Over the range microwave died, no more GE of the same height

[PandaBear]

JVM1740SMSS is what I have, the guy who remodeled our kitchen put the back splash up to the exact height where the microwave mounting bracket is at. This microwave is 16 3/16" H and the current GE they are selling is either 16 5/16" H, 16 1/4", 16 1/8" etc. So nothing will exactly line up without leaving a gap, or go over the backsplash.

Let's say I have a few options right now:

1) Repair the microwave myself, the door switch that used to keep the fan running when the door is open, now prevents the fan and the magnetron from running when the door is closed. I have a feeling this may be a sinking ship and unless I buy another used microwave and part swap around (maybe a white or black one instead of stainless) it is no guarantee it will be fixed in short order. The reputation of this model is bad due to some touch panel nonsense, I paid $90 for it once, and seems like the replacement fixed it well. The unit is made in 2008 so 13 year is not to be complained about, it is probably caked with grease all over the internal now.

2) Replace with a GE that's slightly taller (1/16" over or more) so it cover the backsplash. It will not look ugly, but will something line up? do I need to shim stuff? I don't think anything architectural is precision engineering but what is the risk there?

3) Replace with a GE that's slightly shorter (1/16" under) so it will always be mounted with some gap between the top of backsplash and the microwave. It will look ugly, but it will mount for sure.

4) Find another brand that is the exact height (16 3/16" H), but then I might need to drill some new holes in the cabinet on top or adjust the vent, not sure how standard they are, will need to tape measure and compare with the online template I guess?

5) Look for exact same used but unlikely to find one locally, shipping is risky as it may break in transit used.

6) Ignore the microwave part and just use the vent, and keep a separate microwave on the side. Wife hated the idea and it takes up counter space, but this is stress free, I just got an early Black Friday Insignia one from BestBuy for $60, works pretty well so far, cheaper than eating out for 2 meals already.

Which one make the most sense?

 

[nthach]

4.

Most over the range microwaves are made by a handful of companies(LG, Samsung, Haier, Midea - look at the FCC ID’s first three digits for the OEM).

My neighbors had a Maytag with the same issue of the touchpanel go out. It was made by Samsung - FCC ID A3. They replaced it with an LG, no problems since.

Now, if you don’t care about an OTR microwave, I’d replace the existing microwave with a range hood and buy a Panasonic or Sharp free-standing one. It will take up counter space though.

 

[PandaBear]

4.

Most over the range microwaves are made by a handful of companies(LG, Samsung, Haier, Midea - look at the FCC ID’s first three digits for the OEM).

My neighbors had a Maytag with the same issue of the touchpanel go out. It was made by Samsung - FCC ID A3. They replaced it with an LG, no problems since.

Now, if you don’t care about an OTR microwave, I’d replace the existing microwave with a range hood and buy a Panasonic or Sharp free-standing one. It will take up counter space though.

That's the problem, my house is not that big and in this area space is precious. I would say throwing away a OTR microwave every 7 year is cheaper than the space a standalone would take up.

Work from home (means microwave duty doubles), us switching to microwave vegetables instead of saute on stove top, basically wears out microwave faster.

 

[Lubener]

I would go with option 1. If its economically feasable, I always repair instead of replacing. It's not a big deal to repair yourself and won't cost much. Atleast you wouldn't be supporting the Chinese economy.

 

[GON]

""5) Look for exact same used but unlikely to find one locally, shipping is risky as it may break in transit used.""

This.... had a like situation, built in GE microwave failed early on a Sunday evening. Plugged the model into Facebook marketplace, found exact model, picked it up Sunday night, installed same night. Zero hassle.

You might be surprised how easy to find the exact model might be.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Buy the shorter one and a tube of caulk. Who besides you is going to bend over and look underneath?

 

[Mainia]

Buy the new one and add some grout. You are talking about a very very small addition of grout or caulk here. You are not adding an inch.

 

[RhondaHonda]

An 1/16th gap is nothing. Buy the size that will fit and as said earlier grout or caulk the gap if needed. I think you are overthinking how much of this gap you’d even notice as it is very small.

Heck the 1/16” shorter one may be the same size. That’s probably close to the tolerance in microwave case manufacturing.

 

[Leo99]

My GE over the range microwave died. I bought another GE assuming I could reuse the bracket. Nope. Had to drill new holes. So your assumption that the new GE will slide right in the old bracket might be incorrect.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Our Magic Chef over the range microwave had a bad door switch on it that was notletting it work. I ordered two new switches off ebay for just over $3 bucks. I had microwave training at Motorola when I worked there. Adjustment of the replacement switch is critical, but it is do-able. Just double check your work. I did that a couple years ago and it is still going strong. Didn't have to take it down from its mount to repair it.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Use your camera phone and take pictures of the wiring before changing anything too.

 

[Spector]

Most have an option of a cover kit trim that hides all the holes. Had a similar issue back in Feb. You assume you can get a new one, what is the time frame to actually get one in stock?

 

[spackard]

I keep repairing mine; it's from 1997.
They're not that hard to remove from the wall. It was about a 1 day job out, clean, photos, and back in. I pulled it off in 2011 to clean out all the grease. I imagine it'd be a leisurely half day if I did it again.
Door switch is probably just a common microswitch. Can buy from appliance repair place, or take apart, get part number from switch, and source from Mouser.
Just a guess (you apparently forgot a letter of your model number).

Amazon.com

Either $25 each from GE parts, or two for $7 from Amazon.

 

[Kruse]

""5) Look for exact same used but unlikely to find one locally, shipping is risky as it may break in transit used.""

I'm with the "fix it or try to find the exact duplicate" crowd. Have you run the make and model # in a Google search? Perhaps someone has one sitting on the shelf somewhere.

 

[PandaBear]

My GE over the range microwave died. I bought another GE assuming I could reuse the bracket. Nope. Had to drill new holes. So your assumption that the new GE will slide right in the old bracket might be incorrect.

I compared the bracket online, and have expected it to be different, but it is the height I was concerned about.

 

[Hall]

This microwave is 16 3/16" H and the current GE they are selling is either 16 5/16" H, 16 1/4", 16 1/8"

Get a tape measure and look at how much, I mean how little, 1/16" of an inch is.

 

[avacado11]

I’m sure you can find a used one on Facebook or Craigslist.

If it was up to me I’d pull the OTR unit and replace it with a standard hood, exhausted out if possible(assuming you have a duct). If not you can have it on recirc. The remaining wall shouldn’t be too big of a job to cover back up with the closest matching tile you can find at the store. Sometimes they might even still make the same tile. Could be a nice small weekend project if you have the time.

Then I’d run a counter top microwave in lieu of the OTR unit. I’ve ran a few OTRs in rentals and they’ve always been a pain. Tenants jack them up and it’s more effort for me to replace. Plus the exhaust fan never works as good.

 

[PandaBear]

So, I found someone remodeling their kitchen and have a near identical model (same mounting but different control board / touch panel) that's 1 year older, but cleaner, for $50. I drove 30 mins to test it, pick it up, and then found out that the old mounting holes were drilled very tight and I ended up drilling them bigger for easy mounting anyways. Now I have a "same" microwave that is quieter (the last owner clearly didn't cook much), but with a slightly weaker microwave (nothing another 10% longer cook time won't fix).

I took the control board and touch panel of the old microwave, and checked the door switches. 1 of them is completely broken, 1 of them sticky, and 1 of them very sticky. I also took off some minor parts like turn table motor and magnetron cooling fan, but the vent fan was loud and dirty so I toss it. I don't think I want to deal with the Samsung magnetron or the capacitor (seems like the GE is a Samsung rebadge) so I didn't bother taking them out (if they die I'd get a new microwave instead). The old microwave went to the trash station's recycling bin (scrap metal and microwave has its own section, not to be mixed with e-waste, maybe because they are greasy).

I could have bought a new IKEA one with 5 years warranty instead for $250 had I know the holes weren't drilled well last time, but I guess I still saved $200 and has a spare set of control board / panel now, not too bad. Frigidaire seems to have a better reliability rating than Whirlpool these days.