Kitchen ventilation
 

In my Gardenia kitchen, the microwave is above the stove (stacked) and has no outside ventilation, just blows back odors through inadequate filter. Whole house smells when stove is used for frying etc. Has anyone implemented any type of exhaust fan to outside or attic? Contractor?

I'd also be interested in this. I don't mind the smell so much as the noise that the exhaust fan makes any time that we do anything more extensive than bringing water to a boil. I've noticed that our oven is vented to the outside; I'm surprised and disappointed that the microwave is not.

It's possible, although unlikely, that the builder installed a duct from behind the microwave to the outside. If so, the microwave fan can be rotated 90 degrees to vent air out the rear of the microwave. I would check it out. If you don't have a duct, I would install a new vent hood and duct in the kitchen, not through the microwave.

Vent Hoods
 

I bought a resale in CDD 5 and it has both electric and gas connections, The existing microwave had a vent outside on the wall. When remodeling the kitchen I removed the microwave and installed a dedicated high velocity vent hood and just ducted it out of the roof. Works great, no more fire alarms going off while cooking.

I have a Gardenia also. I never noticed the problem you are having. How do we know if it is vented or not via microwave?

If the microwave exhaust fan doesn't vent to the outside, the air will come out at the top front part of the microwave through the vent holes. You should be able to feel the air with your hand when the fan is on.

If you do vent your microwave, make sure it is vented to the outside, never into the attic, that's a sure fire way to grow mold.

It would also be illegal. The current building code doesn't allow any exhaust fan to discharge air into the attic. Older codes did allow bathroom fans to exhaust into the attic.

I do some handyman work in my neighborhood. If I can't repair this for $50 (service call) there's no charge.

Thanks,

I’ll have to check it out when I return to TV. If it is vented, it would have to be vented through the roof since kitchen is in middle of house

We have 2013 vintage gardenia, and I have the house plans which specifically show a vent through the roof for the microwave. I have also notice cold air in the microwave in the winter on some occasions. I have no idea when or if the building codes changed, but I have heard storing of the cover plate on the microwave NOT being removed, which blocks the air flow the the vent. As for verifying if you have a vent, you should be able to see the rectangular vent from the attic access point, and you should be able to see the rectangular vent through the roof.

My Gardenia is a 2011 vintage.
Thanks for information!

Smoke detectors are not intended to be used as a "Kitchen Timer"...:icon_wink:

I keep having to remind the wife of that...:boxing2:

Our Microwave was set up to vent to the front. On a service call it was reset to vent out the back to the vent hole behind it.
Check to see if there is a vent to the rear available.

I always thought "5 Alarm Chili" referred to how many smoke detectors went off when I cooked it.

No, it refers to how many engine companies it takes to put out the fire in your as... Er, nether regions...

That course, screen,"filter," is to remove grease, it will not stop cooking odors. I have a nose like a dog. Truth the smell of a meal cooking adds to it. As far as frying, you might try a different oil. Olive oil listing as healthy burns at a fairly low heat. A proper exhaust hood, would be expensive and you will loose cabinets. Keeping it clean? Only till the first time you use it.

You are very smart in wanting this properly vented. My house came with the over-the-range microwave really vented, but over-the-range microwaves trying to act like a proper hood is always a joke no matter what brand of microwave you have. I replaced mine with a proper real range hood and now I use a small microwave on the counter. There is NO comparison now. The ventilation is the way that it should be and my range hood grease filters are stainless steel, easily removable and dishwasher safe. Best of luck getting yours properly done as well!

My exhaust fan was wired reversed, so fan blew back into house, not out vent. Once this was fixed by a handyman smells were gone.

To answer your question, you will have to remove the microwave to determine if a vent duct is installed in the wall behind the microwave. If one is there, then it is a mater of inspecting the microwave to determine if the microwave fan vents through the top or the back of the unit. If a plate covers the top of the microwave, the unit is set up to vent out the back, and vice versa.

For many folks, removing and reinstalling the microwave is a 2 person job.

The micro wave should have been vented , poorly installed by the builder.

I have a 2013 Gardenia and just had to replace my Whirlpool microwave as it quit heating food. I had the same problem and do not now as before I installed my Samsung, I rotated the fan so that it would vent back instead of up. The ventilation is set up to go back. I'm guessing they never rotated the fans on any of the originals. It is a very simple process to fix.

We are redoing our kitchen, we looked into putting in an outside vent (through the roof) but they wanted about $1,200. That's too much.

My Gardenia, built in 2012, is ventilated to the outside

Alice Besler
 

When we replaced our microwave we found there was a vent to the outside! It works great![/QUOTE]

I'm new to the villages would really appreciate a handyman contact. Would you text me 781-789-9681.

Kitchen Ventilation
 

I, too, would like to correct this problem in my house. Whom do I call – electrician or plumber? Any suggestions on a reputable person?

First, you need to check to see if you have a duct in the wall behind the microwave that will exhaust air to the outside. If so, you just need an appliance installer who can remove and re-install the microwave. If you don't have a duct, I would recommend installing a new kitchen exhaust system, which will require several construction trades, and it will be expensive.

If you have a new home, contact the local county building department, you should be able to get a complete copy of your house plans, I have mine from Sumter County, 16 pages PDF format and got by email. On these you should see the notes for various vents, ours specifically show the vent for the microwave. You may be able to see the vent from the attic access point, ours is rectangular, about 3 inches by 6 inches, on the roof it is a rounded rectangular shape. You might be able to test for a vent, turn on all of the bathroom and shower exhaust fans, open the microwave and see if you feel a draft coming IN the microwave, if so you have a vent and it is working. Then the next question is whether the fan in the microwave is setup correctly.

Would 2003 Courtyard Villa have ventilation to the outside for Microwave? The building dept website says no house plan built before 2011 is available. What other ways to check if there is a vent behind my microwave? Can I install a new vent connecting to my Dryer vent?

Has anyone vented their stove that is on an interior wall? Attached you will see our Mossy Oak stove backs up to the bathroom. We are building new (design in 2 weeks) so now is the time to plan ahead. I am all for placing a hood over the stove since we have an abundance of counter space in our kitchen for the microwave. It would be great to hear the real world experience of others.

It seems far beyond foolish to have a microwave suspended over a cooking surface and be subjected to repeated sustained cooking heat, steam, and grease. That placement is a poor choice. My microwave was soon moved and installed under a small cabinet.
Then, a powerful exhaust hood and lights were installed and vented outside. Smoke alarms and the offensive odors from my attempts at cooking are greatly reduced. Hometown (Rae) Builders in Wildwood did a stellar job.

You definitely do not want to connect anything to the dryer vent.

There will be a upside down J vent on the roof, if the microwave is on an interior wall. You can see this on your roofline. A vent on an exterior wall is very easy to spot.

I only see 3 vents on garage side. One is A/C with rotating looking cover, J ( upside down ) vent seem like dryer vent and one gray straight plastic looking 3" pipe with no cover which does not seem to belong to any purpose. Can that be a kitchen vent?

The plastic pipe is probably a plumbing vent. The kitchen vent would be metal, not plastic, and would be J shaped, like the dryer vent.

Did you remove the cabinets ( to install large hood) or replace the microwave with the hood?

Was your previous microwave vent outside or did the remodel take the exhaust through a side wall or roof?