Cooling Unit

Building a wine cellar can create the ideal environment to store your wines. The temperature is an important factor in wine storage and temperature of the ideal wine storage is between 55 F and 58 º F (13 º C-15 º C), although any temperature between 40 º -65 º F (5 º -18 º C) will suffice as it does not fluctuate too much. Ideally, humidity should be around 70%. If you can not reach these temperatures in your passive cellar, you can require a wine cellar cooling.

A standard household refrigerator makes a mediocre wine cooling solution for several reasons. It is specifically designed to store and handle food, not to store wines. An atmosphere that works well for meat and vegetables is much too cold and dry your expensive wine. The ideal temperature for chilling at home is between 35 º F and 38 º F (1.7 to 3.3 º C)

Home - or even commercial - the refrigeration equipment is designed to cool foods quickly to prevent spoiling. This is achieved by blasting cold air until the desired temperature is reached. Then, a series of kicks in which once set temperature is reached, the refrigerator off. When the temperature rises to a predetermined point, the cold air is blasted again. This continuous cycle of fluctuating temperature is not good for your wines.

Standard refrigeration equipment is designed not only cool but also to remove moisture. Wine emits neither heat nor moisture, so you end up with an environment that is much too dry for the wine. This will cause wine corks to shrink, allowing air to enter when the air is in contact with your wine the irreversible process of oxidation begins and your wine is ruined!

Vibration may also be a problem with a refrigerator at home. Wine needs a quiet and vibration free in which to grow if the vibrations will destroy a good wine.

Similarly, the cooling of homes offers a poor environment for the aging of your wines, because it eliminates moisture from the air that can lead to the drying stoppers. In addition, if air conditioning is running only at certain times during the day and wine become subject to temperature fluctuations, which will inevitably result in irreparable damage to your wine.

To cool and humidify a cellar, you'll need a cooling system designed specifically for cooling a cellar.

Wine cellar cooling units can be set to any temperature within the optimum range for successful aging wines and they cool the air slowly and gently. They are designed to maintain the moisture rather than the dehydration of the cellar, although sometimes additional wetting may be necessary in very dry climates. This type of wine cellar cooling unit is usually installed at about 18 inches from the top of the piece to achieve maximum cooling. The unit will also need a flow of air and ventilation to dissipate heat generated by the unit.

It is also possible to install an air system divided into a wine cellar that these units can be very expensive with prices running into thousands of dollars.

A split system is installed outside the wine cellar and the supply and return air is directed to and from the wine cellar. This refrigeration system wine cellar acts as a central air conditioning and is just as quiet. This system would normally include the electronic controls and a digital display. There are many options available with the cooling system, including split humidifiers, dehumidifiers and alarm units. With the addition of options, a split air system gives you total control of your refrigeration wine cellar, but at a high cost.

If you find that your wine cellar requires a cooling unit, it is worth shopping around and compare brands. There are some good deals, however, you should be ab.