"SteveB" wrote in message
news:NNWEd.2385$bX4.1542@fed1read03...



I HAVE used a microwave for years without exterior venting, but don't cook
in it long enough to make smoke. (Except for the time I set the bag of
popcorn on fire.)

The venting is not for the microwave, it is for the range below it.

I don't like a microwave above a range because that is where all the steam
and smoke from the range goes, and it is a short time until the microwave
is gunky, even with an exterior vent.

Right, but not everyone has the counter space to spare so this is a way to
have the microwave and not lose 20" or counter space. Not my first choice
either, but it is the only practical choice in my house.