So I've been thinking about the outside vent for the Microwave/Convection oven (MC oven for short) on our Momentum, and what a pain it is to have to go outside and use a ladder or fairly tall step stool to reach the unlocking tabs so that the vent will open when the MC oven is being used. I came up with a plan that I saw NO reason it shouldn't work, so I ordered some parts and today, I did the install. Now mind you, I still have to go outside to release it, but no more ladder or step stool.

The following is a list of very inexpensive parts that was required and some, you may even have laying around the house. So lets start.

1. I ordered a set of these spring loaded latch pins from Amazon. They are small and very lightweight.... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2. You will also need a couple of sheet metal screws #10 and about an 1 1/2 inches long. They need to be long enough to hold firmly, but not so long that they go completely through the wall to the inside of the trailer.
3. A piece of 5/16 inch thick foam that is fairly dense. I had some of this from when I changed a motorcycle battery from an AGM to a Lithium style. Those batteries are quite a bit smaller, so they usually come with some foam pieces in the box to help take up some space in the battery box so the smaller battery doesn't slide around. Mine already had sticky on the back side, so it was just peel and stick. You could also use some contact cement if the foam doesn't have sticky already on it.
4. A piece of wooden dowel rod 3' in length.
5. A large wire nut that is used to connect 12ga electrical wire. You may find something else appropriate that works just as well, but that is what I used. The wire nut that I had, has a coiled spring inside of it and I removed it before drilling out the wire nut so that I could attach it to the end of the dowel with a wood screw.

In the pictures you will see that the spring latches are secured with two screws. I also had to drill some new holes in the spring latch base in order to get the exact height that I wanted and to use a couple of the existing screws that are already in the outside vent trim piece. You need to line them up high enough that when the latch is in the closed position that it goes high enough to secure the flap and not let it open. It also has to be low enough that it doesn't interfere with the vent flap when the MC oven is on and the fan is blowing it open. Experiment a little BEFORE you drill any holes to find the perfect height of the spring latches.

So when I installed the latches, I removed one of the existing screws that holds the vent trim onto the trailer, then put the spring latch up using the removed screw and right back in the same hole that is already there..... then drilled a new hole for the second screw. This same procedure is done for both of the latches and you should be able to see that clearly from the pics.

Last, but not least, the foam that you have will need to be glued onto the vent flap on the outside. You don't need much....a couple of pieces that are 3/4" x 3/4" will work just fine.

Now, take the wire nut and attach it to the end of the 3' dowel rod and it serves as a "cup" to be able to push the spring latch up into the locking position. When you want the vent to operate, simply grab your stick (instead of getting out the ladder or step stool) and walk outside and tap the little buttons that are on the front of the spring latches (you can see them in the pics) and they are about 3/8" by 3/8" in size.....and the spring latch releases and allows the vent to operate normally while using the MC oven. When you are done, grab the stick and put it on the bottom of the plunger of the spring latch and push it up until it clicks in place and holds the vent flap closed. That's it! I'll still have to go outside to release the vent flap when we need the MC oven, but it sure is going to beat having to grab a small ladder or stool.

If anyone that is reading this is taller than about 7' something, you can ignore the entire thing and just go outside and reach up and unlatch the vent flapper.

So here's the pics of the latches....

Installed and unlatched....notice the length of the plunger


Installed and Latched....notice the length of the plunger now...


A couple of close ups of the latches....first one is unlatched, second one is latched...



And finally, my dowel rod operator stick with the wire nut attached at the end....