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- MontereyRick - 12-03-2002

I bought a home a couple of months ago with a wine cellar in it. Sizewise, it is awesome. It is right off of the kitchen with a private door and a set of stairs that drops right down into a cellar approximately 15'x 11' x 7'ceilings. <P>It has beautiful redwood racking and diagonal bins to hold around 500 bottles. We are in the process of faux painting the walls and putting slate on the floors.<P>While it is definitely cooler down there year round than upstairs and is completely dark, I fear that the temperature fluctuations could still be harmful as I am interested in cellaring some wines for many years.<P>I need to install a very nice cooling unit and don't know which one to buy. Can anyone give me some advice as to wine-mate or breezaire or any others to focus on or avoid? Any tips or special things to consider would be greatly appreciated.


- wondersofwine - 12-03-2002

Not a direct answer to your question but having lived in Monterey for three years in the 80's and three years in the 90's, if there is a location that might get by without a cooling unit, Monterey seems ideal. Its<BR>moderate climate rarely requires air conditioning. Maybe just a large fan for the hotter days.<BR>BTW, envy you buying a home in Monterey--especially one with a builtin wine cellar!<BR><p>[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 12-03-2002).]


- MontereyRick - 12-03-2002

Thanks. It is a beautiful area; I'm actually inland about 7 miles (near Laguna Seca) from Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach. The weather where I am is quite a bit better than right on the beach because we don't get the coastal fog.<P>You are correct in that we don't have air conditioning in the house as it generally isn't needed but we do get our hot spells and those are what has me concerned..<P>Any consumer advocates out there with specific cooling unit knowledge please respond.


- hotwine - 12-03-2002

Rick, there are a number of factors to consider in selection of a cooling unit, beyond simply price and capacity. First, every unit generates hot air, which must be expelled into an adjacent cavity - another room, or the outdoors. If your cellar has a wall that is on the perimeter of the house, the unit can be vented outdoors. But if the cellar is in the middle of the house, then the hot air will have to be ducted outdoors. Suggest you review discussions on the subject under this thread for the last couple of years for more ideas to think about. Also highly recommend a little book called "How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar" by a Dr. Gold. He discusses the physics of wine cellar construction at some length, and includes cooling unit considerations. Even though your cellar has already been built, you'll find lots of useful information in there. You also might find it useful to track temperature and humidity fluctuations in the cellar over a period of months, before investing in a cooling unit. To help you do that, you can pick up a little battery-powered temp and humidity gauge from Radio Shack for about $25, that provides current, min and max values measured since the unit was last zeroed. (I've got three of 'em. Catalog #1013-63.) Simply set up a manual logsheet and record the measurements each day (or week) for a few months; I'd wait until mid-summer before making a decision on a cooling unit.<p>[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 12-03-2002).]


- Bucko - 12-03-2002

While I have a purely passive cellar now, I have had Breezeaire cooling units in the past and I was satisfied with them.


- hotwine - 12-04-2002

I should add that, if the cellar is fully below grade, you should look into a split system, in which the evaporator is installed in the cellar and the condenser is placed outside. That's what I use. Although some of the wine unit manufacturers offer split systems, I have one designed for walk-in coolers in restaurants, called the Trenton Refrigeration Corp. TLP-41. Works great, holding a consistent 59F and 66% humidity. A local refrigeration contractor provided the unit and installation.


- MontereyRick - 12-04-2002

Thanks for the info guys and I definitely will pick up the above mentioned book. I spoke recently with a locally respected wine shop owner/friend who used to live in my area and believes I won't need a cooling unit. I picked up a thermometer/humidity tracker with min/max as suggested and I'll begin to track these. Last night at 9:00 it was 58 degrees adn 70% humidity. I'll continue to watch until the weather gets warm before making a decision.<P>One more question (HotWine): You mentioned that if the cellar is in the middle of the house (as mine is)that it would need to be ducted outside. Could it be ducted under the house to a pretty good sized crawl space next immediately adjacent to the cellar or would it need to go all the way outside?


- hotwine - 12-04-2002

The crawl space would work just fine as a space for exhausting the heat. You merely need to move the heat out of the way, in a manner that won't impact adjoining spaces. (Some people have vented coolers from one room into another, then wondered why the heated space gets uncomfortably warm. You won't have that problem by venting into the crawl space; just toasty, grateful little critters that live in there.)


- Jackie - 12-04-2002

Monterey Rick,<P>I can help you look at cooling units that not only cool but also heat (warm, I should say) and can be used in cold climates, say in a garage, to keep wine at a constant temp & humidity all year round. <P>If this suits your need, send me an email at jackie@wines.com<P>Jackie


- MontereyRick - 12-16-2002

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