Wine Cellar Cooling Units: USA-made Wine Room Refrigeration Systems

Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems

Winecellarhq.com help cool wine cellars with our reliable refrigeration systems to keep your cellar's temperature and humidity consistent.

Why do you need to cool your wine cellar?

All wines need to be refrigerated at a consistent temperature to prevent them from going bad, and you should also avoid moisture, sunlight, and vibrations.

Wine cellar cooling units and evaporators help to keep heat out and cool your space for proper wine storage, keeping a consistent environment to keep your wine collection from aging too quickly or going bad.

Some units may need an HVAC technician to install, whilst others can be installed through-the-wall as self contained cellar cooling systems by yourself.

Why buy from Winecellarhq.com?

Wine Cellar HQ is here with our expert customer service to help you decide which wine cellar cooling system is right for your home, and we can help with both application and installation advice, as well as answering delivery questions, and general customer support. We can also help with custom wine cellar installation.

How do you choose the right-sized unit?

The cooling capacity of your cooling unit is essential and should be determined by the size of your wine cellar in cubic feet, how well you've insulated it, how many wine bottles you intend to store, and how many wine racks you have.

We have a useful questionnaire to help you calculate the size of the unit you need here:

If your unit is too small, it will struggle to maintain a consistent temperature. In comparison, a too-large unit can cause short cycling and waste energy.

Wine Cellar HQ stocks both small and large cellar cooling units.

You can't use an air conditioner for your wine room, as they are far too unreliable at keeping a consistent cellar temperature.

How do you control your wine cellar humidity?

Maintaining the humidity level of your wine cellar at between 50-70% is important to prevent the corks from drying and breaking the wine bottle seal.

We have a range of wine cellar cooling systems with built-in humidity control, such as the CellarPro 4200VSi.

This helps when you live in a humid environment, as too much moisture can be bad for your wine collection.

Which type of cooling unit do I need?

The type of wine room cooling unit you need will depend on your requirements and budget.

Here are the types of cooling units we sell at winecellarhq.com:

• A split system separates the condenser and evaporator, for when you need to locate the condenser in another location. This is good for reducing noise in the wine room itself.
  
• A ducted system uses ducts to funnel away hot air and pump cold air into the wine cellar, and it is the most professional wine cooling unit. This is also the least noisy option.
  
• A self contained system has the condenser and evaporator in the same unit, usually installed through the wall (cheaper, and doesn't require a HVAC technician). However, it is the noisiest solution.
  

We have a full guide on choosing the right type of cooling unit here: How to Choose the Right Cooling Unit for Your Wine Cellar.

Wine cellar cooling units usually use one of two cooling methods: evaporative cooling or compressor-based cooling.

• Evaporative cooling units circulate air through a wet pad, which then evaporates the water inside and cools the air.
  
• Compressor cooling units use vapor compression, where refrigerant enters the compressor as a low-pressure gap, is pressurized, then moved to the condenser, where it's cooled to be a high-pressure liquid. This is then moved to the expansion valve, converted to a low-pressure liquid/gas mix, then moved to the evaporator to cool the air.

Which brands do you recommend?

We verify and recommend every single brand that we stock here at winecellarhq.com.

Each brand is slightly different, so browse the links below to see more about each one:

• WhisperKOOL
• CellarPro
• Breezaire
• CellarCool
• N'FINITY

How do I calculate the cooling unit's energy efficiency?

The energy efficiency will differ for each cooling unit, but we provide the start and running AMPS so you can calculate the energy usage based on your electrical tariff.

Example: If your home voltage is 120V and the unit uses 8 AMPS during use, the power used is 960W, or 23.04kWh per day. If your electricity rate is 13 cents per kWh, it costs roughly $3 per day or $90 monthly.

How noisy are they?

Each cooling unit will vary, but we provide the noise output in Decibels (dBA) for each cooling unit on the product page. Typically a low-level (quiet) value would be around 25-35 dBA, and a louder unit would be around 60-70 dBA.

You should go for a low noise level unit if you plan on installing it near living areas like a kitchen or living room.

Are these units corrosion-resistant?

It's vitally important to have a corrosion-resistant cooling unit, as the high humidity levels in a wine cellar can corrode non-protected internal parts. Brands like CellarPro openly state their cooling units are corrosion-resistant. Choosing a unit with an epoxy-coated evaporator coil will have excellent protection against corrosion.

FAQs

What's the best way to cool a wine cellar?

The best way to cool a wine cellar is to have proper insulation, racking, and a proper cooling unit.

For more information, visit our full guide on how to build a wine cellar yourself here.

How often does a cooling unit need to be serviced?

Most manufacturers recommend servicing a domestic cooling unit every spring and fall, which is twice yearly. This should also include regular cleaning of exterior and interior parts, to keep up fan speeds and account for any contaminated air (such as if the intake is near a kitchen).

What else should I do to keep my wine safe during storage?

In addition to your wine cellar cooling system, we recommend the following things to improve your wine storage in your cellar:

• Vibration - ensure that the wine cellar receives minimal vibrations, which can damage the vine.
  
• Light - ensure no natural light is in the wine cellar, as UV rays can damage the wine.
  
• Ventilation - your cooling unit will help control the ventilation within your wine cellar, ensuring your wine is free from pollutants, cooking, and other appliances within the home (a common problem is stove odors).
• Temperature-controlled - ensure you have a properly temperature-controlled wine cellar, and that it doesn't deviate from that to any extreme, as this can cause your wine collection to go bad. This is true of white, rose, sparkling, still, and red wine bottles.
  
• Wine Racking - using any old surface to store your wine on within your house can cause a problem, due to the inconsistency of temperature and foreign odors. Wine racking solves this issue by storing wine within your cellar in a controlled environment, and keeping the bottles on their sides to prevent the cork from drying out.
• Energy-efficient - with the increased energy price, we recommend looking for energy-efficient cooling units. You can visit the product pages to see how much energy each unit uses. This is a great solution for saving money on your energy bills, ideal for domestic or business customers.
  
• Wine-specific cooling units - ensure the cooling units you choose are wine specific, as normal air conditioners are not built for the job.
  
• Glass - storing glasses in your wine cellar can turn them into a wonderful tasting space to enjoy the flavors of your favorite wine bottle with friends and family.
  
• Design - choose a cellar design that suits what you want to use the space for. This could include furniture for sitting on, a tasting bar, and a sink if you want to wash out glasses after a drink. You can also store water, spirits, and beer in your wine cellar.
  
• Door - ensure the door of your wine cellar has a good seal and is made from an insulating material like wood.
• Budget options - converting a closet into a wine cellar is a great option if you're on a budget. You can pair that with a through-the-wall cooling unit for maximum money saving.

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.