In this prestigious custom wine cellar construction and home renovation project, Wine Cellars by Coastal one of our local California wine cellar builders used one of our Ductless Split Refrigeration Systems to gain space and provide cooled air with minimum intrusion into the room. The wine cooling unit was expressly installed so that there would not be any mechanical components of the cooling unit visible in the wine room. For example the evaporator coil was installed into ceiling soffit area then covered by a louvered wooden grill manufactured from of the same material as the wine racking.
This project in Santa Ana (Orange County) California turned into a really good looking wine room. For full details of the project and how the particular wine cellar cooling unit was selected and installed watch the following video.
An uncommon question we get from time to time, about wine cellar cooling systems, that we believe is very important to address is: Should I heat my wine cellar?
The short answer is NO.
While this issue does not come up much in California in some parts of the US and Canada such as Maine, New Hampshire and New York all of which are prime wine cellar markets it can be a real concern.
It should be noted that the above answer and the explanation below are heatedly debated in the Wine Cellars Cooling Equipment industry.
Any outdoor components of a wine cellar refrigeration system should always be protected from weather. For most of the country an outdoor enclosure is sufficient. It keeps out foliage and critters like rodents or lizards in search of a warm place when the temperature dips. In areas that will see temps below 40°F for more than a couple days at a time a Low Ambient kit should be added. We install it prior to shipping and it will protect the condensing unit from harsher conditions.
For indoor components, some companies offer heating elements to go along with their wine cooling equipment. This is an easy way to short cut genuine issues with the construction of a Residential Custom Wine Cellar or Commercial Wine Display CabinetEnclosure. Issues that can threaten the longevity of your investment in both a wine collection and the long-term operational cost of your cellar. Northern areas with basement wine cellarsthat have little or no insulation can see temperatures below what is optimal for storage in the colder months of the year. These wine rooms are likely to not have a vapor barrier. In the long run not installing a good vapor barrier is far more risky. Adding a heating element or “re-heater” is a band-aid on a gunshot.
Adding a “re-heater” does not address the very real problems associated with lack of insulation or a missing vapor barrier. It may initially be cheaper to add a heater but in the long run it is very likely to cost significantly more. Insulation will keep the temperature more consistent, consistency is more important than the temperature itself. Temperature variance can be more damaging than absolute temperature. The great thing about basements is they have so much thermal mass the liquid temperature barely budges!
Some experts go as far to say that cooler temps merely slow down the aging process, not change it or stop it. This is more of an argument with white wines than it is reds. Whites are slightly more fragile at very cold temperature for long term storage. Even still it is widely agreed upon that sudden changes and stability matter far more than the annual gradual dip and slowing of the aging process.
More than a few of the wine cellar cooling design ideas we have been working on lately have been pushing the ordinary WINE CELLAR aesthetic to new levels. Some of them are truly brilliant. However, I am not talking about those this time.
Wine Cellar Cooling; Who cares about the temperature?
For example, three recent but very different custom wine cellar cooling systems design requests from three very different parts of the USA, California, Florida & Washington State have all wanted to incorporate wine tasting areas inside the cellar. Each custom wine cellar was proposed to hold 1,000 bottles or less in a fairly large room and therefore needed wine cellar refrigeration units capable and designed to support these wine room designs.
1. 500 bottle capacity wine racking, a couch, TV, and a FIRE PLACE! 2. 800 bottle capacity wine racking with a formal dining area! 3. 1,000 bottle capacity wine racking with a wet bar and seating for twelve people!
Wine Cellar Cooling Systems Design, our thoughts…
Let’s think about this for a moment. Do you enjoy when a restaurant is so chilly you need to send your spouse to the car for your sweater? We certainly don’t! We understand wanting to be in view of your prized fine wine collection, we understand that entertaining and showing it off is part of the purpose of a wine cellar. After all you have probably spent a pretty penny getting your custom wine cellar just perfect.
Now ask yourself this. “will you also have a coat check, or just loan out parkas?” Unless you are going for a realistic Aspen slopes feel, honestly it’s just too cold to be comfortable at 55°.
Some solutions we have suggested to make these designs more practical include:
Wine Cellar Cooling Systems Design, What are the benefits?
The reduced cost for wine cellar refrigeration equipment will help to off-set the increased cost of building the containment features.
You pay for construction ONCE. You pay utilities MONTHLY.
What if your necessary use for the larger space changes over time? Eventually you may decide it is too cold to hang out in the cellar. You may take up a new hobby or start working from home and need to multipurpose the huge space you’ve set aside.
It’s time to sell your home… While having a gorgeous home wine cellar can certainly boost your property value, if it is arranged in a way the can become “dated” it may ultimately be a challenge.
Your wine cellar and wine collection is displayed in a way that is ideal for entertainment purposes. In other words, your wine cellar cooling system refrigerates your wine and not your guests!
Stable Wine Cellar Climate Control is a critical part of any Custom Wine Cellar. Custom Wine Cellars by Coastal chose the RM Series – Wine Rack Mount Cellar Cooling Units for their recent Custom Wine Room Santa Monica installation in Pacific Palisades in Santa Monica and many others for numerous reasons.
Rack Mount Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Pacific Palisades Hidden
It is the only split system we are aware of that can be concealed in a wood grill box and louvered grill cover to match the wood species of the cellarage without voiding the manufacturer’s warranty. This is a desirable feature as it eliminates unsightly equipment in the wine cellar. We also recommend and prefer to install, split wine cellar cooling systems as they do not need to mount through the wall to vent heat and noise that self-contained wine cooling systems tend to emit. This makes for a quiet and peaceful environment in the owners home. This is especially important if the wine cellar is also used as a wine tasting room and for entertaining.
The RM split system is also a particularly versatile unit as it can be ceiling or wall mounted. In our experience we have found it to be one of the most reliable, long lasting and quiet systems on the market. In addition and unlike self-contained wine cooling units, it can be serviced on site. This makes for simpler and less disruptive long term maintenance.
Rack Mount Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Exposed
See the two photos in this post of the Wine Rack Mount Wine Cellar Cooling Unit. One of the evaporator exposed, the second shows how well the unit can be concealed behind the louvered grill cover.
In this prestigious custom wine cellar construction and home renovation project, Wine Cellars by Coastal one of our local California wine cellar builders used one of our Ductless Split Refrigeration Systems to gain space and provide cooled air with minimum intrusion into the room. The wine cooling unit was expressly installed so that there would not be any mechanical components of the cooling unit visible in the wine room. For example the evaporator coil was installed into ceiling soffit area then covered by a louvered wooden grill manufactured from of the same material as the wine racking.
