Over The Counter Microwave

Tips on buying and installing your microwave!

So you are upgrading your kitchen with a new Over The Counter Microwave.

First of all, let me assure that you have made a good choice. Getting that microwave off your counter will free up a lot of space for chopping, stacking dishes, food preparation or just a nice decorative bowl of fruit.

If you haven't bought your microwave yet, let me give you a couple of pointers on purchasing the right one for your kitchen:

1. Choose a color that matches the rest of your appliances. Too often a well-meaning homeowner will go shopping and see one that is just beautiful, hanging in the cabinets at the hardware store. What a beautiful red (they do make red, you know)! So the buy it and take it home. However, after bringing it home and removing it from the box it just doesn't match anything. Back to the store.

When choosing any appliances, be careful not to by them as independent units...make sure they blend and match well with your other appliances and cabinets.

2. Buy a microwave that has the enough power to meet your needs. It is better to go overboard than have too little power in your Over The Counter Microwave.

Other than that, the design and quality depends on your preference and budget.

Installation:

Okay, now to just a few pointers on installation.

Your microwave will come with instructions, so be sure to read and understand them clearly. Each microwave is a little different, so I will just give you the basic steps here:

Step 1

Remove your old microwave. Make sure the space in your cabinet will accommodate your microwave. If you buy an upgraded microwave that is an odd size, you will have to have someone skilled, such as a cabinetmaker, redo it to fit.

If you presently have no microwave, then you will definitely need to either replace your cabinets to accommodate an over the counter microwave or have a cabinetmaker come in and redo your existing cabinets.

Step 2

If your old microwave was "hard wired", there will be no outlet to plug in the new. All of the new microwaves require outlets. So if there is just a wire hanging there, you will have to install an electrical box and run the wire to it. Make sure it is on a 20 amp dedicated circuit.

Many of the older and less powerful microwaves were put on 15 amp circuits, which are no longer good enough to meet the electrical codes. You don't want to end up having to run out to the garage to click the breaker back on every time you use your microwave.

Step 3

Follow your Over The Counter Microwave instructions for installation. If you are doing this yourself, you will need a tape measurer, hammer, and screwdriver at the least.

You will be putting a bracket on the wall and probably some blocks under the upper part of the cabinet. You also will probably be drilling the proper size holes in the cabinet bottom as per the instructions. These will be to bolt the top of the microwave to the cabinet.

Other than what I have said, just follow the instructions that come with the microwave and you should do fine.

Copyright 2009
Over The Counter Microwave