4 Ways To Install Custom Wine Cellar Cooling Systems
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A custom wine cellar cooling unit is a necessary part of a custom wine cellar. A refrigeration unit makes sure that the inside of a wine cellar has the temperature and humidity ideal for wine storage. It is best to have a licensed technician install a custom wine cellar refrigeration system. There are basically 4 ways to install a cooling into your wine storage room. 2 of these methods are for self-contained cellar cooling units while 2 are for split system cellar refrigeration units. Learn about these by reading through this article.
Non-Ducted Self-Contained Wine Cellar Cooling Units
This is the easiest and the most common way of installing a cooling unit into a custom wine cellar in California. Basically, the self-contained refrigeration system is mounted through the wall of the wine storage room. In this kind of installation process, you may opt to not have a licensed professional. Although having an HVAC professional is still the best option, you can choose to do it yourself. This kind of installation will, therefore, save you a lot of money. The disadvantage is that self-contained units are usually quite noisy, because the unit’s evaporator and condenser are together in this setup.
Ducted Self-Contained Wine Cellar Refrigeration Units
The second way of installing a self-contained cooling system is by ducting the unit into the wine cellar. This is a great way to totally remove the noisy unit from the cellar. Besides eliminating the noise, you get to maximize space. You may fit inlet and outlet grills into the cellar for ducting in place of the bulky unit. You can now also have more racking space. The only disadvantage is that it costs more.
It is important to keep in mind that, though most self-contained ducted refrigeration systems are configured for ducting, but there are some self-contained systems that can perform well, whether you choose to have them ducted or not. Therefore, it really depends on what model or brand of wine cellar cooling unit you purchase, whether you have the option of ducting the cool air into the wine storage room, or ducting the hot air away, or are able to do both.
Non-Ducted Split Cooling Systems
Split type cellar cooling units have the their evaporators split from their condensers. In this configuration, you can have the noisy part (condenser) outside of the custom wine cellar. This is the traditional way of effectively eliminating the noise inside the cellar. These days, though, since we have ducted systems, you do not need to choose this option. Split type cellar refrigeration systems require an HVAC professional to install too.
Ducted Split Cellar Cooling Systems
In this kind of installation, the split cooling unit is taken outside and ducted into the wine cellar. In this configuration, you get all the benefits of a quiet cellar and a spacious storage room. This is the most flexible installation option available. This type of installation is quite costly, though, and requires an HVAC professional.
