Microwave shelf fails in '06 FB SE

[CanoeStream]

This is a cautionary tale for anybody who chose an option to do without an oven and instead have a convection microwave installed below the stovetop. Unscrew the trim kit from the cabinetry, pull out your microwave and take a look at the horizontal panel that supports all the microwave's weight. I can only thank new axles that this didn't shake apart with a worse outcome!

In my '06 Safari FB SE I was working on the drawer stack right next to the stove/oven last week when I happened to spy a loose plywood panel.

Here is the cabinet layout in the area with drawers removed. The wheel well starts about 8" behind the lowest doors underneath the microwave. The 6 circled screws into the cabinet face frame ended up being the only support for the greatest part of the microwave's 35-40 pounds. Thankfully they held up and did not pull out of the face frame. The red rectangle will be shown in more detail in the next picture.



I didn't have to think twice to ask why this plywood panel would be in such a cockeyed position:



I pulled the microwave. Now I ask -- who the heck would come up with a scheme to support that panel under the microwave on only two sides -- and not the two sides you'd think!



The 1" x 1" nailer boards were doing their job with 7 wire staples going into the side panel and 7 going into the bottom horizontal panel.







The front nailer board was still doing its job so I left it in place. I removed the side nailer board and temporarily took the dimension lumber microwave supports out so I could get better access. And after a quick trip to Menards for parts (they don't have those in Ohio?) I was able to put everything back together with a couple hours of work.



First off I used the heavy corner irons to hold the horizontal panel in the proper position. I leveled it and completed the job. "Like a rock" to match my GMC truck!

[CanoeStream]

Well.. some tie-in at least. Here's a before & after picture of a natural arch that fell in Utah a few weeks back.



It stood for a few million years. This part of my cabinetry didn't last 2 million minutes. Guess it could have turned out much worse.

[craftsman]

What did they use to cut out these openings, a chainsaw? Someone should invest in some new blades. Nice re-do.

[tksbaskets]

DH just inspected our MW/convection oven shelf on our 2007 and it has drop-itis too. I have today off because of the holiday week. We'll be doing the same repair job that Bob did to his AS.

Off to breakfast and the hardware store for supplies.

Teresa

[Silvertwinkie]

These would be great if placed in the QC threads according to their model year so they don't get lost again. I missed this one Bob back last September...nice fix...to bad YOU had to do that. Not great engineering IMHO. There is an Airstream Town Hall thread and I have linked the QC and other threads to it so that Airstream can see these issues in one location (if they chose to read it, which I think they do).

Here is the latest link with links going back to 2004:

2010 Model year quality

[crazylev]

Chainsaw!!! Hysterical!!! And a dull one at that.

Maybe the factory ran out of some 60 or 80 grit sand paper. Ah, but that takes a minute and a half and time is money...

I have to tell you that my plan someday when I have the AS closer to my workshop/tools is to completely remove every single piece of the interior, save the pieces to use as templates, and re-build everything using nice hardwood, QUALITY materials, fasteners and so on. And add my own embellishments on top of that.

And fix everything that the factory installed to the way I want it. I'm not a carpenter by trade, but can handle my self around a router, table saw, drill press and bandsaw among other things.

AS should think about just selling the basic shell with wiring and plumbing roughed in, and include templates of various configurations for do-it-selfers.

Jonathan

[CrawfordGene]

Bob, it's good you had your wood stove to cook on while fixing the microwave. I didn't think

Gene

[tksbaskets]

Our convection/microwave shelf is now glued, screwed, and braced. We'll put the microwave back in tomorrow. Our shelf hadn't dropped as far as Bob's had but it was already tipping back and the metal around the opening cracked on both top corners.

Thanks for the thread and helpful pictures!

Teresa

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by crazylev

I have to tell you that my plan someday when I have the AS closer to my workshop/tools is to completely remove every single piece of the interior, save the pieces to use as templates, and re-build everything using nice hardwood, QUALITY materials, fasteners and so on. And add my own embellishments on top of that.

Jonathan

Make sure you replace the axle on that fateful day too as you will without question exceed what the axle is rated to carry.

[HowieE]

If the 6 screws around the face frame of the Microwave did not pull out I would say the horizontal that dropped was only a jig to support the Microwave while installing and had no function after installation.

In order for the microwave to have caused to drop, rather than road vibration, the bottom and middle screws on the face frame would have had to pull out. The weight of the microwave was supported by the frame only after installation.