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A metal mounting plate fixed to a kitchen wall under empty wall cabinets, a microwave on the counter below waiting to go up.

Where it goes, how it vents, what it plugs into

Installation and setup
guides.

Mounting a microwave above the cooking surface, venting it outside or letting it recirculate, the trim kit a built-in needs, and the circuit a microwave should have to itself.

(844) 393-5858

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

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Installation and setup,
guide by guide.

A microwave that sits above the cooking surface, inside a cabinet or under a counter depends on three things the owner rarely sees again after installation day: what holds it up, where its air goes and what feeds it power. These guides cover all three, for anyone choosing a new microwave, replacing an old one or wondering why the one on the wall behaves the way it does.

All 18 guides
A stainless microwave hood combination freshly mounted under light wood wall cabinets in a home kitchen, its door closed with a plain glass dish on the glass turntable visible through the door window, the cooking surface below cropped and out of focus, a clean tiled backsplash with a gap below the microwave, the display blank.
6-minute read

Mounting a Microwave Above the Cooking Surface: Height, Studs and the Wall Plate

The 30-inch opening and the heights Sharp prints, a wall that carries 110 pounds, toggles that cannot come back out, the outlet in the cabinet above and a two-person hang.

A stainless microwave hood combination under white wall cabinets in a home kitchen, a round metal duct rising from the top of the microwave into the open cabinet above, the microwave door closed with a plain glass dish on the turntable behind the door window, the cooking surface below cropped out of focus.
5-minute read

Venting a Microwave Outside or Recirculating: Duct, Damper and Charcoal

Up, back or into the room, metal duct sizes and the 140 equivalent feet, what each elbow and cap costs, where a duct must not end, and how often a charcoal filter is changed.

A microwave drawer built into the lower cabinets of a kitchen island with its drawer closed and a blank display, beside it an open cabinet door showing a plain white grounded wall outlet with the microwave plug in it, a plain glass dish of vegetables on the counter above, soft daylight.
5-minute read

A Dedicated Circuit for the Microwave: Which Kinds Need One and Why

What GE and Sharp ask of the supply for countertop, hood combination and drawer models, input power against cooking power, the ground pin, extension cords and what a tripping breaker tells you.

Where it goes, how it vents, what it plugs into.

Mounting comes first because it is the part that can fall. A microwave hood combination hangs from a plate on the wall and from screws into the cabinet above it, and the makers' sheets set the height, the studs and the load the wall has to carry. Venting comes next: the same fan can push air outside through a metal duct or recirculate it through a charcoal filter, and the choice is made before the microwave goes up.

Power is the quiet one. Microwaves draw more from the wall than their cooking power suggests, the built-in kinds usually want a circuit of their own, and none of them belongs on an extension cord. A breaker that trips every morning is often an installation question rather than a broken microwave.

These guides describe what a good installation looks like so you can judge one; they are not a substitute for the installation instructions that came with your model, and the wiring itself is an electrician's job. Every figure is taken from the makers' own installation sheets and support pages, printed under the section it supports.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerMounting a Microwave Above the Cooking Surface: Height, Studs and the Wall Plate

Microwave mounting height is set by the installation instructions: in Sharp's, a 30-inch-wide space, at least 30 inches from the cooking surface to the cabinet above, 66 inches or more from the floor and a 2-inch gap above the backsplash.

The short answerVenting a Microwave Outside or Recirculating: Duct, Damper and Charcoal

To vent a microwave outside, the fan is set to blow up or back into a metal duct of 3-1/4 by 10 inches or 6 inches round, with no more than 140 equivalent feet including elbows and caps.

The short answerA Dedicated Circuit for the Microwave: Which Kinds Need One and Why

A dedicated circuit for a microwave means a 120-volt branch circuit serving only that appliance, with a grounded three-prong outlet and a 15- or 20-amp breaker.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost
  1. 01A cup of water, timed
  2. 02The price before the work
  3. 03Usual parts on board
  4. 04Heating again before we leave

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
Close view of the edge of a stainless countertop microwave's side-hinged door with a mesh window standing a finger-width open, two plastic latch hooks visible on the door edge beside the matching slots in the microwave frame, a plain glass mug on the glass turntable inside. Problem

Microwave Door Won't Latch Shut

6 causes, cheapest first

 A stainless microwave hood combination under wall cabinets with its side-hinged door with a mesh window closed, soft steam rising from below past the front of the microwave and drifting up against the cabinet doors, one mesh grease filter under the unit dark with grease. Problem

Microwave Vent Fan Not Pulling Steam

6 causes, cheapest first

 A stainless microwave hood combination under wall cabinets seen through its closed side-hinged door with a mesh window, the microwave cavity dark and the display blank with a plain glass bowl sitting on the still turntable, a kitchen breaker panel with one switch thrown sitting out of focus in a hallway beyond. Stop using it

Microwave Trips the Breaker or Blows a Fuse

6 causes, cheapest first

 A stainless microwave hood combination under wood wall cabinets, running with its side-hinged door with a mesh window closed and the microwave cavity lit, a plain glass bowl on the glass turntable behind the mesh, a faint shimmer of vibration suggested only by a spoon resting on the counter below out of focus. Problem

Loud Hum, Buzz or Grinding From a Microwave

6 causes, cheapest first
A family warming plates of food at a built-in microwave in a bright kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
installation and setup.

Can I install a microwave hood combination myself?
Hanging one is within reach of a handy owner with a helper, provided a grounded outlet already sits in the cabinet above and the studs line up. A new outlet or circuit, and any cut through an outside wall or roof, are jobs for an electrician or a contractor.
Which is better, venting outside or recirculating?
Venting outside removes heat, steam and smoke; a charcoal filter only catches odors. Recirculating is the practical choice where no duct route exists, as long as the charcoal filter is replaced on schedule.
Does a microwave need its own circuit?
GE says its hood combinations should always have one, and Sharp asks for a separate circuit for its hood combinations and recommends one for its drawers. For a countertop model it is strongly advisable if the circuit also feeds a toaster or kettle.
What should I check before the installer arrives?
The width and height of the opening against the model's diagram, where the studs are, where the outlet will go and whether the unit will vent outside. Have the installation instructions printed or downloaded.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides
A plate of food on the turntable of an open microwave, one half steaming and the other not.
What the microwave is telling you

Common problems

A finger pressing a key on the touch keypad of a microwave, the display dark.
Checks you can make at the door

Troubleshooting

Two metal grease filters from a microwave hood combination soaking in a sink of warm soapy water.
Habits that keep it heating for years

Maintenance and prevention

A closed microwave with a faint glow behind its mesh window, the kitchen empty and nobody near it.
Keeping people and the kitchen safe

Sparks, fire and the door

A built-in microwave in a tall cabinet and a microwave drawer in the island of one kitchen.
Which kind of microwave, and fix or replace

Choosing and comparing

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your microwave working again.

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