When it comes down to the modern kitchen, it’s evident that there are all the high-end kitchen appliances, but most of them are hidden and don’t really appear on the front. This kitchen design helps keep the countertop free and creates a neat appearance. While it’s alright for most kitchen appliances, it’s not effective enough for microwaves because they need proper ventilation to operate. So, if you are thinking, “do microwaves need to be vented?” we have the details mentioned in this article!
Do Microwaves Need To Be Vented?
The short answer is yes, the microwaves need proper ventilation to keep working. For this reason, it’s essential for you to check the cabinet to ensure it provides sufficient ventilation. That being said, the microwaves need ventilation, but the venting needs are different for the design and model, so it’s suggested to ask the microwave oven’s customer support and see how much ventilation it needs. Keep in mind that proper ventilation and clearance are crucial for optimizing the operations.
In addition to this, ventilation is important for your safety because if the microwave doesn’t get enough ventilation, it will blow up due to overheating (there are some fire hazards as well). In particular, if your microwave oven doesn’t have an in-built ventilation system, you will need to provide sufficient external ventilation, which is why you must put it in an open space or a bigger cabinet and keep it open while using the microwave oven.
Why Every Microwave Oven Needs Ventilation
The microwave ovens are designed with a radiation system to warm up the food and cook the raw food items. They can heat the food and water, resulting in rapid and efficient vibration. With this vibration, there will be heat production that cooks up the food. When the food cooks, the air will expand within the oven, and that requires an outlet. For this reason, the microwave ovens are integrated with vents on the top or on the sides to let that air out.
As a result, this hot air will be released from the microwave oven. For this reason, it’s important for you to allow clearance for the vents whenever you are installing the microwave oven. One such way is putting the microwave oven in a bigger cabinet, promising better airflow and hot air release. With proper airflow and ventilation, the microwave’s operations will be optimized. On the other hand, if your microwave doesn’t get ventilation, it will show malfunctioning, and it creates a fire hazard as well.
If you want to be specific, it’s better to read the instruction manual because it specifies the minimum clearance and ventilation requirements of the microwave oven. In that case, you must follow the mentioned guidelines whenever you install and use the microwave oven. Keep in mind that proper ventilation and efficient air release leads to a longer lifespan of the oven.
The Over-The-Range Microwave Ovens
These specific microwave ovens are designed to be built-in ovens that are installed and fit on the cooktop. They are known to sit against the kitchen wall, and the carbon footprint is extremely limited. In addition to this, they have an in-built ventilation system and internal exhaust fans to optimize the ventilation. The exhaust fans eliminate the chances of overheating since it can route the heat. Also, the ventilation system can be connected to the exterior vent, which not only releases air, smoke, and steam but the odor as well. As far as the ventilation types are concerned, they are either designed with recirculating venting systems or external venting systems.
Countertop Microwave Oven
When it comes down to the countertop microwave ovens, they are designed with internal air vents, which help release the hot air from the oven. When installing these microwave ovens, you need to ensure that the air vents are not blocked because it leads to overheating. Extreme overheating is highly likely to result in oven failure and also creates a fire hazard. As far as the space around the countertop microwave oven is concerned, it depends on which model you are using.
However, we suggest that you leave at least five inches of space on all sides of the oven because it delivers ample clearance for ventilation. In case you are installing a countertop microwave oven into the cabinet, make sure you don’t push within the cabinet or push it to the cabinet’s wall. In addition to sides, you must leave enough space on the sides, rear, front, bottom, and top.