Microwave Oven cause Kaboom ?

[Tony S]

Hi folks,
I was hoping to get some input on a situation that has come up in the renovation of my Airstream.

The back of the microwave I was planning to put in the space below my new cook top ( removed oven) in the 73 Tradewind says it can be mounted in a cabinet. It also says, and this is my concern, not within two feet of gas appliances like the cooktop. Is this a real concern? It seems other microwaves I checked say the same thing yet I see this arrangement quite often in trailers. I thought maybe the "rv microwaves" maybe different and not pose this problem but they appear to be the same as off the shelf microwaves. My brand is a Panasonic and the other ones I check were also Panasonic.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated

Thanks

Tony

[SteveH]

I think what they are worried about is the liability of a possible spark caused by the microwave igniting gas that may be leaking.

I think it's a legitimate concern, but really don't know the odds of it happening.

[jdalrymple]

Any non-intrinsically safe electrical appliance can cause an explosion, if operated in an explosive atmosphere. The inside of an Airstream trailer without a gas leak is not an explosive atmosphere.....

But, I expect the warning you are seeing is more to do with exposing the sides of the microwave cabinet to the radiant heat produced by the open flame of an operating burner.

I offer that installing the microwave under the gas cook top is perfectly safe, as the bottom and sides of a commercially available RV gas range are rated for direct contact with the cabinets of the trailer.


Common sense says two feet isn't going to make any real difference if there is a gas leak.

And, for what it is worth, the factory mounts them in the same configuration.


Regards,


JD

[Tony S]

Thanks That is kind of what I figured. I have seen the arrangement frequently. Often I see it above a refrigerator too.

Thanks

Tony

[cwf]

With a "blower" lsimilar to marine application would keep the air in the cabinet vented.... Further reducing possible "Big Bang" rerun.