microwave box

Ours measures 29.5, the opening is just under 30"
I never realized there was a smaller model,
You could still try my other suggestion of gutting the old one and using it as a shell

Some counter top microwaves have a "Build-in" kit available so they can be used as an OTR unit. Maybe that is what the guy was talking about.

They are often pretty expensive though and might add so much to the cost that the total will be up in the $400 to $500 range.

yo Mr Wizard, I would love to have done what you suggested, in fact even tried it at Lowes and Home Depot, problem is I only have 26 inch width space and all the microwaves in both of the stores were 31 inches. I guess it's back to the drawing board for a while, thanks for you help.

OTR Over The Range aka cook burner stove top

just goto home depot and buy the one you want

the "width" is standard, the Height and the depth can vary a little

when our over the stove factory installed GE MW died
we went to home depot and bought another GE over the stove aka UNDER the Cabinet
MW and installed it in the same spot

it will come with its own mounting bracket, and a template for marking/making aligning the bracket and holes

and NO it won't be $500 unless you buy the convection oven model
straight MW $300 or less,

i think the guy who told you that story is confused
he probably bought a "trim kit" for the MW he was installing in a cabinet
not an empty MW shell

trim kits are for installing 'counter top' MW's inside a cabinet
NOT for hanging one over the range/cook top

if you want a shell
take yours down, take it apart, GUT IT,
hang empty shell with the door
buy new smaller MW and place inside of old shell

The only thing that matters is the dimensions of the new unit and where the blower exhausts the heat/fumes. Over the stove micro/convection units will all have fans that suck in from the bottom but my exhaust in different (or configurable) locations. If you find one that fits the hole and exhausts in an acceptable direction you have found your new oven.

jlscjs wrote:
not sure about that, the one we took out had a light underneath and also an exhaust fan built on the bottom to vent out what you had cooking on the lp range. Don't really care about that just looking for a replacement that can hang under the cabinet and use the back wall for the bracket

Every S&B under counter MW has a light and fan included, and most are mounted to the back wall and or upper cabinet so what's the difference?

The fan and lights are just screwed to a regular walmart type microwave
Good Luck, Mike

There are microwaves built specifically for OTR. They have a fan and light underneath the microwave. That is what we have in our S&B house.

sch911 wrote:
All microwaves are created equal, there is no such thing as an "OTR" unit!

Despite what the RV stores want you to think....

not sure about that, the one we took out had a light underneath and also an exhaust fan built on the bottom to vent out what you had cooking on the lp range. Don't really care about that just looking for a replacement that can hang under the cabinet and use the back wall for the bracket

All microwaves are created equal, there is no such thing as an "OTR" unit!

Despite what the RV stores want you to think....