You might be thinking – does replacing a microwave really deserve it’s own post? The answer is absolutely YES! What a fiasco! Read on…

Bill went to use the microwave, which is original to the RV, and it just wouldn’t work. He checked all the obvious things, fuses, breakers, etc. He found a blown fuse, which he replaced and it seemed to work fine. We were both so happy, as it seemed we wouldn’t have to replace it. Except later in the day, it wasn’t working again. The only next conclusion was the 10+ year old microwave had died. I realize that was a good long life for a microwave, but it was difficult to not be upset about it.

So, off to Best Buy we went, after significant online research at features, and reviews. Turns out most of that stuff didn’t come into play, and if you keep reading you will find out why.

Actually, to be honest, if we had just wanted a microwave that did nothing else, we probably wouldn’t have had any issues, but we wanted to continue having a convection option. Another latest greatest feature that was of interest was an air fryer.

Best Buy had the best selection in person, which is why we went there. I like to look at things in person. I want to see it, open the door, push the buttons. Since it was Christmas time, inventory was not the greatest, so another consideration became when can we get it? After inspecting all the options, we ordered an LG. My first pick was a Whirlpool, but we would have had to wait 2 1/2 weeks longer, on top of the 1 1/2 week wait for the LG. Honestly wasn’t that big a deal, as they were very similar. Or so we thought.

The day came for us to pick up the LG. We were very excited to try out the air fryer feature! We get the box home and Bill got to work installing it. My job was pretty much staying out of the way, which I’m not always good at when I’m trying to get pics.

The installation went pretty smoothly and took about an hour. Not too bad at all. Except then we went to open the door to put something in it. Major fail! The door wouldn’t open. Pic says it better than words:

So, now what? Bill looked at the whole thing and after trying to see about moving it over a little, he quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way. We obviously wanted to be able to fully open the door, but it wasn’t going to happen.

To be clear, the reason the door wouldn’t open is because the cabinet wall next to where the microwave goes sticks out past the door hinge. If the cabinet had been in the same place as the other side, it would have opened fine. Keep that in mind if you ever need to replace your microwave.

The only choice at this point was to take it back out and return it. Back in the box it went. Back to Best Buy it went. At least there was no hassle at all returning it.

The following day we drove into Tampa to see a different one. They had a few different ones on display than the Clearwater store. We had brought our measuring tape and a 12″ ruler for a straight edge, so we could test all the doors to make sure it would be able to open fully. We double/triple checked. In the end, we opted for the very first favorite one we had seen, the Whirlpool we would have had to wait longer for. Only now we had to wait another 4 days. Oh well. Instead of waiting on line at the store (which was LONG) we ordered it online when we got home.

The day came for us to pick it up (this feels like this has been said before – OH WAIT! – it has been said before, 5 short paragraphs above!) It actually came in a few days early, so it was a nice surprise. Bill went on his own to get it, while I stayed home and cleared the area so he could start the install as soon as he got home.

I wish I could tell you that this install went smoothly and even quicker than the first. I was hoping it would since Bill had just recently installed one. Nope. He had to move the attachment bar on the wall. He had to get a metal plate to provide a place for the attachment screws to be screwed into. The reason for this is when he brought the first one home, the screws didn’t align with the old holes, so he needed to drill new ones. Then, the second one had its screws in another different place. The underneath of the cabinet looked like swiss cheese by the time he was done adding holes. He was originally going to get a piece of wood, but the metal plate was much cheaper and stronger and also stuck out a lot less. What a mess! I didn’t take as many pics, a lot of it was the same as above anyway, but considering the pain in the ass it became, staying completely away was a good idea.

Finally, the microwave/convection/air fryer was where it belonged. We were almost giddy with excitement opening the door fully for the first time! Whew!

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