Lowes.

 

This is one of the range hood/microwave combos. It vents cooking smoke, etc from the stove top out through ductwork attached to the back of the MW. This works well enough.

 

However, there is also a vent on the top-front of the MW that seems unrelated to and unattached from the vent for the range.  This second vent has a plastic grill and runs the length of the MW (see attached image).

 

When microwaving something for a while (> 5 minutes), steam will start to pour out of this vent. Since the MW is installed under cabinets (as designed) this steam is being sprayed right onto the cabinets to which the MW is attached, warping the wood and blasting away the stain.

 

Is this normal (I ask because so many MWs on the market have this same vent placement)? Is there some way to make it stop??? I believe it is installed correctly as everything else (inlcuding stove top venting) works fine. But I'm more than willing to take the thing down and double check the venting setup if that could be creating this problem.

 

My previous MW had front-facing vents, but I don't recall anything coming out of them.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer any insight,

Joe

Attached Files

•  MW Sorrow.jpg   30.91K   12 downloads

[dimitri77565]

Nothing wrong with microwave.  Its user problem.  Quit warming food use it for storage, buy counter top model. Sory comedy relief.

 

Well all that steam has to go somewhere , the exhaust fan is that, for the vent not the interior .  See if they make a curved shield or make one to divert.

[RegUS_PatOff]

... the exhaust fan is that, for the vent not the interior .

to re-phrase ... the Exhaust Vent is for the Range / Cooking Stove-Top ... smoke and odors

[Joe Priestly]

Thanks for the responses.

 

To clarify, I do understand that:

1. The steam has to go somewhere

2. The exhaust vent is for stove-top generated smoke only

 

I guess I really just wanted to confirm that Frigidaire does indeed manufacture and sell microwaves designed to be installed under a cabinet with a vent that directs steam directly up and on to the cabinets.

 

I thought I must be misunderstanding something fundamental. Or that I installed it incorrectly, Or that there is some other issue that would cause so much vapor to be vented in the first place. Does this not affect anyone else in the world?

 

I just tested again (cooking rice for 15 minutes) and noticed that steam/vapor is only coming from the left side of the vent. The right side is cool and dry, despite the fact that the vent appears to be a contiguous opening. Also, there is more moisture around and on the door than I ever remember seeing in my old micro.

 

Something weird has to be happening here.

 

Thanks again.

[prairiestr]

I doubt that anything is "wrong" with your micro or vent hood. Just a quality issue.

I assume you have tried to run the vent fan while microwaving?

[Joe Priestly]

Yes, tried running fan. It did help a bit in drawing vapor away from cabinets. But don't think this is viable, permanent solution.

 

This micro just isn't compatible with my cabinet setup I guess. I'll just take it back and look for one with a vent in front rather than on top. I was hoping to avoid all that hassle, though.

 

But again, I'm still just floored that I am the only person who has encountered this issue. My cabinetry is pretty standard issue.

 

And I'm certain I'm not describing the situation well enough. The microwave - although installed per spec and working well otherwise - is blasting my cabinets with steam, removing the stain and warping the wood. Yet when I mention this fact to Lowes, Frigidaire, etc, everyone seems nonplussed - "Yep, that's what they do..."

 

I just don't get it.

Edited by Joe Priestly, 09 January 2013 - 09:02 PM.

[prairiestr]

Well, most folks just use the micro to defrost and reheat or popcorn. Not much steam generated.
Cooking rice 15 mins. different story.

[SANTA]

Looking at your diagram, that is a debacle of a vent design. I've never seen a microwave vent upwards. Jackass engineering. You should be able to run your microwave as long as you want, not just for popcorn or reheating.

[RegUS_PatOff]

Looking at your diagram, that is a debacle of a vent design. I've never seen a microwave vent upwards. Jackass engineering.

 

I hadn't clicked on your thumbnail photo,

I just went right to Frigidaire's parts manual, and on-line retailers..

but they didn't show that angle..

My SS Jenn-Air (Samsung) OTR has a front vent "flap" #11 that opens (top outward) when used

although, the Microwave case actually sticks out from my wood cabinets about 3"

 

Jenn-Air JMV9169BAS

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Go to a local Sears store and look at all the microwaves on there displays.

 

Almost all of them vent straight up like that now instead of straight out the front like they used to, (totally crazy but that is the new styling for some reason).

 

I ran into this when a customer didn't want to fix their Whirlpool inverter OTR microwave and purchased a new one to install, I didn't have to do the install but came back to look at to advise them.

 

They couldn't even use that design in their situation because there cabinets above the range were an odd ball design, (2" out further then the rest of the cabinets on both cabinets on each side of microwave), so the vent would have been completely blocked off when the microwave was mounted.

 

These were in a new subdivision where I had just worked on the door on one of the same style Whirlpools that they were replacing, (had the same old-ball cabinet style), and I had to drill holes thru the cabinets above to be able to even access the screws to remove that front vent grill without pulling the microwave down.