recall on microwave/convection oven?

[Gran Casita]

Question for those who have completed this project: Now that you have installed the shield, in your opinion, was it necessary?

(I am still waiting on the shield to be delivered by Grand Design. Still don't know if I will go through with the installation, since I have not encountered any problems thus far. We use the convection feature frequently and have not experienced smoke, burning smell, or seen any visible discoloration.)

Thanks for any feedback. -Diego

[SGT ROC]

Sgt Roc:
Thanks a million for this post. Just received the letter from G.D. re the heat shield. Our unit is a '18 303RLS and there are NO cupboards above the microwave/convection oven, so although I have removed/replaced a couple of residential microwaves (with retaining screws from the cupboard above) I thought that removing the one in our trailer would be a simple DIY job - until I discovered that there were no cupboards above. I experimented slightly with tugging on the vent cover, but chickened out when it did not seem to want to move. After reading your post, I will just be a little more firm with it !

...VTX-Al

You're welcome. It'll come off, just don't yank it off. Once I felt it give I knew I was on my way. The instructions give you some of this, but all they say is to remove the cover. Good luck

[SGT ROC]

Question for those who have completed this project: Now that you have installed the shield, in your opinion, was it necessary?

(I am still waiting on the shield to be delivered by Grand Design. Still don't know if I will go through with the installation, since I have not encountered any problems thus far. We use the convection feature frequently and have not experienced smoke, burning smell, or seen any visible discoloration.)

Thanks for any feedback. -Diego

Diego
I would do it just to be safe. I did, although we have only used the convection twice. I saw no evidence of charring or anything, but better safe than sorry. Depending on your install it is not hard to do, although I would have help getting the unit out of it's place. I was prepared to do it without help with some "cribbing".

[SolarPoweredRV]

Well - I am having them send me the heat shield, as I am 3 hours away. I asked for instructions on removing the microwave, and on the installation of the shield. It's pretty straight forward. Pull the plastic cover/valance/vent off the top of the Microwave - remove the screws holding it in place, lift it out of the bottom bracket, unplug and set aside. Remove the cover off the self stick shield, install above the bracket, then reverse the removal of the microwave. Or, being as your that distance away, they may send a mobile tech.

Regarding removing the plastic valance from the microwave...

This is not necessary, there are two screws on the bottom of the cabinet above the microwave that hold the front of the microwave up, there is a bracket that holds the bottom of the microwave that is attached to the back wall. You need to remove the two screws on top of the microwave and hold the microwave up at the same time, once the screws are removed, tilt the front of the microwave forward (and down) and lift it up from the rear bracket. To re-install, simply place the bottom of the oven on the bracket and tilt it up and install the two screws.

[SolarPoweredRV]

Question for those who have completed this project: Now that you have installed the shield, in your opinion, was it necessary?

(I am still waiting on the shield to be delivered by Grand Design. Still don't know if I will go through with the installation, since I have not encountered any problems thus far. We use the convection feature frequently and have not experienced smoke, burning smell, or seen any visible discoloration.)

Thanks for any feedback. -Diego

Yes, I installed an aluminum shield before receiving the letter form Grand Design.

Simple project that I feel very good about having done, those convection ovens can get really hot and a shield between the convection oven and the wall is a really a No-brainer in my opinion.

PS: for those who do not use the convection oven, I would still recommend having this repair done for the safety of the next family who owns your rig.

[SGT ROC]

Regarding removing the plastic valance from the microwave...

This is not necessary, there are two screws on the bottom of the cabinet above the microwave that hold the front of the microwave up, there is a bracket that holds the bottom of the microwave that is attached to the back wall. You need to remove the two screws on top of the microwave and hold the microwave up at the same time, once the screws are removed, tilt the front of the microwave forward (and down) and lift it up from the rear bracket. To re-install, simply place the bottom of the oven on the bracket and tilt it up and install the two screws.

Depends on your set up and placement of the microwave. Mine is above the stove and there is no cupboard/cabinet above it. I posted earlier about removal of the unit when there are no cabinets above the microwave. In that case follow my instructions, as there are no screws above the unit. See post #23 Also, the heat shield comes with instructions for both No Cupboard above the unit, and with a cupboard above.

[Kathy and Jerry]

Just received our letter from Grand Design about installing a heat shield behind the microwave/convection oven. Anyone else get this? Now, if I only had our rig at home. Still setting near El Centro, CA in 100 degree weather and I'm not sure when we will be free to travel to go get it.

We got our’s. Our rig was in the shop for another problem, so they are putting the shield in. I don’t know if there was any damage or not. Once I heard about the possibility of damage from over heating, I stopped using the convection.

[fez111]

I'm wondering (I do a lot of that) if I could install a real stove vent at the same time?

Hi.

In the case of our 2016 Solitude 379FL we had the issue of the inside vent blowing straight at the smoke detector...you can guess the problem with that! I remembered seeing a wall template in the goodie documentation bag that came with the RV. The template show s exactly where to cut the hole in the wall. However, I used a stud-finder to locate the aluminum tube studs to verify a clear area to make the hole. The directions to convert the unit are in the owner's manual.

Once I verified ten different times that the lines were drawn on the wall clear of the studs and that the bracket on the back of the oven matched the drawing, I drilled the four corners of the rectangle clear through the wall, then used a die-grinder with a cutoff wheel o cut both the inside and the outside walls by connecting the dots (holes). The wall is filled with Styrofoam so the disk could not all at once and I didn't want to bevel the cuts. I then used a hacksaw blade to cut through the Styrofoam. The outside vent with lock tabs to match the exterior was about $8 + shipping. I used the RV putty-tape and stainless sheet metal screws to attach the vent outside.

It works great with no more smoke alarms...unless my wife forgets to actually turn the fan on! All-in-all the actual work took about an hour to convince my wife that putting holes in the RV was actually a good idea, then another hour to lay out and confirm the location and cut the hole, and then a half hour to install the vent and put the unit back on the wall (two nuts, two people, one power cord). The part that amazed me was that GD actually located the convection unit so the vent would line-up EXACTLY between two studs with maybe 1/4 - 3/8 inch to spare...!

[Rockhound 7]

Two questions:

What years and models does this recall apply to?

Does it apply to only the original owner or to all current owners?

[SGT ROC]

Two questions:

What years and models does this recall apply to?

Does it apply to only the original owner or to all current owners?

There are no specific years or the rig. It depends on if you have a convection/Microwave combination, how it's mounted and if vented outside. I suspect that newer than 2019 models may already have the heat shield in place. Best to call Grand Design customer service - have the vin number handy - and ask if your particular rig is included. Then ask about original or not. I would think it wouldn't matter, but ask anyway.