The 2 categories of wine cellar cooling systems that can actively regulate the temperature and humidity in your wine room are:
- Self Contained cooling units
- Split cooling units
Learn about the different systems on this page, then search our wine cooler offerings by BRAND and contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Tel: 978-204-3663
Wine Warden (Split Cooling Systems)
Self Contained wine coolers have the condenser AND the evaporator in the same machine, connected by very short refrigeration pipes and electrical lines. These machines plug into standard electrical outlets and can service a small wine cellar or a very large one. We recommend using a dedicated circuit for self contained systems. Self Contained Systems are either Through the Wall or Ducted / Remotely located outside the room. A description of each follows.
The more basic units are traditionally located “through the wall” like window air conditioners.
A rectangular opening is framed in a wine room wall and the cooler is set in the opening. It blows cold air into the room. The compressor inside the machine gets very hot, therefore, fans in the back of the cooler blow air over the compressor to cool it down. As a result, you will notice warm air blowing out of the back of the cooler into the adjacent room to the wine cellar. If this is not acceptable, call us and ask for a special ducted exhaust kit. Also know that this type of system will have undesirable compressor fan noise. If noise in the adjacent room will be a problem, then you may want to consider a remotely located self contained system (air cooled and water cooled options are available) or a split cooler system because the compressor cooling fans will be away from the wine cellar. Take note there is also a condensation drain line that should be connected to the back of the cooler systems. Through the Wall coolers are best for collectors who have a large unfinished / unused room next to a wine cellar where warm exhaust air will not be a problem.
Over the last 15 years, it has become a popular choice to mount the more robust Self Contained Ducted systems outside of the cellar and use ducts with wall or ceiling vents so it’s not visible in the room and gets the noise away from the cellar. Rarely are they placed inside the cellar, however it is possible and sometimes they will be installed “through-the-wall.” These powerful all-in-one wine coolers have large fans to move air to and from the unit and throughout the cellar with ductwork up to about 25′. In special cases, longer ducts can be used with booster fans.
Like the Through the Wall units, these systems have compressor fan noise and warm air exhaust, and also require a condensation drain line. The noise can diminished with “S curves” or loops with flex ducts or ducted to the outside or another area. To completely eliminate the noise and heat exhaust, the other option is using a water-cooled system. This set up requires a water line hooked up to the wine cellar cooler that will dissipate the heat from the compressor.
Split systems separate the condenser and the evaporator, meaning there are 2 separate machines that are connected by refrigeration pipes and electrical lines. Ductless Split Evaporators are located in the wine cellar and blow cold air directly into the room. Ducted Evaporators are usually mounted outside the cellar. The supply air and return air are moved through ductwork using this type of wine cellar cooling system.
Wine Warden Ductless Split Evaporator
Wine Warden Split System – Outdoor Condenser
Wine Guardian Split System – Ducted Evaporator
Call 978-204-3663 to discuss your specific needs.
Joe Quartarone, owner