Furrion Microwave...At Wits End

[Flyinfish]

So I'm back on this topic...the horrible Furrion microwave in our 2018 297RSDS Reflection. I took some of your advice(s) and purchased a Samsung unit to replace the Furrion. I opened the box, inspected it, and pawed through the instructions. Although it is an excellent unit, there is no way to put anything else in our trailer except the same crappy Furrion unit. Our trailer has the kitchen area in the passenger side slideout (see attached pic). Therefore there is no cabinet over the microwave to bolt any other unit in using standard mounting procedures. Our Furrion unit is held in place by 5 "woodscrews" along the top front edge(see attached pic with 5 red dots), not the 3 standard mounting bolts. The new Samsung unit, nor any other unit I can find, allows for this type of mounting. I just replaced the door switches, AGAIN, and now the unit will click and the clock will start to count down but nothing turns on. I'm at wits end and ready to dump the whole thing. I have a list a full page long of things I've had to fix/replace on this trailer...axles, springs, drawer glides and their mounts, cabinet floors, toilet, etc. It's never ending. So that rant being done, has ANYBODY replaced the microwave in this trailer model with something else? And if so, how did you accomplish the framing to mount it with the standard microwave 3-bolt mounting system? The only option seems to be to get a counter type of unit and move it every time we head down the road.

 

[Riverbug]

So I'm back on this topic...the horrible Furrion microwave in our 2018 297RSDS Reflection. I took some of your advice(s) and purchased a Samsung unit to replace the Furrion. I opened the box, inspected it, and pawed through the instructions. Although it is an excellent unit, there is no way to put anything else in our trailer except the same crappy Furrion unit. Our trailer has the kitchen area in the passenger side slideout (see attached pic). Therefore there is no cabinet over the microwave to bolt any other unit in using standard mounting procedures. Our Furrion unit is held in place by 5 "woodscrews" along the top front edge(see attached pic with 5 red dots), not the 3 standard mounting bolts. The new Samsung unit, nor any other unit I can find, allows for this type of mounting. I just replaced the door switches, AGAIN, and now the unit will click and the clock will start to count down but nothing turns on. I'm at wits end and ready to dump the whole thing. I have a list a full page long of things I've had to fix/replace on this trailer...axles, springs, drawer glides and their mounts, cabinet floors, toilet, etc. It's never ending. So that rant being done, has ANYBODY replaced the microwave in this trailer model with something else? And if so, how did you accomplish the framing to mount it with the standard microwave 3-bolt mounting system? The only option seems to be to get a counter type of unit and move it every time we head down the road.

I'm curious what holds the Furrion up on back? Surely, the 5 screws don't hold the entire unit up? Ours is over the stove so there is an exhaust fan hood under it, I assume maybe it rests on that but haven't had the need to pull it out yet.

Sorry I can't help with your dilemma. Hope you can find a good solution. I think I would devise something to make it work. I don't know where those three bolts are located or how they are accessed, but it looks like you have a little space below the microwave before hitting the valance. What if you glue and screw a metal plate to the ceiling and then screw the microwave into that? Or, a sheet of plywood if not metal? Then if there is a gap at the top in front, fabricate a piece of molding to cover it.

 

[Soundsailor]

Could you create a shelf to sit under the Samsung and allow you to mount it?

 

[Jason-Texas]

I had the same microwave & problem. I replaced it with a residential one. Once you remove the microwave, there is a flat wall bracket on the back wall, that has a curved lip that slips into the bottom back of microwave. That holds it in place while you screw the front screws in. There is a 1x3”trim piece on the front top of microwave that I screwed the screws in. The holes on new microwave didn’t line up exactly so I drilled pilot holes. I don’t think there was room to put 5 screws in, so I went back with 3, been 10k miles since, no problems. I have a 337 and the microwave is in the slide as well. Hope this makes sense and helps. Good Luck

 

[Hoopy Frood]

I had the same microwave & problem. I replaced it with a residential one. Once you remove the microwave, there is a flat wall bracket on the back wall, that has a curved lip that slips into the bottom back of microwave. That holds it in place while you screw the front screws in. There is a 1/3”trim piece on the front top of microwave that I screwed the screws in. The holes on new microwave didn’t line up exactly so I drill pilot holes. I don’t think there was room to put 5 screws in, so I went back with 3, been 10k miles since, no problems. I have a 337 and the microwave is in the slide as well. Hope this makes sense and helps. Good Luck

That is the way our microwave is attached to the wall also.

 

[Flyinfish]

I had the same microwave & problem. I replaced it with a residential one. Once you remove the microwave, there is a flat wall bracket on the back wall, that has a curved lip that slips into the bottom back of microwave. That holds it in place while you screw the front screws in. There is a 1x3”trim piece on the front top of microwave that I screwed the screws in. The holes on new microwave didn’t line up exactly so I drilled pilot holes. I don’t think there was room to put 5 screws in, so I went back with 3, been 10k miles since, no problems. I have a 337 and the microwave is in the slide as well. Hope this makes sense and helps. Good Luck

What make/model of residential unit did you install?

 

[Jason-Texas]

What make/model of residential unit did you install?

GE Model JVM3160RF8SS. Fits perfect. It’s not a convention, but I use my Ninja airfryer most of the time. Only use the microwave to re-heat stuff.

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

So I'm back on this topic...the horrible Furrion microwave in our 2018 297RSDS Reflection. I took some of your advice(s) and purchased a Samsung unit to replace the Furrion. I opened the box, inspected it, and pawed through the instructions. Although it is an excellent unit, there is no way to put anything else in our trailer except the same crappy Furrion unit. Our trailer has the kitchen area in the passenger side slideout (see attached pic). Therefore there is no cabinet over the microwave to bolt any other unit in using standard mounting procedures. Our Furrion unit is held in place by 5 "woodscrews" along the top front edge(see attached pic with 5 red dots), not the 3 standard mounting bolts. The new Samsung unit, nor any other unit I can find, allows for this type of mounting. I just replaced the door switches, AGAIN, and now the unit will click and the clock will start to count down but nothing turns on. I'm at wits end and ready to dump the whole thing. I have a list a full page long of things I've had to fix/replace on this trailer...axles, springs, drawer glides and their mounts, cabinet floors, toilet, etc. It's never ending. So that rant being done, has ANYBODY replaced the microwave in this trailer model with something else? And if so, how did you accomplish the framing to mount it with the standard microwave 3-bolt mounting system? The only option seems to be to get a counter type of unit and move it every time we head down the road.

I see your problem and I have a few possible solutions...

First, you can try to find a "Residential" microwave that has the top frame built out Iike the furrion and simply drill mounting holes in it to attach it to the same board Grand Design attached the furrion to. Note: this will void the warranty on the new microwave.

Another option is to get a shorter microwave (they do make them) and build a short cabinet above it that will let you mount the shorter microwave the same way "normal" microwaves get installed.

Another option is to find a "residential" microwave that does not have the frame built out as far forward as the furrion unit and place a piece of lumber behind the existing mounting board and drill holes in the microwave so you can attach to the new board. Note: if I had the same mounting system as you do, this is what I would have needed to do with my replacement GE Microwave.

PS: I have traveled with a countertop microwave and it is not that difficult. I simply saved the original packaging and made a velcro strap to lift it out of the box with. We packed the microwave before each move and let it ride between the slides in it's box.

Good luck and please let us know how you solved this problem.

 

[Flyinfish]

Thank you all for your insight. I went to my local Best Buy...better than my big box stores...and explained what I needed to do and if I could partially "dismantle" the LG ones on display. Not a problem, they even got me a stool to look on top of them. I settled on the LG MVEM1721F which was $100 off and we got a $25 gift card to boot. It took some modifications and but installation was pretty straight forward. I used shorter screws than GD did because the ones they used went all the way through the support in the slide...just the shank was in the wood, no threads. To get them out I had to pry under the head with a screwdriver while using my driver to back them out. Some minor modifications were made to the new unit to get it screwed to the support but it was pretty simple install. I took some pics...see below.

 

[IBEW Sparky]

What make/model of residential unit did you install?

Here's some info for future reference for you or anyone else that has the Furrion microwave switch issues. I had the same issues and after researching what was causing the fuse to blow I found out it was due to a safety feature built into the microwave. The microwave has serveral micro switches designed to shut power off as soon as you start opening the door to avoid being exposed microwave radiation. It's a break before make situation and if the first micro switch fails to do it's job the second switch will short out and blow the fuse on the circuit board. The reason it keeps happening isn't because the switches fail but rather the plastic actuator that contacts the switch wears slightly just enough to not let the switches operate in the proper sequence. Unfortunately I only resolved this problem with the microwave on my garage workbench AFTER I replaced it with a similar Furrion convection microwave sent to me from Grand Design Custom Service.

 

[p&j6865]

Before leaving Arizona this year I replaced our microwave/convection oven (broke after 2 years), and our gas stove and oven (useless due to non-replaceable thermocouple), the work was done by a grand design tech assigned to our area. On the way home to Ohio while driving on I-80 the microwave fell off onto the stove top wrecking both. That is over $2000 dollars of parts and labor. The way this microwave is attached is awful some screws into a trim piece. I'm looking for advice as to how to best proceed- I'm not sure I want to simply replace and hope it doesn't happen again.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Before leaving Arizona this year I replaced our microwave/convection oven (broke after 2 years), and our gas stove and oven (useless due to non-replaceable thermocouple), the work was done by a grand design tech assigned to our area. On the way home to Ohio while driving on I-80 the microwave fell off onto the stove top wrecking both. That is over $2000 dollars of parts and labor. The way this microwave is attached is awful some screws into a trim piece. I'm looking for advice as to how to best proceed- I'm not sure I want to simply replace and hope it doesn't happen again.

More details, like brand, year, and model would help. A tech stopped by at the last rally and did some work on better securing our microwave.