are RV microwave ovens the same as kitchen ones?

thanks guys

There are RV Microwaves and Home Microwave. BOTH are used in RV's Most Class A Motorhomes use Home Microwave/Convection ovens. usually over/under the cabinet type like in homes. RV microwaves are usually designed to be installed in an overhead cabinet in the cabinet HOLE. Under/over the countertop home style microwaves MUST have additional brackets or screws to secure the Unit in place. You cannot rely on the back wall mount with the diagonal bolts that secure it to the back metal wall plate. IF you have the Home style that has the 2 bolts that come down from above thru the floor of an overhead cabinet, then those 2 screws are all that is needed to keep the microwave secured in transit. The type that uses the rear wall metal mount plate with the diagonal mount bolts that go to that back mount plate, the microwave will eventually sheer the wall plate and start to break off the wall in transit or will hang down a few inches. Most Microwaves in the over the counter type you can remount the ventilation fan assbly to either blow out thru the wall cut out or recirculate into the RV. Most home mounts in a home recirc inside the kitchen if there is no wall or roof vent stack available. Doug

are they the same? mostly.

Can you use a home microwave to replace the RV microwave? yes. need to check dimensions but yes, there are many to choose from. many have mounting holes on the bottom and are the same or close enough dimensions to be a replacement fit.

I tossed the microwave in our RV and replaced it with a panasonic true inverter microwave. Advantages A better microwave, and when in other than 100% power it doesn't cycle power between 0% and 100% it actually drops magnetron power. So (1) generator doesn't hunt up and down, (2) If I set it to 50% power I can run it off my 1000VA inverter. And at 50% it doesn't take twice as long to heat/cook something, more like 25% longer. And it has a better defrost cycle and better popcorn cycle than the original microwave.

And the panasonic mounting holes lined up with the OEM holes and the OEM surround trim fit perfect on the panasonic. Even vented the same.

thanks everyone

winnietrey wrote:
No they are not. MH microwaves vent to the top, household to the back. That may become an issue if you do have not clearance in the back, for it to vent, if you put a household one in

The Microwave in my RV is indeed a top vent. But it's a standard Lousy Goods (LG) with a Dometic front door. And with modification it vents to the front.. I took the surround off to do some repair work and never put it back.

Some microwave compartments are vented differently than mine and those can use ANY microwave that fits.. And if I ever replace my modified Lousy Goods (Alas like nearly every LG product I've ever used.... It had issues out of the box.. I had to do some re-engineering and replace an LG part with a GE part to get it to work reliably) YOu just need to bend up some sheet metal to get it to vent where you want it to vent. Any HEVAC shop can bend the metal.

Venting is not an issue. You can remove the fan assembly and turn it to vent toward the front, the top or the back - your choice. Finding one that fits into the same space as the original is the big challenge. Venting and hanging are minor after that.

My microwave/convection vents to the front and it has a clock and a night light. A relative replaced theirs with a home microwave/convection. It wasn't as deep as the original rv one so it had to be shimmed out from the back of the cabinet. Also the venting was on the top side instead of the front and it vented onto the cabinet and handles above it making it very very hot. Hot enough to burn your hand on the handle if using the convection oven. I would think as long as you get the venting right you could use a home one.

A difference I've noticed is that many RV microwaves don't have a clock feature. Kind of makes sense. Keeps you from having to reset the time when you power back up.

Our home microwave will not operate until we set the time after power is restored.

Most microwaves can be installed and vented several different ways,rear vent, top vent or no vent at all.
There is no real difference in the microwave itself.

winnietrey wrote:
No they are not. MH microwaves vent to the top, household to the back. That may become an issue if you do have not clearance in the back, for it to vent, if you put a household one in

Not true in all cases. My RV MW vents to the back and my home MW vents to the top.