Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE OWNER'S CORNER FORUMS > Entegra Owner's Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 10-22-2016, 06:07 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Gary.Jones's Avatar


 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,530
Blog Entries: 1
Microwave not venting correctly

Some of you will probably remember that I have encountered a problem with the microwave. My DW makes pasta and rice by putting them in the microwave to boil the water more quickly than on the induction cooktop. That works great!! However, when boiling water, sometimes, the steam from the boiling water will start to come out the front of the microwave and vent in the small space between the cabinets above the microwave and the microwave itself (most evident in the top left corner of the microwave). Not every time but often. The steam venting in that space will discolor the stain and wood of the cabinets above, particularly at the upper left edge of the microwave. I have previously hypothesized that this happen because there is no ductwork that goes directly from the microwave exhaust fan hole out to the vent on the exterior wall of the coach, so the exhaust depends on the pressure differential developed in the open cavity behind the microwave. If the pressure behind the microwave is greater than the pressure of the air outside the wall vent, the vent opens, but if the pressure outside is greater (a stiff breeze to the passenger side of the coach) than the inside pressure, the vent flap stays partially or fully closed. I still think that is right. HOWEVER, I now know more.

While at camp Entegra, I hauled out the ladder and we boiled water to try to fully understand the problem since I was still complaining about it to the techs here. When the water boiled, the steam/vapor started coming out the front of the microwave, and I was examining the exterior vent and flap. The flap stayed closed. (It was not "locked", I had unlocked it when we took delivery.... it just did not open, the outside air pressure was higher than the inside air pressure). Soooo, I told the DW to turn on the vent that was located in the microwave, which we had always assumed was primarily intended as an exhaust fan for the induction cooktop. When she was using the induction, that microwave fan exhaust would be on, but when just using the microwave to boil something, it was generally off. As soon as we turned the microwave's exhaust fan (for the cooktop) ON, the steam stopped coming out the front of the microwave and vented appropriately outside of the coach. Turn the exhaust fan off, and the flap closed and the steam would start coming out the front.

Now, maybe this has been obvious to everyone except me, but that was a major insight. The exhaust fan is not just for exhausting fumes when using the induction cooktop, but is also essential anytime you are microwaving something that makes steam or fumes. At home, you have a microwave (often on a counter) which vents itself out the back into the kitchen, and a cooktop which has a major fan which is above the cooktop and vents to the roof or outside wall. They are completely separate functions. However, on our coaches, the two are related. The microwave needs the cooktop exhaust to vent enough air to forcefully push the exterior vent flap open if you are boiling water or maybe baking bread or cookies.

Major new realization to us. File it away. If you are doing something that makes steam or fumes in the microwave, be sure that the exhaust fan is running.

Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
Gary.Jones is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 10-22-2016, 06:27 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
DebbieMH's Avatar
 
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 3,903
Will do - thanks!
__________________
Lynn & (Dan in spirit ) Fur kids Carl & Alvin
Full time - home base is Myakka River Motorcoach Resort in Port Charlotte, FL
2015 Entegra Anthem 44B with HWH Active Air
2021 Grand Cherokee Summit
DebbieMH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 08:10 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,122
Gary - thanks. This is for the Samsung unit, correct? We have the same issue with the GE Advantium we installed in our current coach.

Might someone with the 2017's Whirlpool model chime in on that unit's venting?
__________________
2017 LTV Unity U24CB
2003 Foretravel U320
1999 Lazy Daze 30IB
spuds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 08:23 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Gary.Jones's Avatar


 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,530
Blog Entries: 1
I highly doubt that it is any different. It simply would complicate construction a whole bunch to try to do it. Think about the connection of your clothes dryerat the S&B to the wall vent outlet. You need a long, flexible, corrugated aluminum vent tube so that you can connect it, but then still pull out the dryer to get behind it. Same issue here. Without a vent tube that begins at the wall and snugs up against the microwave fan vent, then the problem is going to be the same.

The easiest way for us to tell how our microwave is connected to the wall vent is to take your smart phone and use the camera to take a couple of pictures of the space behind your microwave. My bet is that there is no tube connecting the microwave vent and the wall, and if there is no vent tube, then the problem will in all likelihood be the same.

Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
Gary.Jones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 11:20 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,122
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary.Jones View Post
I highly doubt that it is any different. It simply would complicate construction a whole bunch to try to do it.
Gary, I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to the baffle operation within the microwave itself. That is the problem with the Advantium - when running the vent or convection, it appears to open the baffle to vent to the outside, but when you put it in microwave mode, it does not open that baffle but instead vents the steam out the top front unless you turn on the vent operation. You can actually hear the internal baffle open when it does change the venting

The Sharp we had previously would vent correctly on microwave mode.

I had interpreted your post that the Samsung had the same vent behavior as the Advantium, and was wondering if the Whirlpool was also this way.

Michelle
__________________
2017 LTV Unity U24CB
2003 Foretravel U320
1999 Lazy Daze 30IB
spuds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 12:48 PM   #6
Moderator Emeritus
 
Cruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 5,641
We replace the Samsung with a GE Profile, and then an Advantium. The GE units have a vent flange that you slide into the back of the microwave, similar to the Samsung. But we never put the baffle in. Didn't see the sense of it as long as there is an outside vent flap anyway so don't really need two of them.

But the microwave's flange does not connect directly to the duct flange in the wall of the coach, most likely because it would be a pain to try to couple together and may squeak when driving. There is about a 1/2-3/4" gap between the two flanges. If you take some 2" wide reflective aluminum insulation tape you an seal up that gap, which will help make the outside vent open more positively. It's easy to get to with the upper panel removed so you can add it or simply cut it with a knife if you ever have to remove the microwave.
__________________
Mark & Leann Quasius
2016 Cornerstone 45A
2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Cruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 04:16 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Gary.Jones's Avatar


 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,530
Blog Entries: 1
Michelle

I think it sounds like we are talking about the same microwave behavior. By the way, my microwave is a Samsung. The problem is that when using the microwave or the convection oven part, any steam generated does come out the top left front of this unit, just below the cabinetry on top. That may be due to a flap on the vent of the microwave that prevents it from exiting the microwave at all...... that is possible.... I dont know how my microwave is designed internally. I dont know if there is a passive or active "flap" that covers the microwave exhaust when in microwave or convection mode. However, however the problem is produced, the solution to the problem is to ensure that you have the exhaust fan controlled from the microwave front panel ON in one of its three speeds..... as soon as you do that, the outside vent opens and it draws the steam/ moisture outside of the coach.

From what you are saying, I think we are talking about the same thing.

Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
Gary.Jones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 04:24 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,122
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary.Jones View Post
Michelle

I think it sounds like we are talking about the same microwave behavior. By the way, my microwave is a Samsung. The problem is that when using the microwave or the convection oven part, any steam generated does come out the top left front of this unit, just below the cabinetry on top.
Gary - yes, that's exactly what we have with our Advantium (and it was not a problem with our previous Sharp), including having to turn the vent fan on to force the unit to vent out the ducting (in our coach it vents out the top, not the side, and there is a rigid duct structure that we are explicitly attached to, so it's not a gap in the ducting contributing a pressure loss.)

Since our next coach is going to be an Entegra, I appreciate your and Mark's comments on the problem and solutions to it.

Michelle
__________________
2017 LTV Unity U24CB
2003 Foretravel U320
1999 Lazy Daze 30IB
spuds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 07:37 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,430
The Samsung microwave vents out of its top. The vent fan for the induction vents out the back. The vent fan basically points right at the outside vent. The microwave vent just vents into the air space above the oven. There is a small slot (about 1/4" or less in height and maybe 6" long) that allows air from the top of the oven to get to the vent. I can certainly believe that adding suction via the vent fan is necessary to get the microwave exhaust pulled outside. It is not a good design, but there isn't really a way to improve it.
__________________
2022 Newmar Ventana 3717
DeeGee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2016, 08:32 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Gary.Jones's Avatar


 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 11,530
Blog Entries: 1
venting to the rear would certainly help.

Gary
__________________
Gary and Dee, Zowie and Bowie (traveling cat sibs)
2019 Cornerstone 45B, X15-605hp, Imperial, Spartan K3,
2013 Honda CR-V toad, Demco Excali-Bar II,
Demco Baseplate, Demco Toad Light system, 73 de W5FI
Gary.Jones is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
vent



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Venting Microwave to outside DSDP MoHoGo Newmar Owner's Forum 8 09-26-2015 06:34 AM
2015 Sightseer Microwave venting question NIaw1 Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 5 07-08-2015 04:36 PM
Outside Venting for Microwave.... CentILRVer Newmar Owner's Forum 18 01-17-2015 03:34 PM
Fridge not working correctly tickranch RV Systems & Appliances 4 04-29-2010 07:55 AM
One Place not reading correctly lthrnk Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 9 02-28-2008 11:51 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.