How much space between your range and OTR microwave?
Comments (6)
14 years ago- 14 years ago
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OTR Microwave - distance to range - help!
Comments (4)Dsanz - you should not think that way about your hood - a hood is actually a much more attractive look than an OTR MW. By far. And of course, a hood works better to exhaust too. I started out with an expensive brand new OTR MW, and I hated it so much that I switched it out for a hood. I had to sell the MW on Craig's List at a loss, but I still don't regret it one bit. Hated that OTR MW. Though it was top of the line, it didn't exhaust worth a darn, was really noisy, made the stovetop area feel crowded and enclosed, and I hated pulling hot sloshing dishes from a height. They're ugly too. My sleek stainless steel hood is so much nicer looking. Do you have an open shelf in your cabinetry to put an inexpensive countertop MW? Or a pantry shelf? For your hood, you should get one with enough cfms. The rough rule of thumb is 100 cfms for every thousand btus. Your range's total btu's is 60,000; you should get a hood with 600 cfms....See MoreHow much space between your upper and lower cabinets ?
Comments (11)Mine might be higher than average. I'm 5'7" so I have a decent reach. I absolutely would not allow the microwave to be placed over the stove. We have it over the counter and it's just right. If you are worried about heighth, you might consider a cabinet right on the counter. Our kitchen designer put one on the end of a line of cabinets. The bottom is a shallow drawer which I have rolled up placemats in. Since it doesn't need to be opened very often, there's just enough counter space to place bowls, plates, etc that I'm taking out of the cabinet. I really like having the plates and serving dishes within easy reach. The cabinet is right beside the doorway to the dining room. Glasses and coffee cups are next to the frig on the other end but in upper cabinets. Due to 9' ceilings, our upper shelves require a step stool so seldom used items are up there....See MoreHow does your OTR microwave plug into the cabinets above?
Comments (5)Thanks! Yes, that is what I was looking for. Yours looks more simple and clean then I was thinking it would look. Does the excess cord just hang out in the back of the cabinet? That is the part I was curious about. We only need a foot of cord, but the cord is 3 feet. We were thinking you could put plug mold or something around the cord to hide it. Originally my husband was going to run it up and down until it ran out....See MoreOTR Microwave distance over range question
Comments (6)Typically the OTR manufacturer has that the upper cabinet that the OTR attaches to must be 30 inches above the range top. Most OTR's are 15-17 inches tall so that puts the bottom of the OTR between 13 and 15 inches away from the cooking surface. This puts the bottom of the microwave interior floor somewhere around 4.5 feet from the kitchen floor or about armpit to shoulder high for the average height person. When you start getting higher than shoulder high it becomes more dangerous for the person removing hot food from the m/w....See More
14 years agoWe actually went higher than normal/recommended. Ours is 22 3/4" from the top of the grid. It is a bit high for me as I'm only 5"2" but great for hubby who is 6'3" but I only use the micro for reheating coffee, leftovers and heating up a can of green beans - besides I like the way it adds visual interest to the backsplash - well it will when we get one :)
One of the reasons we chose to do this was due to the fact we live in the Caribbean where it is always sooooo hot and humid and I didn't want to feel trapped with the heat from the gas cooktop - not sure it makes too much difference (I don't really cook yet anyway) but I still like how it looks :)
Here are a few pictures and you can see how low it would have been should I have positioned it in the more "normal" place - level (ish) with the lower cabinet........
Piaa
- 14 years ago
14 years agoWe have the same OTR microwave as Piaa but ours is 19" from countertop, 55" from floor. I'm 5'1" and find the microwave a bit too high for me. I can reach stuff in it, but have to use a step stool to clean it. Fortunately I have a tall husband who takes care of that.
Jodi-
threebees