Highpointe Convection/Microwave Oven

It's certainly not the cost of your motor home causing problems but it might be the unit you installed or how it is being vented. I can't say as our convection / Microwave does nothing like you describe. We could not be happier with our oven and use it almost everyday as full timers (Cracker Barrel is not an option). We have had several, as a matter of fact, and they have all worked perfectly. We started with a Sharp which was impossible to replace when it died so we bought an GE Advantium which never cooked as well as the Sharp and eventually replaced it with a GE Profile which has been great and cooks even better than the Sharp. We have been living in this RV for going on 18 years and the oven has always been a major player in our dinners including Christmas Turkeys and Thanksgiving Roast Prime Rib. Yum!

Highpointe=Junk.

Have had two Highpointe microwaves in fairly new trailers just die completely for no apparent reason. When they fail smoke pours from the vent near the controls and it reminds you of that Lionel train ozone smell.

Most appliances or things selected by an RV manufacturer are obtained from the lowest irresponsible bidder. Performance/reliability usually gets sacrificed for low cost . Rip it out and replace it with something decent....like a Samsung.

Our microwave/convection works great (Sharp) and vents out of the top front of the unit. We have seen others that vented to the outside with an exhaust fan. It looked kind of like a dryer vent on the outside wall of the unit where the oven would be. Does yours have venting along the top or bottom front, if not,you should find an outside vent. If you don't, I would guess they did not install it according to specifications. We sometimes have a little steam which is normal, but never enough to make anything wet.

I have found a permanent fix for this convection-microwave oven: remove the unit and use the space for a coffee maker or a display case for a collection of salt and pepper shakers. The second part of the fix is to always park the RV within walking distance of a Cracker Barrel and give up cooking altogether. I have come to this conclusion because I am unable to convince anyone that there is a problem.

I am convinced that I am on my own and will get no support either from the factory or the dealer on this matter. The darn thing does not work and I have nothing to lose, so I pulled out the whole thing out and took it completely apart. What I discovered is a possible design flaw that is the result of trying to take a conventional microwave and adding a grill and convection oven functions. In my opinion, you can not have those three functions in the same steel box without additional technology. Flying cars: they do neither well to be practical.

I will detail what I found so if you have one of these things, you can come to your own conclusions. The convection microwave is installed in an enclosed space in the RV. Above and below the unit are louvered facias. This is the only place any venting occurs. Removing the complete unit, I found that there are sheet metal shroud/ducting on the bottom, top and rear of the unit. This is a purpose built kit specific for installation in an enclosed area to facilitate venting. I removed all the attached kit parts and set the microwave in an open area for a test using a dish of water heated to boiling. The results were the same as in an enclosed area: the cavity of the microwave became dripping wet with condensation. Using the microwave in the home kitchen as a benchmark, there is an obvious problem.

Next step was to determine if there is a defect in the oven itself. For this, the outer cover needed to be removed. This description may describe features common to most all consumer microwave ovens. The interior is essentially a steel box. At the bottom is a glass tray that rotates using a synchronous motor for even cooking. On the right side is a covered window where the magnetron generates the microwaves. Nearby, is a window of perforations (round holes) where there is a light and in this case, translucent tape covers about 80% of this window preventing air flow. On the right side between the interior and exterior walls is located all the electronic components including a vent fan that draws fresh air in. On the top of the cavity is a heating element for the broiling function. At the rear of the cavity is a matrix of vent holes where the convection oven heat originates. There is an enclosed metal chamber attached to the rear of the cavity that contains a heating element and an air circulation fan. On the upper right side of the cavity is another series of vent holes and the assumption is that this is to vent excess moisture. From examining the microwave in the house, air is introduced from the right by the case fan and vented on the left. Not so in the microwave in the RV. There is a shallow steel box installed over the vent preventing any airflow. In fact the only place excess water vapor can go is through the unsealed holes on the left side where it on several occasions saturated the electronic control board and cause the oven to shut down. Removing the convection component from the rear of the oven revealed that in just a few months, significant amounts of condensation was trapped there and started to corrode the metal. The surface of the interior of the oven is also showing significant staining.

The modification was fairly simple. I am guessing that the steel box installed over the vent on the right side of the cavity was because of the heat generated by the convection oven or the grill. But, this compromises the function of the microwave by trapping moisture. I folded open the bottom of the box to allow air flow. Leaving it installed, it will serve as a baffle for heat generated during grilling and convection cooking.

I re-assembled all the parts and re-installed the unit in the RV. No screws left. I did remove about 3 1/2 feet of 12/2 wire that terminates on the electric outlet that serves the microwave. Still plenty of slack; but why so much extra wire crammed in the space behind the microwave? This is something I have found throughout the RV; way too much slack in the wire harness. Does the assembly process require that? Anyway, I ran some tests by boiling water in a serving dish. This generates more steam than usual cooking. Keep in mind that just two baked potatoes rendered the microwave inoperative for several hours. That is where this whole thing started. The results? There is no longer the huge buildup of condensation in the microwave. Some of course, but it seems to be about the same as the benchmark microwave in the house. I am assuming that the small amount of air flow from the fan is entering the cavity on the right and excess moisture is venting on the left. There is still a minor amount of condensation on the door, but the moisture that was intruding into the control panel has seemed to be stopped. Is this a fix? I will need a little more time to tell. I will keep the Cracker Barrel option open for the time being.

After spending more than six figures on an RV, why should I have to be doing this stuff on my own. Is there a minimum amount of money one has to spend before you can be guaranteed that it leaves the factory without design or build defects? This whole episode made me think back to something that has some parallel. Does anyone remember the Gemini space program? Two astronauts were already in orbit and a second space capsule was to be launched with the object to practice rendezvous and docking; a procedure necessary for subsequent Apollo missions to the Moon. While the first crew in orbit passing over Cape Kennedy, this is what they saw: The rocket motors of the Titan first stage igniting and then shutting down. Someone left a dust cover in the engine causing the failure to start. Fortunately, everything was recycled and refueled and the rocket motors were re-started without incident. The mission was a success. The rest is history. Failure can be introduced at every step of the process from inception to product on the shelf. Why could I not just cook two stupid potatoes? Maybe the answer is in the afore mentioned story about the space program or just look at the film of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Galloping Gertie). Compared to this, my problem is, wait for it.... small potatoes.

It's certainly not the cost of your motor home causing problems but it might be the unit you installed. I can't say as our convection / Microwave does nothing like you describe. We could not be happier with our oven and use it almost everyday as full timers (Cracker Barrel is not an option). We have had several, as a matter of fact, and they have all worked perfectly. We started with a Sharp which was impossible to replace when it died so we bought an GE Advantium which never cooked as well as the Sharp and eventually replaced it with a GE Profile which has been great and cooks even better than the Sharp. We have been living in this RV for going on 18 years and the oven has always been a major player in our dinners including Christmas Turkeys and Thanksgiving Roast Prime Rib. Yum!

While most RV manufacturers do seem to find the lowest price junk appliances for their high dollar units, one of the contributing factors is they don't typically follow the installation guidelines. For a microwave that is built into a cabinet it needs an add-on vent shroud and I suspect the OP's unit probably doesn't have that or it is not installed properly. Even a cheap microwave/convection unit should work relatively well if installed correctly.

I've had them in all my RVs and never had problems with them working the way they're supposed to. My problem with them is being they're low quality little things break on them rendering them only semi-useful over time. But when they worked I was able to do things like bake bread in them.

The most important point is that that the problem is internal to the HighPointe Convection Microwave. The primary vent where water vapor would escape is blocked. This forces the water vapor to escape through the partially covered vent where the light is located. The control board, magnetron and power supply is located here and is exposed to the steam. The majority of owners are not inclined to open an appliance that is in or out of warranty and would never know of this design flaw. There are Torx cabinet screws to prevent casual entry by consumers. Of course, there is a fuse that is made inaccessible to the consumer.

The unit is essentially a table top appliance to be used with a minimum amount of open space surrounding it. There is a shroud/vent kit that is installed on the convection/microwave to allow it to be installed in an enclosed space. Presumably, venting is facilitated by the louvered facia above and below the appliance. However, examining how the shroud kit is installed, I can see how it is somewhat ineffective because it does not allow the cooling fan to create an airflow in and out of the enclosed space. Some sort of external fan would have to be added.

I do not know how much of a hand Winnebago has in the design of this appliance, but I would guess they get it off the shelf and build a space for it. Why would they ever have the need to open the appliance to find a potential problem? I would submit to you the issue of the Takata Airbag. This one supplier has caused big headaches for not just a single automobile manufacturer.

So, is this how it goes? You buy an RV and live with an appliance that does not live up to even the minimal expectation and when it ultimately fails, you replace it with a premium product at additional expense? We just accept this as just one of those things if you own an RV? Here is a possible exception to the rule. In our 2018 Navion 24G, the Truma AquaGo water heater is OEM installed as a standard feature. Part of the reason is the weight savings of not having six or more gallons of water in a tank. There is a switch setting that takes advantage of a recirculating system that delivers hot water to the bathroom and galley sink so that no water is wasted waiting for the hot water to flow from the tank. I can turn the single handle shower faucet to the desired temperature and I never have to change it. I am still in the habit of conserving water even with full hookups, so I use the shutoff on the shower head. When I turn on the shower again, the water is perfect; Goldilocks... not too hot, not too cold. After nearly eight weeks of use so far I still find it amazing. Maybe this is base on past experience of alternate freeze and scalding showers. OK, back on point: The control switch indicator light started to flash. That tells you to go outside and check the fault indicator light and note a pattern of short and long flashes. Checking the chart in the instructions, I did not find that fault code. I contacted Truma and I was told that it indicated a programming problem. I received a replacement control module which took all of three minutes to replace. I sent the original module back in the supplied packaging. What I am trying to say is that this water heater has so far performed beyond my expectations and when a potential problem was found, it was promptly addressed. I wish this was my experience with the RV in general. Sure, the Truma is more expensive than a conventional water heater, in my opinion, worth every penny. The microwave, not so much.

So far, after some additional tests involving actual cooking, the HighPointe Covection/Grill/Microwave seems to be doing ok. There seems to be enough cross flow ventilation in the oven to remove water vapor. Problem solved? Maybe, but what about all the other units rolling down the road?

We have the HighPointe Convection/Grill Microwave oven in our camper. Over the last 4 years, it's been fine under fairly heavy use. I do know someone who had theirs **** out, but ours so far is good. We do not have the condensation issue you mention. I wonder if the design has changed or it has something to do with your particular installation or particular oven model.