By Chris Dougherty
Certified RV technician
Dear Chris,
I have a microwave I need to replace. After removing the old one, I discovered that the oven fan unit was attached to the side and back. What to do now? The new microwave is the same size so that’s not the problem. It’s what and how to handle the exhaust fan. Any suggestions? the old microwave is a Dometic Model # DOTR12CB. The new one is a Sharp Carousel, model # R-318AV. —Fran
Dear Fran,
I did some digging to get information on the Dometic microwave, as Dometic has no available information on the dealer site about it, so I turned to the Sharp documentation, and found the answer.
The Dometic unit is an over-the-range microwave which includes the exhaust fan. The Sharp unit you quoted to me above is a counter-top model. So, even though they are the same size, one is designed to be mounted on the wall and cabinet above the range, and the other is not.
My suggestion would be to get another over-the-range unit, which could include a convection oven which is a great thing to have, in my opinion. Otherwise, you will have to replace the cabinetry so that you can install a microwave in the cabinet. This would also require a microwave that is allowed to be built in by the manufacturer, along with their built-in ventilation and mounting kit. Then you will have to install a range hood over your range.
