Devon microwave removal

Can anyone tell me how to remove the microwave in my Devon motorhome. It keeps shutting down due to overheating and I want to check the ventilation ports are not blocked. I am told I have to dismantle the cabinet it is housed in, but there must be a simpler way.    Thank you

I don't know your van, but if it's like ours it's fiddly to remove, but no dismantling required.

If you can get to look and/or feel under the shelf on which it is fixed you should find four screws. They will probably be covered by those little sticky circles, but I'm pretty sure they will be there - one more or less at each corner of the microwave.

All A/S have done is drill up through the floor of the housing and through the base of the microwave!!!!!! Then they put in the screws (presumably self tappers, but I've never checked) and these hold the microwave down onto the floor.

Once released your troubles still may not be over. I almost needed a jemmy to get ours out without removing the fairly thick plastic trim strip around the opening. (No doubt this was added after the microwave was installed.) It did come out, but it was a tight fit.

Having said all that, if all you want to do is check the ventilation ports I would simply remove their cover grilles and have a look. The outside one can easily be re-sealed with some bathroom silicone. Far easier than struggling with the microwave . . . and finding the screw holes in its base to put it back, only by feeling with the screws, is not easy.

Hope this helps.

I have the same comments as gromit
I have a Cotswold and wanted to remove the microwave. A/S drilled up through the cabinet work shelf and into the microwave base and secured it with 4 screws (self Tappers) On mine they were indeed covered by the little brown wood grainy things stuck over the screw heads. It is just a domestic microwave held with the self tappers, nothing unusual about it.
The microwave was still quite tight and had to be wiggled out as a filler piece of wood filled a gap on the top and possibly the bottom, (can't remember)

I removed the microwave in our 2011 Nuevo by removing the four self tapping screws underneath covered by self adhesive circles then it just lifted out. There was nothing round the surround to remove. It was a bit fiddly getting the screws back in but not impossible if you shine a torch at the bottom you can see better.
I only removed it as I wanted to access the tv point so I could add a satellite input.
The way A/S secure them is not very satisfactory considering it is quite a heavy item.

Thanks everyone but I have sorted it. In the Devon, the M/W is not screwed in. It is held in position by a lip on the front of the shelf secured by 3 small screws. I removed this strip and the M/W slides out. I only have one small round vent on the outside of the van so will fit another inside the van. Hopes this will assist anyone with a similar problem. Cheers.

Thanks for the feedback, which may well help others with a similar problem.

A second vent should make a difference. Ours has one outside and another inside - if that helps your decision.

Gromit wrote:Thanks for the feedback, which may well help others with a similar problem.

A second vent should make a difference. Ours has one outside and another inside - if that helps your decision.

and I am wondering if adding a small fan to the rectangular interior one would help.

Our m/w only overheats for me so I may have to wait for hotter weather with a big stack of instant diners to reach a conclusion.

dbroada wrote:
and I am wondering if adding a small fan to the rectangular interior one would help.

Our m/w only overheats for me so I may have to wait for hotter weather with a big stack of instant diners to reach a conclusion.

A computer fan could only improve matters Dave, and you could easily pick up the 12 volts from the other side of the microwave enclosure, and fitting a discrete little illuminated switch from Maplin would be easy enough too.

It might be better to fit it to the external vent though. If fitted to the internal one it will drag in cold air from the outside. Ideal for cooling the microwave, but it might cool you as well!!  

A splendid idea. Wish I had thought of it first!!

Somewhere in all the stuff I appear to have brought home from my last place of work was a 240v 5" fan that I thought might fit nicely inside the enclosure but I could more easily test with a 12v fan external - for now - to the internal vent.

 

I'm not sure I'll learn anything in this weather though. 

It can't make it worse!

Maybe constable could look in to it now he has the microwave removed.

Thank you all for your help. Microwave now replaced and tested. The new vent really does work. I dont need a fan to assist but it would have been a good alternative. Thanks to Mark at Autosleepers who sent me a vent free of charge after I had explained my problem with him.