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We couldn't stand the over the range microwave for the same reasons, plus cooking with large pots was a bit more awkward. So we moved the microwave over to an adjoining cabinet that happened to be the exact right width. Since I had to remove the cabinet from the wall to cut out the center bar on the bottom half and cut down the doors, I removed a 3" filler piece and added 3" to the back of the cabinet and was able to flush mount the microwave in the cabinet. Flush mounting is not necessary, but IMO it looks better and was worth the effort. It allowed us to keep the microwave and put in a regular vent hood.
If a home has the room to move the microwave, it is certainly a good option. The builders installed the microwaves in a similar fashion in other homes in our neighborhood and those are what gave me the idea. But theirs do stick out 2-3" just like when installed over the range.
They are thinking that they need a microwave and there is no place else to put it and/or it was never vented to the outside and has always been a microhood. We have one. It is what came with the house, and I can only assume the house was built that way. No one changed out an outside venting hood for a microwave.
In the "remodeled" section they put a non-vented fan over the stove area. Basically a fan that pulls air through a little filter in order to, LOL, recirculate the smoke and cooking odors.
I live in the non-remodeled section............the cooking area has nothing to remove smoke/odors, no vented fan....not even a "fake" fan. So when I cook....even a little smoke will stink the place up.
We couldn't stand the over the range microwave for the same reasons, plus cooking with large pots was a bit more awkward. So we moved the microwave over to an adjoining cabinet that happened to be the exact right width. Since I had to remove the cabinet from the wall to cut out the center bar on the bottom half and cut down the doors, I removed a 3" filler piece and added 3" to the back of the cabinet and was able to flush mount the microwave in the cabinet. Flush mounting is not necessary, but IMO it looks better and was worth the effort. It allowed us to keep the microwave and put in a regular vent hood.
If a home has the room to move the microwave, it is certainly a good option. The builders installed the microwaves in a similar fashion in other homes in our neighborhood and those are what gave me the idea. But theirs do stick out 2-3" just like when installed over the range.
Range hood microwave combos are very popular even in non-dumpy kitchens because many people don't cook enough to care and/or they prefer the extra cabinet space.
Whether you can put one into a high rise building depends on the construction. They *can* construct a high rise with duct work to externally vent hoods and other exhaust fans, but it's a lot more expensive to do so. You'd be more likely to find it in buildings that were originally constructed as luxury condos, and less likely if they are converted older buildings.
The odds aren't going to be with you, but it's something I'd ask about when you see units you are interested in, knowing that you may have to rule out most of them, but hopefully you'll get lucky with a few.
What's wrong with venting a bathroom fan into a large attic? Such a small amount of moisture into a large attic shouldn't do anything. There's probably more humidity coming in on a rainy day from the crack between the shingles and the gutters.
Not only is it against code, but in cold climates it can cause a huge amount of damage. The moisture being released in a cold attic in winter can cause frost to accumulate in your attic, which will eventually melt and cause water damage. The warm air from a bathroom fan can also cause ice dams.
Retro fitting a filtered vent (allowed by code) to a piped to the exterior can be a challenge in a single family dwelling let alone a high rise. What type of wall construction must be penetrated, and access to the exterior work area should be planned in advance, and may prove to be cost prohibitive.
+1 to this advise. We have a SFH with no vent hood, and trying to get one installed was challenging. We couldn't have an overhead hood because our ceiling joists ran in the wrong direction (would had to have installed soffits with major modifications to cabinets, which was obviously not desirable). We ended up having to install a downdraft system which meant tearing apart our finished basement ceiling. While we are now enjoying have some ventilation, it was an extremely expensive project that I doubt we'll get back on resale.
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