Replacing microwave, model no longer made
Last weekend, our microwave stopped heating. It is a 10 year old Samsung 1cuft no longer produced. I took it into a repair shop on Monday for a free estimate, where it sat until yesterday. I went into the shop and the tech said they usually aren't worth the cost of fixing. So I took it home. Who knows when he would finally get to it.
In the mean time, I ordered a new slightly smaller .9cuft that would fit into the existing microwave cabinet just in case it was not repairable. This is where it gets complicated. My Winnebago Minnie has the kitchen against the back wall. The microwave cabinet is at an angle and faces forward. So the microwave has to be secured well to prevent a panic stop from ripping it out of the cabinet. The previous microwave utilizes 2 braces attached to the back wall and secured to the facia of the cabinet. The trim cover is screwed into the braces at the facia. A large "L" shaped bracket is attached to the wall and to the cabinet facia for the top trim piece to attach to. Of course the new microwave trim grill has holes that nowhere match up to the existing holes. Plus the new trim grill doesn't even go down low enough to cover the exist holes. The trim grill itself came with 4 small screws to attach the trim grill to the cabinet facia. These screws would never hold the microwave securely. I thought about using a hard wood like oak and glueing blocks where the new trim grill screws can attach in back of the facia. I would of course use longer screws to attach the trim grill to the facia and oak blocks behind. But now I wonder if that would hold up in a panic stop ripping the microwave off along with the facia.
The microwave cabinet is above the stovetop and next to another cabinet. Access to the back of the microwave when install is very limited. There is a 2" hole for the microwave's power cord to pass thru. I thought about using a cable or something attaching it to the back of the microwave and the brace attached the the wall. But I have no access.
Suggestions?
In the mean time, I ordered a new slightly smaller .9cuft that would fit into the existing microwave cabinet just in case it was not repairable. This is where it gets complicated. My Winnebago Minnie has the kitchen against the back wall. The microwave cabinet is at an angle and faces forward. So the microwave has to be secured well to prevent a panic stop from ripping it out of the cabinet. The previous microwave utilizes 2 braces attached to the back wall and secured to the facia of the cabinet. The trim cover is screwed into the braces at the facia. A large "L" shaped bracket is attached to the wall and to the cabinet facia for the top trim piece to attach to. Of course the new microwave trim grill has holes that nowhere match up to the existing holes. Plus the new trim grill doesn't even go down low enough to cover the exist holes. The trim grill itself came with 4 small screws to attach the trim grill to the cabinet facia. These screws would never hold the microwave securely. I thought about using a hard wood like oak and glueing blocks where the new trim grill screws can attach in back of the facia. I would of course use longer screws to attach the trim grill to the facia and oak blocks behind. But now I wonder if that would hold up in a panic stop ripping the microwave off along with the facia.
The microwave cabinet is above the stovetop and next to another cabinet. Access to the back of the microwave when install is very limited. There is a 2" hole for the microwave's power cord to pass thru. I thought about using a cable or something attaching it to the back of the microwave and the brace attached the the wall. But I have no access.
Suggestions?
