Warning..... Amarillo IPA vs the Microwave. Amarillo wins...

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Jsmith82

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Needed to vent about this one..

So we're brewing up a couple 1 gal batches this past Friday for a hop experiment, I currently brew everything in the house on our stove, our massive Maytag Microwave is mounted above it and houses a hood range below with a fan, light, etc... Commonly I always run the fan while brewing to keep condensation and heat down as much as possible.

So we're about 45minutes into the boil, 2 pots going at once so condensation is a little bit heavy around the stove. My buddy decides he's hungry and tosses a couple slices of pizza in the microwave and starts it up while I'm using the bathroom. Mind I NEVER use the microwave while brewing, just the fan and light.

Even from the bathroom I heard the noise - BZZZZZZRrrrrZZZZZZ ZZZzz ZZZ

I come flying back into the kitchen and the damn thing is shooting sparks! I guess some of the condensation got into the electronics and that's all she wrote. I gave it 2 days to dry out, fired it up, it's continuing to shoot sparks and buzz, pretty scary stuff. The right side inside of the microwave is now blackened and the whole thing smells like an electrical fire. I contacted Maytag, we're done for.

In the battle of Amarillo IPA vs the Microwave, the Microwave won.

Luckily SWMBO didn't rope me for this one, she's pissed at my buddy though :D
 
Sucks Bro. I hate the microwave/vent hood combos for this single reason (and crappy airflow).

Live and learn :(

Replace it with a legit vent hood and make SWMBO happy!
 
Sounds like a design issue. Any electronics intended to be mounted above a range should be able to withstand normal operating conditions which include a pot of boiling water or wort
 
Sounds like a design issue. Any electronics intended to be mounted above a range should be able to withstand normal operating conditions which include a pot of boiling water or wort

yeah I would try to contact the manufacturer see if you can get a new one or something.
 
Well the bad part is the unit came with our house, we bought and moved in about 3 years ago. The previous owners were kind enough though to leave us a drawer filled with every manual and receipt from anything they ever purchased or replaced in the house. Upon looking up the microwave, it's about 7 years old.

I contacted Maytag and they are offering no assistance...

We went out and bought a cheap microwave this last weekend for the misses to heat her lunches in, she works from home. That's about the only time we ever nuke anything, leftovers are something we never have in the house and I used to be a cook, everything we eat is from the stove, oven, or grill. I just got off of the phone with her, I think we're going to utilize this opportunity to paint the kitchen and install a range hood only over the stove.

I told my buddy that he better eat every last slice of that pizza! LOL (we were messing around with him, I realize this wasn't his fault)
 
Microwave above the stovetop?!

I dont understand how this didn't happen earlier in its life im sure its not the first time its been used while boiling something on the top?
You sure he didnt put the pizza on a metal rimmed plate or something of the sort? we have them in my house and almost burned my microwave down once after sparks started flying.
 
Yeah, while it seems related to the boil it could be entirely coincidental or some other cause.
 
7 years is way past the warranty. We have a large microwave that was my grandmas. It also does convection cooking, though we don't use it.

It started sparking and stinking like burnt rubber a couple of months ago. There is a plastic thing that connected to the motor underneath and drives the carousel. It sits under the carousel tray. It was shorting out somehow.

I found one online for like $5 and replaced it and all is good. I'm betting that there is something like that going on. It's a microwave broadcast unit. Sounds like something is touching something else that it should be touching. Maybe some water got it started and deformed something in there. It's worth looking into if you are handy with the tools and aren't afraid of electronics. **Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for any injury or death related to poking around inside a microwave oven.
 
On my stove top I do two full boils at the same time but open the microwave door half way and lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top. This gives me much better ventilation as there is a small fan inside the microwave as well.
 
Isn’t that Maytag guy always sitting on his ass in the commercials waiting for a call?!

I just think the microwave died… I’ve seen that before (Ha! At a friend’s house… but I wasn’t using it! I swear!). Besides, they make microwaveable pasta which floods the inside with steam and no problems there.
 
Is a good chance to toss the microwave and don´t replace it, honestly I gave my microwave away two years ago and I don´t miss it... reheat your food some place else. We don´t need microwaves.
 
Same boat here...I believe its probably a code violation considering how low my microwave is to my stove. I melted off the plastic on the buttons early this summer. I also have to have paper towels because I have to wipe of water droplets. My microwave is probably 20 years old...seriously. I did a double batch one day and halfway through the second boil the fan just shut off.

Still, the microwave works...at least for now.
 
Just a word of warning...don't play inside the microwave guts. High voltage exists at lethal levels of current and capacitor(s) too.
 
I have a similar setup, and had my microwave completely shut down from cooking pasta. Took a day to dry out as now I always cook pasta on the back burner so it doesnt get the face of the microwave wet. But, it does save counter space.
 
You can't (very easily) have a microwave and an effective, properly vented hood.

Mine is a corvette of hood vents that moves anything outside the house in 3.5 seconds. No way a microwave could get between this thing and it's prey.

Second the motion to BAN microwaves.
 
We have the same set up that came with our house we had built in 2000. The ray gun in it burned out & they had to replace it. Burned out again & microwave door latch broke. We gsve up on it. Same steaming & dripping. I want to replace it with a real range hood. But don't want to cut holes in the wall for the eshaust piping. I wonder if they make some kind of ornate pipping for the exhaust,so I can run it under the cabinets to the ourtside wall for it to exit? Might look kinda OG too.
Besides,then I can torcher the neighbors with wonderfull beer smells too. I already send'em runnin for take out when I get the pit smokin real good. We'll be doin that to'em with a ham come Christmas morning. :cross:
 
Back from the dead!

We purchased a new mircowave, I purchased a bayou gas burner and a 40qt pot.

Pretty much solved the problems. And SWMBO as forgiven me.. (i think..........) :p
 
I was going to say - there is a fine opportunity here. The proper approach is not to figure out how to brew on the stove, the proper approach is to get an outdoor brewing system. 15 years ago, after a massive extract boil over on our gas stove, my wife was fully, and totally on board for me to purchase this:

http://morebeer.com/view_product/8914/103468/New_B3-500_5_Gallon_Gravity_BrewSculpture

I think she was more excited about it than I was at the time:) ANything to get my brewing out of the kitchen and off of her stove:) I see opportunity here.
 
Also a good opportunity for a real vent fan, preferably vented to the outside. Can't recomend it strongly enough.

For brewing inside or just getting a good sear on a steak in cast iron, proper venting is the difference between cloying smell and smoke throughout the house or just in the kitchen.
 
I have avoided doing stovetop batches in the new house because i'm afraid of this very situation (OP).

I do all of my brewing outside, but its a pain in winter at anything past -20.

I have the same setup; microwave above the stove. Has anyone found a better way to vent with this setup? There is really no better place to put the microwave... And I need it :)
 
If you can run the vent line behind the microwave and into the cieling (just about has to be a ranch) then it should be possible.

You can even put the guts of the vent fan in the attic with a couple of in line vent fans.
 
I'm debating getting an 8 gallon kettle to do 2.5-3 gallon BIAB batches on my stovetop, but I have a brand new microwave above the stove and do not want to be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future if I break it. It has a decently powerful fan built in that blows the steam back out from the top, but not outside. I would think it could handle the .5-.75 gallon boiloff per hour rate, what do you guys think?

I have an outdoor setup as well, but want to be able to do some smaller batches indoors.
 
OP, you didn't mention if the new microwave is a microhood style like the last one or a counter-top model.

If you went counter-top, or even under-cabinet mount, that leaves you open for a new hood.

I bought and installed this one last year, direct vent right through the attic and out the roof. It was a bargain at $300 for a hood that size, and it cranks out 760 CFM (compare to ~200 CFM of a microhood). Also available in 30" wide model.
 
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OP, you didn't mention if the new microwave is a microhood style like the last one or a counter-top model.

If you went counter-top, or even under-cabinet mount, that leaves you open for a new hood.

I bought and installed this one last year, direct vent right through the attic and out the roof. It was a bargain at $300 for a hood that size, and it cranks out 760 CFM (compare to ~200 CFM of a microhood). Also available in 30" wide model.

Microhood style, it was mounted over the stove and had the fans / filters built in to draw in excess steam and blow it out the top.

@ anchorbock - spend a couple bucks and gear up to brew outside, it's so much more convenient. Thing is when brewing on a stove, it takes a while to get that boil going but far before you see the first bubble it will be steaming moisture upwards. All said and done you may "steam" your microwave for 1.5 hours for a simple hour boil. While these hooded microwaves are supposed to be built to take such moisture, a vigorous boil far differs from say making a pot of chili or some soup where you keep the heat low and cover it up.

The model that bit the dust was a Maytag, not the top of the line but definitely not cheap.

Leftover pizza was meant to be eaten cold. COLD BRAD! COLD!! YOU MF'R!!! WHAT DID THE MICROWAVE EVER DO TO YOU!!! :fro:
 
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Microhood style, it was mounted over the stove and had the fans / filters built in to draw in excess steam and blow it out the top.

@ anchorbock - spend a couple bucks and gear up to brew outside, it's so much more convenient. Thing is when brewing on a stove, it takes a while to get that boil going but far before you see the first bubble it will be steaming moisture upwards. All said and done you may "steam" your microwave for 1.5 hours for a simple hour boil. While these hooded microwaves are supposed to be built to take such moisture, a vigorous boil far differs from say making a pot of chili or some soup where you keep the heat low and cover it up.

The model that bit the dust was a Maytag, not the top of the line but definitely not cheap.

Leftover pizza was meant to be eaten cold. COLD BRAD! COLD!! YOU MF'R!!! WHAT DID THE MICROWAVE EVER DO TO YOU!!! :fro:

I already brew outside primarily, but as stated want to be able to brew inside as well (like when it's -15F out like today). I'll figure something out to vent some steam out into the rest of the kitchen and not all into the microwave. The burner I will use is in front of the microwave anyway and wont be venting 100% of the steam directly into it.

Thanks
 
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