Ducted Wine Cellar Cooling Units

What are Ducted Cooling Systems?

Ducted systems use ducts, lightweight tubes through which air can freely flow, to connect the cooling unit with the wine cellar, without taking up room inside the cellar or making noise inside the restaurant or home. The unit can be installed as far away as 25 feet from the cellar, making them useful for small spaces, or where a cooling unit doesn’t fit with the cellar design. It also doesn’t need to vent exhaust hot air, as it’s filtered outside the house. They're sometimes called ductable wine cellar cooling units.

Some units have the option of humidity control, helping to avoid excess moisture in your wine cellar. Cold air is pumped into the wine cellar while also removing the warm air and cycling it into the compressor, which condenses the air, cooling it, and removing humidity. Whether you have commercial wine storage needs, or are a larger private collector, this system is just the thing to keep your collection in pristine condition. 

These systems maintain a steady temperature of between 50° and 65°F, and a humidity between 50 and 75% RH, provided the wine cellar has been properly insulated. They are designed to mimic the internal environment of the wine caves of France, creating the perfect environment in your wine room.

Licensed HVAC: Installation is best done by a trained HVAC technician.

Shop all wine cellar cooling systems here.

Ducted vs Self Contained Cooling Systems

In a ducted cellar cooling system, the evaporator and condenser are located outside the wine cellar, where they do not take up any racking space and do not add noise to the room. These systems connect to the cellar via ductwork, and only a small grille in the wall (and the perfect interior conditions) will reveal that you have a cooling system operating at all. In addition to these benefits, ducted systems are more suitable for larger wine cellars.

Self-contained wine cellar cooling systems are usually mounted within the wine cellar through the wall and plugged into a standard electrical socket in the wall – no other structural modification is needed, assuming there is adequate ventilation available. These are sometimes ducted, but that is not the norm. These are best suited to smaller wine cellars, not only because that better suits their output, but also because they are less expensive than most ducted systems, and there is normally less need to keep a small cellar quiet or to hide the unit, as no significant time is spent actually inside the room.

Main Types of Ducted Cooling Units:

Wine Cellar HQ stock a wide range of ducted cooling systems to suit various needs and applications:

• Ducted Self-Contained Systems – This unit is self-contained and fully ducted from both the evaporator and condenser sides. They are installed in another room, a garage, or even on the roof (if suitable). They’re packaged, self-contained, and do not need additional piping before use.
• Ducted Split Systems – This system has a remote condensing unit connected to the evaporator by a liquid line and an insulated suction line. Both of these units can be installed outside of the wine cellar itself. Cool air is provided by the evaporator through insulated ducts. Some units are water-cooled, negating the need for exhaust ventilation.

Self-contained systems are more suitable for smaller wine cellars.

Author: Randy Green

Randy is a true wine storage aficionado and expert in wine cellar design. He gained construction experience as a partner in a general contracting business before niching into and passionately focusing on creating wine storage solutions for clients in 2016. He takes great pride in bringing these designs to life, and is dedicated to ensuring that every wine cellar he creates is not only functional but also a beautiful addition to any home or business. The Wine Cellar HQ team also includes refrigeration sizing experts and licensed HVAC technicians to ensure optimal climate control for your wine cellar, so that your wines can age to perfection.