Can this unit indoor vent be changed to vent outside?

Yes, an adapter/kit should have come with the unit and then you would have to buy the piping etc.If you do not have the adapter/kit get it from the manufacturer or unit seller.

If the motor is powerful, it should take all smoke outside. You need to find our why smoke is staying in, or getting back in. Is it going out one vent and back in the other? On the outside of the wall the vent should have a flue or pipe fitted, if not it can be affected by wind passing the vent.

You can download GE owner's manuals and installation instructions here.

You can order any needed parts and accessories by entering your full model number from the tag on the oven here.

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alot of these units can just be vented right out front grill of unt. outside would be alot better so that the odors are not being smelled indoors but the fan housing can actually been changed to blow up or you can make it blow out the front grill requireing no venting at all...hope this helps you out good luck

I presume that you can hear the fan running? If so, most over the cook top microwaves have an option to vent to the outside or simply recycle through the filter and vents above the unit. If you check your manual there should be instructions on how to change this configuration to suit your situation, but it likely needs to be done before you install the microwave.
http://manuals.frigidaire.com/prodinfo_pdf/Springfield/316137234.pdf
The above manual shows how to reconfigure the microwave from recirculation (as shipped) to external exhaust setup on pages 4 - 5.

Most of these over the range models come already set up for unvented operation. That is, set up for use with no outside vent. The oven will filter air through the a charcoal filter inside the upper grill and the vent covers underneath. If you ever wish to change the operation to allow the unit to vent outdoors, you need to change the direction of the blower fan assemby inside the top of the microwave oven. These instructions should be listed in the installation manual that comes with your oven.

There is no charcoal filter unless you replaced the standard filter with a carcoal filter. Also, it may have m=been changed to a charcoal filter if the unit was alterd during installation as a re-circulating vent, not vented to the outside via the roof or wall.

The filter (Charcoal or not) is on the bottom of the unit. Put your head under the microwave and look up, there it is.

Hello kbender,
I am absilutely certain that the reason it vents inside is because it is more difficult to vent it outside.. ( which means it costs the builder more to do that) but to answer your question.. Yes, all spacemaker micros can be vented out the wall but you will have to remove it from where it is mounted and rotate the blower assembly so it vents out the back, place a blank off plate over the open area where it used to vent ( it may be there and needs to be repositioned when you rotate the blower) , then create a vent hole that lines up with the exit point of that micro.. and attach duct work to bring it outside ( depending on your siding , will dictate how that gets mounted externally and you may run into a problem witha stud on the outside wall ( a bearing wall) that wil need to be cut..I've installed many of these to outside vents and it is a lot of work.. so you may want to consider your options. If you hire someone, that's the easiest solution. You may also want to check to make sure your condo committee ( if you have one) will not have a problem with that.. or you may be able to get a group discount if you hire someone to do mulitple units..
Hope that helps..
Regards,
Rick

Your vent flap could be taped or it could be faulty installation not allowing the vent to open. If you take the front vent cover off, you should be able to reach in above the fan unit and gently push the vent flap up, it should move freely with no binding. If it doesn't it is taped or blocked. If it is taped, gently putting upward pressure on the flap might release the tape. If that doesn't work the vent installation is blocking the flap. You might have to remove the unit from the wall (two people to do this) or disassemble the vent duct above the microwave and rework the interface for clearance.

hope this helps,

External vent systems have the charcoal filter removed, generally at the time of installation, as it is not needed for this application.
The charcoal filter removes odors from internal recycled airflow.
There should be an aluminum grease filter that you can remove to clean in a warm soapy solution, let dry, and reinstall.