Draughty Round Vent

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Hi. I'm a newbie here so be gentle ;)

Does anybody know what this vent is for? It blows a gale in and quite a bit of dust too!

Wondering what I can do reduce the draught 

Is there nothing connected to it inside?

Not that I can tell. It's behind the microwave, so my initial thought was venting for it, but seems a little like overkill. Seems really difficult to get the microwave out to have a proper look.

It's really difficult to see with the microwave blocking my view.

Yes, the microwave will definitely need good venting otherwise it will overheat.
How about insulating around the edge of the microwave to stop draughts getting into the van itself?

Yes, it is the microwave vent but even with this vent, you’ll probably find the M/W will overheat and cut out. 

Mounting instructions for M/W’s generally state they should have several centimetres of space all round so I wouldn’t recommend blocking any spaces around it on a permanent basis.

I don't have a microwave in the van, but reading so many threads about fixings coming loose and draughts etc, I can't understand why microwaves in vans are not face mounted and edge vented. Much like in modern domestic kitchens.
This is ours, I built it into a sealed recess years ago. It protrudes about 20mm and vents through a grill in the top edge.
Al.
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Thanks all! So M/W seems like the most likely culprit then. I'll see if I can find a vent that will offer more draught exclusion then or something with a back draught protector  

I took the microwave out of my Symbol a few years back and it’s now a cupboard. I can take a picture of the inside of that vent tomorrow if you want.
Strangely, I’ve never had a problem with wind, rain, dust coming in through it.

Dbvwt wrote:I took the microwave out of my Symbol a few years back and it’s now a cupboard. I can take a picture of the inside of that vent tomorrow if you want.
Strangely, I’ve never had a problem with wind, rain, dust coming in through it.

That would be ace thank you 

I haven’t noticed any draughts from the microwave area. Is it supposed to be ducted to the back of the microwave rather than just a hole behind it? To me, as I never use the microwave anyway, it just seems like another unwanted heat loss location in cold weather.

Both our Warwick’s just had a hole - no ducting.

Thanks for the pics And it's just like @tinwheeler said his Warwicks were like too. Feeling confident now it is venting for the M/W then.

Thanks everyone 

I have two of said holes for venting and the wind howls into the van around the microwave … I have two clear plastic lids that sit snuggly inside the vents recesses which I put I place when necessary, I think they may have come off tubes of Pringles but not 100% sure.

Tesco Mascarpone lid fits nicely on the outside! I cover it with carefully cut silver tape to match the external finish, and held in place with 3 small blobs of Blue Tac! Always carry a couple of spare! Remove when using the m/w in the summer to stop it over heating and cutting out. It makes a lot of difference having it fitted!

I don't have the vent fitted to my Warwick and have not had a problem with the MW overheating.

It seems that something’s are not improved over the years. There’s a draft from the top of the fridge in our 55 plate Rienza . The fridge is sealed round the edges apart from the top we’re the slide out work top is fitted. When the fridge was taken out for repairs I checked the seal .The only cure is to fit the fridge vents.

Infared wrote:I don't have the vent fitted to my Warwick and have not had a problem with the MW overheating.

You've been  lucky.  I have no vent to outside and my microwave used to cut out after 3 minutes. Think it was more to do with cheap brand Daewoo than the ventilation as I put extra vents underneath and to the side which made no difference.  Replaced microwave,  no problems since but the microwave is a little smaller giving more space around.

I don't have an outside vent for the microwave either but there are 2 vents at the back of the shelf which it sits on so any heat is blown back into the van

There seems to be plenty of clearance either side of my Dometic microwave. Provided there’s enough clearance at the back, it may not need that vent. It’s tempting to cover it from the inside.

V8, have A/S done away with the 2 side strips of wood either side of the microwave on the Symbol giving more ventilation? My Daewoo was a very tight fit and the newer Dometic units look bigger.

Dbvwt wrote:V8, have A/S done away with the 2 side strips of wood either side of the microwave on the Symbol giving more ventilation? My Daewoo was a very tight fit and the newer Dometic units look bigger.

Quite a bit of space either side and underneath it.

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Wow, I never had anything like that sort of clearance with my Daewoo and they have done away with the side strips you can see in my picture, perhaps A/S realised their mistake. I would feel confident blocking the outside vent with that clearance.

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Our second Warwick Duo on a 2020 plate had a different M/W from the earlier model. It might have been a Dometic. It was mounted without edging strips and, frankly, looked a bit of a mess as if it was bunged in as an afterthought. It had no Louvre door either. It did have more ventilation around it due to the absence of edging strips.

I might be wrong TW but as I mentioned, I think A/S realised they had not provided enough ventilation and as such removed the nice tidy edging strips and I quote you “left it looking a bit of a mess”.
The Louvre door was not A/S, I fitted that after removing the microwave.