Too often, wine collectors, even owners of professional properties that sell wine, hire a builder who doesn’t understand the technical complexities of commercial wine cellars. Commercial cooling units built for wine storage are not your average heating and air conditioning project. Many contractors attempt these projects without a basic understanding of building an effective space. Find the key details to consider when building a commercial wine storage system.
Whether you own a restaurant or store or you’re a builder who’s learning how to provide this service to your clients, find out what to consider when entering construction.
Construction Basics for Professional Commercial Wine Cellars
A wine cellar is more than the average storage room. It is built to provide wines with a temperature of approximately 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of around 60% to 70%. The climate conditions inside a wine storage cellar should have minimal to no fluctuations. Because of the complexity of the requirements of an effective wine cellar, you need to make sure that an expert constructs it.
A wine storage specialist understands the needs of wine and knows how to create a room that can meet those prerequisites. Proper planning is imperative to build an effective commercial wine storage space. The following factors should be considered:
1. Capacity of the Wine Cellar
The number of wine bottles you intend to store will determine the size of the wine cellar you must have built. Commercial wine cellars should store a substantial number of wine bottles in them so that customers can have more to choose from. It’s also essential to have a large-capacity wine cellar so you won’t have to restock whenever a customer purchases a particular type of wine.
A wine cellar builder can help commercial property owners decide on the size of a wine storage structure that can adequately house the number of wines they plan to store. If you’re a builder or own a business that stores and sells wine, it’s important to strongly consider the capacity of wine needed for the cellar project and plan correctly.
2. Expandability of Commercial Wine Cellars
You have to consider the increasing need for storage capacity that you’ll have as the number of customers rises. Regardless of how many bottles you have in the cellar at the beginning, you must expand your storage space once your business grows. This means that you should consider building an expandable wine cellar. You can store a few bottles in your wine racks when you start the business, but as the demand increases, you will need to add to the number of wines in your cellar. You can meet these demands by adding more racking to accommodate more bottles.
There are wine storage experts who manufacture modular wine racks. These are expandable wine-racking systems for those who need to grow their collection gradually as the demand for wine will increase over time.
3. Electricity and Backup Power
It would be best to consider how the electrical wiring in the cellar will be set up to provide power for the cooling unit and lighting systems. A power backup system is also necessary because wine can quickly spoil if the temperature and humidity in the cellar drop or rise out of the ideal range.
Setting the wiring up is a complex and dangerous process; you should do it with someone else. Only a trained electrician can do it properly. The best way for a business to build a wine cellar is to hire a trusted wine storage room construction company that has a team of wine cellar builders, including an electrician.
4. Wall Thickness and Insulation
Wall thickness varies from one cellar to another. Generally, an average wine cellar can be built with standard 2×4 walls containing R11 to R15 insulation. But if your wine room has outside walls, like those that have walls with one side exposed to the sun, the inner wall and insulation should be thicker.
Wine builders should train their team to assess the right wall thickness for a wine room. If a team is more proficient in building effective storage systems, that company can have a higher chance of gaining more clients.
5. Ceiling and Flooring
Both the ceiling and the flooring should be adequately insulated. If the cellar’s ceiling is directly underneath the roof of the building, you need to have insulation at least 9”.
If the floor is concrete, you may need to install a false floor on top of it. Concrete, by nature, can either pull heat from the cellar towards the outside or add heat to it. A false floor with insulation and a vapor barrier should be installed to prevent the temperature in the cellar from fluctuating constantly.
There are various options of flooring materials you can use for your storage space. Wine store owners can ask a wine cellar specialist what flooring material will best fit their wine room’s design and provide the most effective insulation. If you are a builder, consider expanding your flooring options so your clients have more materials.
6. Vapor Barrier
A sufficient wine storage structure must install a vapor barrier around its warm side. A 6mm poly film is the ideal vapor in most wine cellars. Only an experienced wine cellar construction expert can install a vapor barrier properly.
7. Wine Cellar Door
A wine cellar needs an above-average door. It has to be capable of keeping the climate conditions inside from constantly fluctuating. Commercial wine cellars are opened more often than residential wine storage rooms. This is because of the frequent need to get wines for customers. Fluctuations are more common, therefore, in commercial wine rooms. However, the harmful effects of the frequent alterations in temperature can be minimized if the door installed can adequately seal the storage space when it is closed.
Heavily insulated steel doors are ideal for wine storage spaces, but you may also choose to have a windowed door as long as the glass used is double-paned. Ask a local wine storage specialist about the requirements of an effective cellar door for your commercial wine storage. You may call us at +1 (562) 513-3017, so we can give you expert advice on the appropriate door for your wine room.
8. Commercial Wine Cellar Cooling Equipment
A successful business involves a lot of investments. An owner must invest in good quality wine for a wine store to perform well. Various factors contribute to the quality of wine, and one of them is proper wine storage. This is why a prudent business person will invest in constructing an effective commercial wine cellar.
A refrigeration unit is one of the most essential elements in creating a functional wine cellar. To ensure that the wines you are selling are top quality, you need to invest in a reliable wine cellar cooling system.
US Cellar Systems is one of the most trusted wine-cooling specialists. They have licensed HVAC technicians who are proficient in calculating the heat load of storage spaces to determine the right cooling equipment to install. US Cellars is also known for manufacturing robust refrigeration units that can meet the cooling needs of any commercial wine cellar.
Find a Wine Storage Expert to Build Your Commercial Wine Cellar
Whether you own commercial wine cellars or a cellar builder, you want to ensure your customers enjoy the quality wines. If you are a business person, you should ensure that the wines you sell are appropriately preserved in an ideal wine storage room.
If you are a builder, you should ensure your cellars are functional. The most effective commercial wine cellars are those constructed by wine storage cooling unit experts. You can provide the best storage structure for your collection by hiring a trusted wine cellar builder.
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