How to Choose a Wine Cooling System

Choosing the right wine cooling system for your home requires in depth planning and thought before you make that purchase.

A “through-wall” system is the easiest and most cost-effective way to build a wine cellar environment for enclosures up to 2,000 cubic feet (8,000 BTUs). For cooling, Breezaire and Whisperkool are standard cooling systems used in maintaining cellar conditions. Both are have extended warranties and excellent installation instructions.

If you use a window unit air conditioner, select the size based on the cubic footage of the area to be cooled. The fresh air intake and exhaust should have open access to a well-ventilated area outside the cellar. This area should be at least several times as large as the cellar. You can measure the height, width, and depth of the area to make sure it is large enough. The temperature of the outside area should not exceed 85 degrees for long periods of time. The air conditioner is designed to maintain a 25 to 30 degree differential between the cellar temperature and the fresh air. Temporary or gradual changes in the wine cellar’s air temperature will not impact the temperature of the wine. The temperature of the wine will change eight to ten times more slowly than that of the air.

There will always be some variations in air temperature in your wine cellar. Every time you open the cellar door, the temperature inside the cellar will rise. Cool air always sinks and warm air always rises. If the temperature stayed the same, the compressor would never turn on or off. Only a chamber at the NASA facility could be kept at a truly constant temperature. Within limits, a larger air conditioner could be installed, though this shouldn’t be done to try to fix deficiencies in construction. However, adding BTUs can help handle spikes in temperature. While manufacturers do not recommend this approach, cabinet makers suggest heavy-duty cooling options for particularly hostile environments.

Well-designed machines costing a few thousand dollars more than a through-wall cooling system will provide a consistent temperature. Regardless, a through-wall system cannot be ducted, vented, diverted, or retrofitted. Air exchange has to be kept separate. The exhaust will not overcome the inertia of still air. Air exchange must be unencumbered.

Some people are more sensitive to sound than others. While the through-wall system doesn’t make the windows rattle, the larger the machine, the more noise the fan will generate. These systems may or may not be right for your interior walls.

If you don’t want to go through the walls, you might try a system with a remote configuration. You'll probably need a licensed contractor to do the job, as the system will need to be charged with refrigerant, unless you are using CellarMate's ductable system.

CellarMate should be installed in a well-ventilated environment that does not exceed an ambient temperature of 90 degrees. The duct work shouldn't be longer than 25 feet; it should be shorter if possible.

For capacities up to 1,000 cubic feet, or 4,000 BTUs, Breezaire has the best proven split system. The condenser should be within 100 feet, though you need to subtract 10 feet for every 90-degree bend, and in a well-ventilated area that doesn’t get hotter than 80 degrees. The condenser is not designed for especially cold or hot hostile environments.

WCI manufacturers offer both split-air handler systems and a ductless split system up to 13,000 BTUs. Outdoor condensers will work in the mid 30s or on rooftops.

Not That Delicate

When it comes to wine storage, it’s important to remember that in their journey to stores, restaurants, and bars, bottles of wine have been in the cargos of ships and the trailers of trucks and have sat on shipping docks for hours. Many bottles of wine reside in racks at room temperature. While a controlled environment is preferable, it is not always possible. The quality of a wine is not risked by occasional or gradual variations in temperature.

Groceries are more perishable than wine; food poisoning can be fatal. Yet people rarely monitor the kitchen refrigerator for the perfect temperature for food. It’s important to not get taken in by advertising designed to convince you that you must keep your wine at too stringent a temperature or it will be ruined.

References to the control of humidity can be misleading. You cannot set the humidity level in a wine cooling system. Mother Nature will set it relative to the temperature. For very dry environments, however, you can add humidity by placing a pot of water or a wet towel inside the refrigerator.

Reprinted with permission of www.galtwine.com

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