Microwaves (oh no, not again)

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Hi,

On the links page for this web site there is a listing under "microwaves" for the Sharp Convection Microwave, R-820 BK or BW, .09 cu ft. Has anyone installed one of these in a Casita? It seems like a really nifty microwave because it is possible to use it like an oven in addition to the microwave. There is no microwave in our 17' SD. The previous owner used a convection/toaster oven of some sort in the microwave cabinet. We use a microwave quite a bit but we also like to use the oven so it would be great to have both. The dimensions of this particular microwave is 20 1/2 (w) x 12 1/8 (h) x 19 3/4 (d). That will be a pretty tight squeeze to get it through the opening height-wise, plus the depth means that the microwave will stick out a bit necessitating removal of the drop down door. The other thing we are wondering after considering this is whether there will be enough room for air to circulate properly. Anyone have any input? Have read through the archives but was unable to find any info on this model of microwave in a Casita.

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If I recall correctly, Nathan was one of the first to install a Sharp micro-convection. Try a search on the casitaclub.com web site, inputting either Sharp or Nathan. He did some adjustments including adding ventilation because of the heat that the convection puts out, more than a straight microwave. If we had it to do over, I think we'd invest in the Sharp. I believe Nathan said that the unit protrudes from the cabinet front and the cabinet door has to be permanently removed.

One important thing to remember, even with a plain microwave, most require ventilation from the bottom as well as the back and/or sides. The carpet blocks the bottom vents. So the carpet needs to be removed, or as we did, we elevated the microwave on 1x2 wood runners. I drilled holes in the 1x to match the rubber bumper feet on the micro and put velcro on the bottom of the 1x wood, which ''attaches'' it to the carpet. Close to 10k miles including off-road and the micro has never moved.

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That's an excellent idea you had about using 1x2s to give both venting lift and stability to an inserted microwave. I bought a cheapie ($42!) GE microwave at WalMart in Ennis to insert in my mw cabinet. Works great. I just couldn't see paying $215 for a mw that would *permanently* take up all that good storage space. (An inkjet printer fits in there just perfectly.)

Thanks for your idea. When it warms up enough I'm gonna implement it.

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The picture that I saw on the Casita Club site shows that the board at the top of the opening was cut to about half size to make the opening larger. I plan to do this to mine but before I do I'm checking for other size microwave/convection ovens.

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:wave On our older Casita (it was a 1989 model) we had to remove the fascia board above the mickey-wave cabinet before we could put the oven in or take it out. I think the previous owner had probably replaced the rivets with wood screws to facilitate it, but it was easy to remove one snap cap, one screw, and swing the fascia board up out of the way - then replace it when the oven had been installed or removed. The board helped hold the oven in place, too.

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George, thanks for the info re the Casita Club site. I can not get the search thingy to work for me. I have been able to access the posts though so i have been searching manually. The only problem with that is, i become distracted because i see a post that looks interesting and stop to read it so it is taking a loooong time to find Nathan's microwave post, still haven't located it. Oh well, i have the same problem when i look a word up in the dictionary...see an interesting looking word and stop to read the definition before continuing on to search for the word that first caused me to open the dictionary in the first place! :)

Ron, i have been all over the internet looking for a slightly smaller convection microwave and have not been able to find one. The closest thing i can find is the Delonghi MW 605 Perfecto Brown and Broil, 1000w, .81 cu ft. 15.8"w x 12"h x20.5" w, good price on it at overstock.com. The Delonghi does not seem to be a true convection type since it doesn't appear to bake but it does broil. I have found a number of the convection microwaves that are larger but none smaller - perhaps because of the convection oven ability the unit needs to be larger? If you find anything please post it.

Also thanks to all for the info on how to possibly trim the fascia or remove it and how to make the inside of the cabinet better suited to the microwave, very helpful tips. Back to reading Casita Club posts.

Roberta

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Terry, here's the link to the thread with a picture of Nathan's Sharp micro-convection. Hope this helps.

http://forums.casitaclub.com/thread_view.c...cfm?Thread=1114

There are other threads telling just how he installed it.

Aren't we glad that we have a fast search engine on this fiberglassrv.com site? Actually casitaclub is working on upgrading their server, so their service will be back up to par one day soon.

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Thanks George! Yes, i agree this board is one of the best that i have used, EVERYTHING works so well (thanks webguy). In fact it has become the gold standard for me and when i use others i find myself grumbling - why can't they use a better system like Fiberglass RV ;) I am glad that Casita Club will be upgrading their web site, there is a ton of good information there and it would be nice to be able to access it readily. I did have a good time reading all of the old posts yesterday while searching for the microwave stuff - found answers to a couple of questions i have had about my trailer and found a bunch of info to save for later. Thanks again for your help.

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Since you've read the thread where we posted what did, no need to say all that again.

We've had the microwave now for 2 summer seasons. (We liked it so much we bought one for the house.) To date, we use it microwave, bake gluten free and ordinary muffins, cakes, and biscuits (especially the 'whack 'em on the counter' kind as there is a special setting just for those); and (perhaps most memorably) to broil to thick T-bone steaks that we shared with Charles and Pam Watts. (He still talks about them, sometimes).

The only time there has ever been an issue with the oven was when we were in a campground with EXTREMELY inadequate and fluctuating power supplies. But I was still able to bake a double batch of cornbread for the pot luck supper, even though it was over 90F outside!

The unit is EXTREMELY versatile and we have had no problems with it. We'd do again in a heartbeat.

If you have any other questions, do post them - we're both glad to answer.

Nathan and Daisy

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Nathan and Daisy;

We have a Sharp over the range microwave/convection oven at are home. It really puts out a lot of heat when it is used. It has an exhaust fan to the roof which helps keep it cooler.

I would like to add a unit like yours but the heat concerns me. Have you added a fan to help with the heat? And is it against the back
wall of the cabinet? I have seen the picture of your installation and it looks fine.

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The Sharp R-820 microwave/convection is designed to be built in.
The heat comes out the top back of the unit, and is pushed to the front by the angle of the vents on the top rear of the cabinet. So, you need to have the most clearance on top and open space in the front. This is why we cut an arch out of our fascia board.

We have seen these microwaves built into many different units at RV shows. They all have venting in the front ONLY. The cabinet in our Casita had vents toward the back on both sides. We changed the vent covers so that they were removable to make it easier to plug the unit in. We also took the carpet out of the bottom and bought a large one of those metal insulated pads you put next to your stove to put hot pots on. It came from Walmart.

Nathan is still concerned about heat buildup in the cabinet, so we may end up putting in an exhaust fan but haven't found one yet that will fit. But we have seen NO evidence of carpet singe/burn/melt from excessive heat. Has anyone put in an exhaust fan in this cabinet? We were wondering if a small fan could be put in one of the vents to exhaust heat into the trailer. Maybe one of those small fans that go in the corner of the doorway ? Some small fans operate on batteries; 120v ac fans would also work as there are two outlets in that cabinet.

If anyone has done anything with fans, please let us know.
We would prefer not to pierce the outer wall of the trailer.

Thanks, Nathan and Daisy

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Orginally posted by Nathan and Daisy Justus

The Sharp R-820 microwave/convection is designed to be built in.
The heat comes out the top back of the unit, and is pushed to the front by the angle of the vents on the top rear of the cabinet. So, you need to have the most clearance on top and open space in the front. This is why we cut an arch out of our fascia board.

We have seen these microwaves built into many different units at RV shows. They all have venting in the front ONLY. The cabinet in our Casita had vents toward the back on both sides. We changed the vent covers so that they were removable to make it easier to plug the unit in. We also took the carpet out of the bottom and bought a large one of those metal insulated pads you put next to your stove to put hot pots on. It came from Walmart.

Nathan is still concerned about heat buildup in the cabinet, so we may end up putting in an exhaust fan but haven't found one yet that will fit. But we have seen NO evidence of carpet singe/burn/melt from excessive heat. Has anyone put in an exhaust fan in this cabinet? We were wondering if a small fan could be put in one of the vents to exhaust heat into the trailer. Maybe one of those small fans that go in the corner of the doorway ? Some small fans operate on batteries; 120v ac fans would also work as there are two outlets in that cabinet.

If anyone has done anything with fans, please let us know.
We would prefer not to pierce the outer wall of the trailer.

Thanks, Nathan and Daisy

A small 12VDC computer fan is probably the best bet if you have room inside the cabinet. They're about 1" (25.4 mm) thick and quiet.

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Nathan and Daisy;

If you have an oven thermometer will you put it above the unit and against the top cabinet bottom. Then heat the unit up for the normal cooking temperature and time. This should give us an ideal of just how hot it gets in there.

Maybe it's not as hot as we think and safe, or that it needs a fan added to keep cooler to make it safe. It would be real easy to find out if it's safe or not.

I sure would like to know and I'm sure others would too.

Ron

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Our rig is winterized at this point, and it's about 20F outside. I'm not sure that any thermometer readings would have any validity right now. The rig's so cold the reading wouldn't be accurate.

With the amount that I have used it, though, I would expect to have seen some heat damage to the carpet if there was any problems. I have seen NONE.

Regarding amount of use: We aren't full timers, we're vacationers. But we almost NEVER eat out due to dietary restrictions. So the microwave gets used (in microwave, oven, and broil combinations) three meals per day. We've so far spent about 2 months in our Casita over a couple of years.

But a thermometer is a good idea to try, in the summer.

Nathan

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I had the privilege of enjoying a steak dinner out of young Nathan's convection oven a while back.

The steak was great!

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Another question, probably best directed to Nathan and Daisy. How difficult or easy is the Sharp 820 to clean? Since i haven't seen anything but pictures of the exterior i don't know how the interior looks. I haven't owned one of the toaster ovens in about 25 years because they used to be so difficult to keep clean, perhaps they are better now but i haven't wanted one enough to find out :). I like things relatively clean but i don't like to have to take lots of time to keep them that way so cleaning and upkeep is often something i try to factor in when considering a purchase. I am glad that you joined in on this conversation since you have had the first hand experience with this microwave. I am glad to hear about the way the microwave is vented, had not noticed that information on any of the web pages i visited.



Roberta

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The interior of the microwave is stainless steel. It is not difficult to clean. After use, when it has cooled enough to keep from getting burned, take a damp cloth and wipe it out. If you have cooked something very sticky/gooey/messy on the turntable it may need to be washed in sudsy water. If you have used the rack for broiling, it will need to be washed in sudsy water and perhaps scoured a bit with a steel wool pad.

I have noted on the one that we have in the house that I'm getting some grease buildup. The way I handle this is to microwave some lemon juice then scrub the sides of the microwave with a nylon pot scraper; the grease peels off. I plan to inquire of Sharp if there is a better way to get the grease off.

The bottom line is this: The microwave is not too hard to keep clean. The stainless steel wipes clean pretty nicely. It would be nice if this had a 'self clean' cycle but that'd probably be too much to ask. Maybe Charles'll come by and clean the microwave for me!
Then it'll be Charles-cleaned rather than self cleaning!

Nathan and Daisy

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>Posted by Nathan and Daisy Justus
Charles-cleaned rather than self cleaning!<

I did not know :feet Charles had this service.

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Or...

When it gets dirty, Chuck it. :ola

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For those concerned about the heat, Sharp makes a built in kit (RK82K) for the 820 convection microwave. It is only available in black but provides the ventilation necessary and the trim pieces to mount the oven in a cabinet. It is expensive ($136) but would ensure no heat problem.