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OTR Microwave distance over range question

7 years ago

I'm trying to help my mother (age 78) replace her OTR microwave. Her existing one died. She has had new cabinets built recently and loves them and doesn't (right now) want to find a new place for a microwave. Her existing OTR microwave always seemed ridiculously high (cabinets were built by a TALL man who didn't work will with my sweet mother) and unsafe for her 5' 1" height. In the rural area where my mother lives, finding a skilled and available contractor is a huge challenge. I want to gather as much information as possible to help her get the best solution.

A. Can someone please explain the required/suggested/petite-person-preferred distance between the range (induction) and the bottom of the microwave?

B. I'm thinking about suggesting she consider an OTR GE Advantium if the height above floor/range won't be too challenging for her. It seems like it might be a super convenient option for her quantity of cooking. Another option is to see if she'd give-up her countertop toaster oven and use a microwave there. Is there such a thing as a countertop Advantium-like product?

Thanks!

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Comments (6)

5birdy
7 years ago
We bought a wonderful countertop microwave. It is very easy to use (just spin the dial) and has secure handles. Bought it after reading a review where the young man said his mother could use it! Possibly you could just leave the existing OTR in place and have a countertop version either on existing counter space or buy a separate small kitchen "table"/cart to hold it. Sharp - 1.6 Cu. Ft. Family-Size Microwave - Stainless steel. Model: SMC1655BS. Available at Lowes and now on sale at Best Buy. Good luck!
Jakvis
7 years ago
You can check the install instructions but I believe most OTR microwaves must be 15 inches above the range to meet code.
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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.
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We 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
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prospect711: Thanks for your reply! I had my eye on the Sharp R-820JS, which is the stainless steel sister of your Sharp! (It sounds like an amazing appliance that pretty much does it all!) I just couldn't figure out how to get the size to work. Having a deeper cabinet is a Very interesting idea! I'm going to show this to DH to see if we can somehow swing it with our Ikea cabinetry. Thanks again! (Love your cabinets and beautiful backsplash!) Luv2Laf: Your photo is Exactly what I wanted it to look like! And right next to the fridge seems like such a perfect spot! If only it had convection too - I was really hoping for a little back up oven to cook and reheat small meals. Hmmm... Thanks so much for your reply, gorgeous photo, and the food for thought! colorfast: Okay, so it seems that the microwave/convection combos, unless they are the very wide OTR type, are pretty deep. I'll stop hunting for one that isn't. (No more wild goose chase!) We were planning on having 15" wide cabinets flanking the fridge on either side as a pantry (floor to almost ceiling height), but, maybe we should make one wider set of cabinets instead, where we can put the microwave/convection oven. I love how you have yours next to a counter. That seems to be an ideal setup to me. As for recessing it into the wall, I think we're out of luck, since the wall backs a stairwell leading to the basement as well as the stairs leading upstairs. I'm not sure that we can mess with that. I will share these ideas with DH. Thank you for your reply!
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nerdyshopper
7 years ago
I thought code required 24 inches above a range for fire safety.
Jakvis
7 years ago
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.
cpartist
7 years ago
I'm 5'3" and an OTR MW is too high for me. At age 78, and being 5'1" tall, that is an accident waiting to happen. We're doing a drawer microwave. Great for us short folks.
divotdiva2
7 years ago
I'm 5'0" and would not want a OTR MW. Too dangerous for me as the hot food would be at eye level. Suggest you remove the old one and use the electrical connection perhaps for a nice thin hood to tie in the space with the cabinets, and get her a countertop unit.

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