Wine Cellar Update

Cooling system upgrade -- converted to a true wine cellar cooling unit.

The 12v power supply driving the cold air fans failed on my cellar cooler.  It was at least a day before I found out. After finding the fault, I replaced the supply.  The system was not as efficient though as it had trouble hitting the 66F that I kept the cellar at.  So it was time to replace the cooling system as the entire project had been proven successful.

I first got a CRU 4200.  This unit came and during the bench test I was only able to power from the side plug but it did blow air.  Upon opening the lid, I found the rear plug wires disconnected, and worse, the entire high pressure fan system was toast. Presumably damaged during shipping but the box was in good shape!!??

Anyway, I changed the order to a WhisperCool 3000.  Made the final cut in the wall (don't do this until you have bench tested!), and installed the unit.  I had to run a separate power line for the unit, and chose to use a 20A circuit -- you may be able to use 15A -- the user manual says 20A, but the unit has a label that notes max 15A protection.  My WhisperCool came with some errors in packing -- I had an extra temperature sensor that didn't even belong to this model, the foam weatherstripping were all one size instead of mixed, the bench test plug was missing, and the owners manual was for a different system (a split air conditioning system).  It turns out none of this mattered much as the manual is available on the net, and the unit can be bench tested with the actual PDT sensor -- you don't need the test plug.  The manufacturer (WhisperCool) was very helpful as was the seller (WineEnthusiast.com). The latter through the whole purchase, refund and substitute and also in getting me in touch with the manufacturer.

Because the WhisperCool will allow me to lower the cellar temp to 55F, I increased insulation.  This was accomplished by drilling holes and filling my indoor door with foam, and also by installing 1" foam insulation on the inner side of the door.  My door is a small non-standard closet door, and also I didn't want to get rid of the insulating cork decoration I had installed on the outer side.

View from the garage -- you can see the older cooling system on the bottom right (still there for backup)

View from inside the wine cellar.  I had to cut out 9 bottle spots to accommodate the cooler.  The display is when first turned on.  It took less than 12 hours to reach 55F and is holding fine.  Now I need to determine the duty cycle to see how reasonable the insulation is.