Wine Cellar Cooling

[Paco]

I'm finally making the big move. After 21 years of owning a lot in Austin, we're finally building. Framing is almost complete and I need to decide some things about cooling the wine cellar.<P>The cellar will be roughly 8x14. A portion of it will have a 14 foot ceiling and a portion of it will be under stairs which will make the ceiling under the stairs go from 9 feet to 5 feet.<P>I figure it will be about 1250 cubic feet. I think I want to use a split system and have narrowed my choices down to CellarTec and WhisperKool. Does anyone have any experience or opinion about either of these systems?<P>I would greatly appreciate any feedback.<P>

[winoweenie]

I can't be of much help as I used a regular refrigeration system when I built my cellar in 83. Has been extremely reliable and efficient. One of my buddies in Stockton used a whisper-cool and he seemed to like it very much. By-the-by Paco I lived in Austin in 1952-54 when I was in Sears management training program. Loved the town...hated corporate nonsense. WW

[Glass_A_Day]

Sears was around back in 52-54? I thought people were just trading under tents back then!? <IMG SRC="http://wines.com/ubb/wink.gif">

[hotwine]

Congrats on reaching that point, Paco.<P>There are many issues to be considered in chilling a winecellar, especially when it's in a confined space that doesn't allow venting. You're right, a split system works best under those conditions.... but you would need to run refrigerant lines between the two major components. (Afterthought: If your staircase is aganst an outside wall, you could still use a conventional system and avoid the split configuration.... simply vent to the outdoors.)<P>Highly recommend you find a pro to design and configure a system to meet your needs. I used an outfit in San Antonio called TECH Industrial Systems whose line of work is design, installation and maintenance of refrigeration systems for restaurants and supermarkets; they used components from Trenton Refrigeration Co. in Trenton NJ.<P>Issues of concern in your space:<BR>- possible vibration, noise and howling gale from a continuously-running evaporator fan inside the chilled space;<BR>- insulation of the cellar to maintain a 55-57F temperature;<BR>- door configurations to help maintain the temp (I use two doors but that's because I enter the cellar from outdoors).<BR>- lighting (the dimmer the better, in my book).<BR>Others will probably come to me.<P>You can try to locate a "winecellar specialist" in the Austin area, but keep in mind that they tend to be expensive. I know OF one in SA but don't know if he's good or bad.<P>Good luck. If you have questions, post here or email me.