Microwave placement

[Katia]

Okay, not Thailand-related since I'm stuck back in the U.S. now (but I'm not on any other forums with electrical sections), but I'm trying to organize a smallish apartment with a small and stupid kitchen layout.

 

How bad is this for my microwave?  I know I'm supposed to have a minimum clearance of 3" in the back and on one side, 12" on top... this I have.  However, it's also supposed to have one side open, and as you can see, that side is close up against the stove for about 2/3 of the microwave's height.  Definite no-no?  It's a heat-disbursement issue, correct?  (For that matter, would it hurt the microwave to be next to the stove, if I'm using that burner and it gets hot?  Then again, I had an apartment with the stove up against the wall and the wall wasn't damaged, so...)  I can turn the shelving unit so the back of the microwave is against that side wall, and that will give me the required spacing (then the side of the microwave would be to the kitchen instead of the front), but it will also be more awkward to get things in and out of the microwave as it'll be opening toward the stove with not a huge amount of clearance, so I'd like to avoid it if possible.

 

The only other option is to move the stove over against that wall (essentially stove and microwave-on-shelving-unit would change places), but here's where the "stupid layout" bit comes in: the outlet for the microwave is right behind where the microwave is.  And the stove's outlet is right behind where *it* is.   If I move the stove over, its cord will reach as it's quite long.  It's possible that I can run the microwave cord behind the stove to the outlet, but I'm not certain it's long enough.  If it is, is there any harm in having the cord behind the stove?  Does it get hot back there or anything that it could damage the cord?  (For that matter, where the stove is right now, it's directly in front of its dedicated outlet with the cord bunched up behind... is that bad?  I moved it from where it was when I moved in, which was closer to the wall, which mean I had 12-18" of wasted space on either side; by having it where it is now (just enough room on the other side to open the dishwasher), at least I have the space to put my microwave.

[Crossy]

The heat generating bits of the microwave are on the right behind the control panel, so that side is the important bit to keep cool for the life of the electronics. If there are any vents then obviously these need to be kept clear and have a supply of cool air.

 

Unless the outside of the stove gets very hot I would think what you have is ok. If you're worried slide one of those "asbestos" heat resisting mats (or a piece of fibreboard) down the left side of the microwave.

[Katia]

Thanks!

 

Okay, I was wrong.  The manual for mine says it needs 4" on all sides "to reduce the risk of fire."  It looks like I'm going to need to move this thing... I don't want to take the risk (fire is one of my phobias, and I've done the "fire in apartment building" thing before, and never want to experience anything even remotely like it again), and in its current location, there isn't space for 4" on either side, unfortunately, as you can see in the picture.  Also unfortunately, there's no way that cord is long enough to reach behind the stove if I have the two switch places as mentioned in my OP (I kind of understand why they do that, but also it surely encourages people to use extension cords, which is probably *less* safe than a long cord to begin with?), so now I am going to be stuck accessing my microwave at a weird sideways angle (hopefully the cord is long enough for THAT since the side where it attaches will be the side away from the wall.  The alternative, putting on the counter, is not acceptable as I have very little counter space and need all I have.  I could also just find and buy a higher shelving unit that lets it sit above the height of the stove, but finding one that fits perfectly and doesn't cost an arm and a leg won't be easy or, probably, worth it).  Grr, my kitchen layout sucks.

 

 

[Katia]

Oops, nope, never mind, that won't even work, because the door won't open more than about 4" if I put it sideways.  It's going to have to go on my countertop, which is really pissing me off because I have two countertop spaces of about 2' by less than 3', and now I'm not going to be able to use one of them.

 

This is the first time I regret that I didn't buy one of those itty-bitty dorm-sized microwaves.  It would suck, but at least it wouldn't take up half my kitchen now.  (When I bought it, the place I lived at the time had a more-open area it could sit in, so no big deal.  This apartment is much smaller.)

[Crossy]

2 hours ago, Katia said:

The manual for mine says it needs 4" on all sides "to reduce the risk of fire."

Seriously, it will be just fine, it's not going to explode because you have slightly less ventilation than the manual requires.

 

If we all followed the manufacturer's spacing requirements for every bit of kit we would all need massive kitchens, as it is we squeeze something into every last space.

 

Get a good quality extension lead and shuffle things around as best you can to minimise your fears, maybe get a small trolley for it to sit on and wheel it out for use.

 

[Katia]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

Get a good quality extension lead and shuffle things around as best you can to minimise your fears, maybe get a small trolley for it to sit on and wheel it out for use.

 

OH, I kind of like this idea.  I wonder if there's a way I can put wheels on that shelving unit... good idea!  (I haven't a clue how I'll do it, but I'll manage.)  The cord should be long enough to pull it out a few inches, at least.

[bankruatsteve]

Can you construct a shelf about shoulder high in the area you have it now?

[Katia]

9 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

Can you construct a shelf about shoulder high in the area you have it now?

No.  I can raise it by maybe a foot, but there are also cabinets above, which start about shoulder height.  Nor do I want to have to build anything.

[Crossy]

13 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

Can you construct a shelf about shoulder high in the area you have it now?

Or above an existing counter, retain the counter space and be able to use the microwave.

 

EDIT - Sadly this sounds like a non-starter ????

 

 

[bankruatsteve]

8 minutes ago, Katia said:

No.  I can raise it by maybe a foot, but there are also cabinets above, which start about shoulder height.  Nor do I want to have to build anything.

If you can raise it by a foot, that would seem to solve your issues.  (?)

[lopburi3]

I can not read anything from photo but most microwaves these days are have browning/conventional oven options so may need more cooling space if using for anything other than food warming.

[Katia]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Or above an existing counter, retain the counter space and be able to use the microwave.

 

EDIT - Sadly this sounds like a non-starter ????

 

 

Yes, precisely.  On the countertop where it will be, there is a cabinet over part of it and when the microwave is there, just under 4" of clearance for that part-- which also means I can't even push the microwave over to the wall in order to salvage at least a few inches of space.  (The countertop spans the width of that wall; it has the sink in the middle, and then counter space on either side.)

 

 

1 hour ago, bankruatsteve said:

If you can raise it by a foot, that would seem to solve your issues.  (?)

By "can" I meant I have the space, not the means.  I'm not sure what I could put either it or the shelving unit on that would be stable enough for my comfort when it comes to a large heavy appliance that uses a fair amount of power and from which I'll be taking hot things (you can't tell in the picture but the shelving unit is narrow, about 11" wide, whereas the microwave is 16" deep so I already feel like I'm pressing my luck by having it on a unit not as wide as it is.  It has always seemed pretty stable but still, any instability or wobbliness would probably be magnified by having it perching on some kind of platform, and then there's the question of how I would construct such a thing.)  I'm not even certain how I might attach wheels, considering the construction of the "legs" (which is sort of visible in the picture, essentially curves of doubled wire is what it's sitting on so I figure I could either get the casters that have a screw or peg and jam that between the two wires of each "leg" or get the kind with a little flat platform and find some way to secure the legs to it-- lots of epoxy??)

 

 

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

I can not read anything from photo but most microwaves these days are have browning/conventional oven options so may need more cooling space if using for anything other than food warming.

As far as I know, mine is just a regular microwave.  My microwave in Bangkok had some kind of inverter that meant it had a cooldown cycle, etc., but this one seems like every microwave I've ever had and I have not seen anything in the manual to suggest otherwise.

[lopburi3]

Not sure of your situation, or if you have to answer to another, but if you have a dining table in kitchen perhaps that could be used.  Microwave is a portable unit so do not need to have on countertop if another location can be found.  Old fashion TV table perhaps?

 

Edit:  if you must use a space close to walls/other appliances perhaps tape a fire blanket on the walls/appliance.  This would allow microwave to cool normally but prevent adjacent materials from getting too hot.  

[bankruatsteve]

Cinder blocks and plywood were the common storage shelf when I was in college.  Seems like that would work to raise your shelving.  The bugger is you would have to source them.

[Katia]

10 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Not sure of your situation, or if you have to answer to another, but if you have a dining table in kitchen perhaps that could be used.  Microwave is a portable unit so do not need to have on countertop if another location can be found.  Old fashion TV table perhaps?

 

Edit:  if you must use a space close to walls/other appliances perhaps tape a fire blanket on the walls/appliance.  This would allow microwave to cool normally but prevent adjacent materials from getting too hot.  

Aye, but then I'd lose kitchen table space (my kitchen table isn't that big, either, and microwave would probably take up half.  Plus look a little strange-- it's not in my kitchen, I have a little offshoot of my living room that is a "dining area" so I'd essentially kind of look like I have a microwave in my living room.  (Plus it would take up one of my living-room outlets, and there aren't many of those.)

 

I'm not too worried about adjacent walls and such getting hot; the outside of the microwave doesn't get that warm.  I'm worried about the microwave overheating (since everything I've read online where people are like "hey can I put my microwave in this small space" and everyone else is like "sure, if you only want your microwave to last a year or less."  This microwave wasn't cheap, and I haven't had it that long, so I don't especially want to kill it).

 

 

10 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

Cinder blocks and plywood were the common storage shelf when I was in college.  Seems like that would work to raise your shelving.  The bugger is you would have to source them.

Yes, but A. I'm long removed from my college years, and B. I don't want my home to resemble someone's backyard toolshed in Alabama.  I'm not THAT cheap that I won't buy something-- anything-- else before I'll have my home-improvement solutions look like something they'd come up with in a poor village in Isaan.

[stud858]

Too much paranoia in the world. The sky won't fall today.  Relax. 

Your microwave will be fine there.

In fact if you put sticky tape over vents on the side you'll have an impossible time trying to start a fire. 

More likely a fire will start by leaving gas stove on with a pot of grease and falling asleep.

 

 

 

 

[VBF]

OP - you refer to a "smallish apartment" - is it just for one person?

It's just that I would look at getting rid of the dishwasher and somehow using THAT space.

Personally I prefer to wash dishes by hand, dry and put away - your opinion may differ.

 

You don't show a picture of that area so my suggestion may be impractical of course.

[Katia]

9 hours ago, VBF said:

OP - you refer to a "smallish apartment" - is it just for one person?

It's just that I would look at getting rid of the dishwasher and somehow using THAT space.

Personally I prefer to wash dishes by hand, dry and put away - your opinion may differ.

 

You don't show a picture of that area so my suggestion may be impractical of course.

 

I don't really have a choice about renovating a space I don't own, and I can't remove appliances.  I thought about just putting the microwave in front of the dishwasher; I end up handwashing stuff anyway between the things too big to go in there (pots and pans) and the fact that the top rack fills up three times faster than the bottom rack so I never get to run it.  But it's ridiculous that I should even have to do that (and also means I'd be blocking the counter space above the dishwasher, which is almost as bad as putting the microwave there if I have to lean across the microwave to use the counter).

 

No, really, the layout of this place is stupid.  Don't get me started on the "linen closet" with no shelves and the 4" gap between the bathroom-sink cabinet and the wall...