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otr mw over a 36' cooktop

stir_fryi SE Mich

15 years ago

We looked at a house today that my DH is wildly interested in. In has decent maple cabinets but the one thing that bugged me -- a OTR MW over a 36" five burner cooktop!

The MW would have to go (white and cracked). If I owned the house, I'd want a hood -- how would I do that? Cabinets on each side are "doubles" so I don't see how they could be removed.

Is it acceptable (though not ideal) to have a 30" hood over a 36" cooktop??

PS: the cabinets had a ton of grease on them - gross!

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Comments (6)

remodelfla
15 years ago
Many MW come with a recirculating fan. I could be wrong but I don't think they have fans that vent out... maybe higher end brands? You could add a blower above it which might back the fan a little to high above the stove. If it was wider though and had enough CFM's the it may not be an issue.... that is assuming you're concerned about venting.

OH... the hood/CT thing you have all backward. A 36" hood should go above a 30" stove. 3" additional clearance of either side of the cooktop/range. I don't know much about matching size to needs on CFM but I hear the number 600 CFM around here alot!
Buehl
15 years ago
Based on your user name, stir_fryi, can we assume you do a lot of stir frying?

Ventilation, especially if you do a lot of high heat/messy cooking (like stir frying), is very important. The hood should cover the entire cooktop surface (the "capture" area). For a 36" range/cooktop, you really need a vent that is 24" deep and a bare minimum of 36" width and preferably at least 42" (cooktop size + 6" for 3" wider on each side). A 30" wide hood will not work very well as the capture area will not cover the entire cooking surface (ditto for an 18" deep hood).

You say there's an OTR MW there right now...is it not 36" wide? If not, do the side cabinets extend 3" over the cooktop? If so, are they standard height cabinets (i.e., ~18" off the countertop/cooktop surface)?

I cannot imagine that you could pass Code if you have standard cabinets overhanging the cooktop. So, even if it exists this way now, it most definitely should be changed. Perhaps you could cut the cabinet in half...using only one door & half the carcass).

As to the state of the cabinets (they didn't clean them to sell the house? yuck!)...there are probably two reasons:

(1) most likely the OTR MW either has no fan at all or is just a recirculating fan
.....AND
(2) the vented area is too small for the cooktop (grease, etc. just flows around the vent!)

HTH!
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stir_fryi SE Mich
Original Author
15 years ago
The kitchen did indeed have a 30" MW over a 36" cooktop. No one my family thinks this is a big deal because no one ever runs their fans (too noisy) on their MW anyone.

I have a Zephyr hood in current house and don't think I could go back to a OTR MW.

And yes, there was grease spots all over the cabinets.

The house was actually quite filthy. It is only 10 years old but has a lot of wear and tear (was a rental as well). The part my DH loves is it is on a lake AND has a gunite pool! Has a lot of potential.
alku05
15 years ago
I agree with Buehl; I can't see how that setup isn't against code and also a fire hazard. Did you notice what brand the cooktop is? If you did you can dowload the specs for it to support your case that it is against code because it was installed against the manufacturers instructions.

In many areas (if not most or all areas!) code violations must be corrected before a property is sold. I would scope out the regulations in your area to see if that's the case where you are. If it is, you should insist that it is fixed by the current owner as a condition of the sale. The adjacent cabinets can be taken down and altered to single cabinets to create a space for a hood to go.
weissman
15 years ago
Is the cooktop gas or electric? If it's gas, then it's definitely a fire hazzard and against code to have the cabinets extend over the cooktop. If it's electric, I don't think it's as dangerous since you won't have flames shooting up, but it's still not a good idea. In either case, I'd replace the greasy cabinets and put a real vent hood in there.
sarschlos_remodeler
15 years ago
GE makes an OTR microwave that is 36" wide. That's what we used in our last house over our Bosch cooktop. It worked just fine. No greasy walls (except for major spatter that wouldn't be prevetned by a hood anyway). As far as I know it is the only MW that comes in a 36", but it was very nice looking and worked great (no convection oven function, though).

Here's a picture:

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