Microwave in a cabinet

12 years ago

I have a Panasonic 1.2 cubic ft microwave installed in my kitchen cabinet with the trim kit. The microwave broke and it is not worth it to repair, so I want to replace it, but finding the exact size is tricky. Breville make a unit which I really like (The Quick Touch). It's exactly the same size and wattage, but it says that it must not be put in a cabinet. Is this really true or is this just overly cautious? That is, why is it okay for a 1200 watt Panasonic, but not okay for a 1200 watt Breville? Anyone know if it truly is unsafe to do so? They are just normal microwaves, no grills or anything.

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flashfryer
Original Author

12 years ago

With the Breville, it calls for a crazy 8" on either side and 12" above. That seems totally loony. So I contacted Brevill USA and the very helpful support guy said that the specs are way overkill and that my set up would be totally fine. Thankfully, I got a guy who did not just read back the manual, but had personal experience on how much the microwave heats up in reality and what is actually safe. So in the end, this is now what I have with the grill on. It also has the Panasonic vent piece which directs the exhaust from the side to the top and out the front.

I'm very pleased with the way it looks and so far, the Breville functions very nicely. The Panasonic has the Inverter thing which is meant to be better, but in use, this seems to work just as well and I really like the design of the Breville with the bar handle.

This post was edited by flashfryer on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 13:42

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Comments (13)

weissman
12 years ago
The issue is venting. Trim kits are made to vent the MW out the front so they don't overheat.
flashfryer
Original Author
12 years ago
Yes, so if the Breville is vented the same way, should it be safe to use, just as the Panasonic is?
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weissman
12 years ago
Well, it depends - typically a trim kit is made for a specific model MW. The trim kit is kind of a box that the MW sits in so that if the MW vents on the sides or the bottom, the heat is directed out the front of the MW.

If Breville doesn't have a specific trim kit, you might be able to get one from microtrim.com that makes custom trim kits.

Do they still make the same Panasonic MW as you have now? That would be the easiest thing to do.
flashfryer
Original Author
12 years ago
No they don't make the same microwave. The replacement, which is very similar, is actually more different in size than the Breville. The vent piece that sat on the Panasonic to direct the air from the vent to the front, does not quite fit the Breville, but I could modify it. I am attaching a picture of the set up now, sans grill. I suspect that the air flow would go out of the vent on the left side, rise to the top and dissipate out of the front anyway. That is, the vent helps, but with enough front venting I am hoping that the air would just go out the front anyway.
scrappy25
12 years ago
I have had my countertop panasonic 1.2 cf mw sitting in an old built in mw cavity is almost the same spacing that you have above for three years now without problems. I was worried at first because the instructions call for 3 inches clearance on both sides, and I only have 1.5-2 inches, but I do have 3 inches at the top where it only calls for one inch, so I think that as along as the total space around the MW is sufficient, that is probably good enough for venting.
RealHousewifeofNJ
12 years ago
That looks nice! I love all my Breville appliances!
Jillisa Nikola-Baum
11 years ago
What size is the trim kit? style #? I love breville and would like to use it built in also!
ryguy84
11 years ago
Any follow up to what trim kit was used for the breville?
flashfryer
Original Author
11 years ago
It was the trim kit for the Panasonic. I can't remember the model, but just measure and see if you can find one that will work. In the picture, you can see that only the top and bottom is used. It comes with sides, but I did not use them and instead, made it from wood and glued it together. It looks a bit of a mess from the back, but from the front, nice and clean. It's held on with magnets. Functionally, the Breville has had no issues and is working fine in this cabinet.
bapm
11 years ago
What size is cabinet w, and what is allotted ht and Depth for the MW w trim kit?
HU-607534723
7 years ago
I have the exact same issue with my Panasonic dying and no replacements from Panasonic that fit my trim kit. The Breville sounds like a great microwav and I’m thinking of doing the same as you. It’s three years later, is your microwave still doing fine in the cabinet?
grewa002
7 years ago
I don’t have the same microwave, but have had the same set up as with the Breville, and so far no problems ( it is 5 years now but used in a vacation home, so not full time)