Wine cellar cooling systems are some of the best things you can incorporate into your home if you are a wine lover. A wine cellar cooler may seem very similar to a normal air conditioner however the differences are major and if you choose a normal air conditioner will surely diminish the quality cellaring potential and may even destroy your precious wine. Many homeowners now look for wine cooler units for wine cellars to ensure the right balance of temperature and humidity.
Choosing a wine cellar cooling unit can be a challenge in itself. This is because there are many types of systems as well as sizes and configurations. wine cellar cooling units can be split systems or mono blocks. Australia’s climate is one of the harshest when it comes to wine storage. Even in Melbourne, you might get frustrated by how unpredictable the weather over here is. Stability is the key to the long term preservation and maturing of wine, which is why properly designed wine cellar air conditioning units are vital.
And this makes wine storage way tougher than you can imagine. So, let us share some tips with you to choose the right wine cellar cooling systems. If you love your wine then hav e a read of these tips to get the best out of them.
The Best Tips to Choose Wine Cellar Cooling Systems for our Australian conditions.
The worst conditions for wine are sudden temperature changes, sunlight, vibration, really high temperatures, and too dry or too high humidity (for wines under cork). And if you end up buying a wine cellar cooler that’s too big or too small for your cellar, then you’re putting yourself up for lots of trouble. So here’s some useful advice you can put into action for choosing the correct wine cellar temperature control system.
1. Choosing A Cooler as Per Cellar Construction And Placement
Since Australian temperature tends to change almost like mood swings, you should check the size or capacity of a cooler before buying one. The cubic metres of your proposed cellar is one of the major specifications you use when choosing a wine cellar conditioner. See below table that shows how much capacity is needed based on the cellars size in m3.
These values are for when the cellar has been insulated using the correct type and thickness of foam the cooling capacity required is as follows:
15m3 cellar = 450 watts
25m3 cellar = 550 watts
40m3 cellar = 900 watts
50m3 cellar = 1200 watts
80m3 cellar = 1600 watts
100m3 = 2500 watts.
There must be an unbroken layer of foam on the face of the walls and ceiling creating a thermal and vapour barrier. The idea is to have a very gradual change of temperature in the cellar as to not shock your wine. This can only be done with low capacity wine cellar conditioners matched to the volume of your room. The low capacity of these machines means that the only way to contain the desired conditions within the room is to have a thermal barrier.
For example, you can choose a small wine cellar cooling unit if your storage room’s also small say under 15 cubic metres. You would need no more than 450 watts of cooling. However, you might need a large wine cellar cooling system if your room’s large and spacious. 50 cubic metres needs 1200 watts of conditioning. In both cases, wine cooler units for wine cellars designed to match the volume of your storage space ensure steady and safe preservation.
The goal here is to make sure that all corners of your wine storage room get conditioned gradually just like simulating the same conditions in a cave. There is never very cold air blowing around in a cave. So choosing a small wine cellar cooling systems for a rather large room would be a foolish move as it won’t have enough capacity to condition it or putting in a large one in a small, narrow room will damage and shock the wine with cold air and may reach the extreme ends of humidity causing other issues. If you still can’t decide what machine size you need, talk to a professional and let them inspect your cellar or size up the capacity required to choose the perfect wine cellar conditioner for you.
2. Finding the Best System Types
Wine cellar cooler systems are of different types, ranging from small, easy-to-install mono blocks to small and large capacity split systems. These split ducted systems need a qualified refrigeration technician and an electrician to install them as your handyman or builder won’t be able to. So, you need to choose a system type that suits the place where your cellar’s present and your preferences in the visual look of the machines. You can get machines that are discreet visually within the cellar (which are generally more expensive) or you can get machines that you can see them in the cellar but are cheaper yet still do the same job of conditioning it.
For example, you might need a ducted or split system in a high end home where visually you don’t want to see a machine in your bespoke wine cellar. But you can use a small mono block wine cellar cooling unit if your cellar is purpose built with discreet looks not being a major issue. Again, you might need to discuss with a professional here to find which system suits you the best.
3. Choice Based On Model Efficiency
Generally all wine cellar cooling systems don’t consume a lot of electricity. The key is to really insulate the room correctly and dint have any heat generating devices within the temperature controlled cellar. Having a small wine fridge in your cellar is like having a fridge inside a fridge. This is definitely a no no. Slab heating anywhere near a cellar is also something that shouldn’t be there. Although you would be crazy to put slab heating under the floor of a wine cellar it is also extremely bad to have it in any of the adjacent rooms. Always keep the slab heating at least 500mm away from any wine cellar walls and preferably a thermal break under every perimeter wall. Wine cellar air conditioning units can keep up with the hot and humid climate however added heat transfer will work against your machine. That’s why choosing the right wine cellar air conditioning units for Australian conditions becomes critical for efficiency and long-term performance.
4. Choosing Soundproof Models
If you’re asking for wine cellar cooling systems for a professional area, then you should check how much noise they make. Many custom made commercial systems sound like you have Milk Bar refrigerating equipment in your house. A wine cellar cooling unit cannot be totally silent and it is foolish to expect that however some are designed to be super quiet in your home and some are just custom made machines that keep you awake in the night. Check the sound level outside the cellar as inside is generally quiet because of the high level of insulation and the well sealing door required in a correctly built wine cellar.
5. Check Insulation before Choosing A System
There are mainly three types of insulation foam used in the building of a wine cellar. They are EPS (extruded polystyrene foam), XPS extruded polystyrene foam and Polyurethane foam or Phenolic foam. When buying wine cellar cooling units in Australia, check the type and thickness of foam required on the walls and ceiling based on the rooms volume in cubic metres. There should be a table or chart showing this in the manufacturers installation documentation. Foam must always be installed as an unbroken layer on the walls and ceiling. Foam cannot be cut into small rectangles and placed between framing or timber studs. Think of it like you are building a large refrigerator in your home. Your walls and ceiling must end up thickening by the thickness of the foam panels. You should even place foam or rock wool like Pink batts in between your wall cavities to increase thermal resistance even more. You can never over insulate.
If your cellar room has the right kind and thickness of insulation, then you can buy an energy-efficient wine cooling unit that is balanced and suited to the rooms volume. All wine cellar cooling systems will consume less energy and not work hard if the cellar has been insulated correctly. However, all cooling systems will have to work harder if the insulation isn’t enough eventually shortening the life of the wine cellar cooling unit and also failing to create the perfect cave like stable conditions required to store and mature wine.
Although glass is used in wine cellars it is generally a weakness in the rooms thermal cocoon and is should be avoided. However many people want to show off their bespoke wine cellars and glass allows the cellar to be a visual masterpiece within the home increasing the wow factor as well as adding value. As a general rule you should minimise the amount of glass and walls should never be more than 50% glass. If you do decide to use glass it must have a “U” factor of 1.4 or better. The lower numerically the better thermally. This thermal glass will need to be double glazed with argon gas inside and the make up is generally 4mm glass, 16mm argon gas, 4mm glass. All glazing companies can readily get this glass. This glass is still the weak link in the insulation barrier as it’s R value is only .7. The losses through the glass will add aa thermal load on the room that translates into a thicker layer of foam required on the rest of the non glazed walls and ceiling and in extreme scenarios may require going up a machine model with more capacity to cater for the extra load on the room.
There is a new product called vacuum glass which has an R value of 1.57 which means it is nearly as good as the foam. This would mean you can almost ignore the losses through the glass.
6. Check Energy Efficiency and Lifespan of Each Model
Lastly, you should check the energy efficiency and life expectancy of individual models before choosing one. The ideal wine cellar cooling units in Australia are those that not only consume less electricity but also do not need frequent repairs. There will always be filters that need cleaning so always keep up with the cleaning and replacement of the filters if the model requires that. Filters on wine cellar cooling units are on the condenser side which is different to normal air conditioners being on the evaporator side. They need cleaning even if they don’t look dirty and possibly replacing every one to two years. Like any machine that runs continuously 24/7 it will need regular checking and cleaning. Life expectancy is generally 10 years of continuous use although the good European made machines can go beyond into 15 plus years.
Some Final Advice While Buying Wine Cellar Cooling Units
When choosing a wine cellar cooling system you need to determine the appropriate machine based on the rooms size and the look that you are a7er. Some9mes it is be:er to reduce the rooms volume to use a be:er suited machine or a cheaper machine to fall within any budget constraints you may have. usage. Insulation is just as important as the machine itself. One will not work without the other. Always look for a brand that has been around for many many years and preferably European made as they are the experts when it comes to wine preservation and maturation. Always talk to professionals before choosing wine cellar air conditioning units to avoid major and expensive mistakes.
If you want to know a reputable place with over 25 years of experience in wine cellar construction and wine cellar cooling equipment contact Kings Winehaus in Melbourne. They ship through out Australia and New Zealand and offer complimentary advice and information required to construct your dream temperature controlled wine cellar.