We at M&M Cellar Systems were recently contacted by Vintage Wine Cellars and asked for help on one of their projects. Vintage Cellars is one of the biggest wine cellar builders in the country. Their central office is in Southern California and they do a lot of projects in Orange County and Los Angeles, regularly asking us to assist with cooling unit installation.

This impressive wine room was to be built with traditional wood wine racks and modern stainless steel metal rods, merging both old and modern design aesthetics. The entirety of the room would be visible from the outside by large glass walls and doors. This residential wine cellar measures 16 feet wide, 5 feet deep, and 9 feet high.  The total bottle storage capacity is 1,150 wine bottles.

Vintage Wine Cellars used a combination of different wine rack designs.  There are single bottle storage racks, horizontal display racks, solid diamond bins, case drawers, and stainless steel metal rods.  The wine rack designs are actually a mix of traditional and modern wine storage styles.

The wooden wine racks are made of Sapele Mahogany.  Mahogany is one of the best wood species, due to its natural beauty, longevity, workability, and compatibility with wood stains.  The stain used for the wooden wine racks is a dark walnut stain, with a clear lacquer finish.

A wine cellar door is an essential element in every wine room.

In order to maintain the ideal humidity and temperature inside the wine cellar, it must have an air tight seal.  This is what wine cellar doors are for–they keep wine cellars insulated while providing a method of  access.

A Door That Offers Quality Design Elements

Aside from the functional aspects of wine cellar doors, they should also enhance the aesthetic appeal of a wine room. Wine cellar doors can be customized to reflect the style preference and personality of the owner.

The wine cellar cooling unit used for this climate controlled wine cellar is an SLD split wine cellar cooling system.  This type and model of cooling unit is ideal for many residential wine cellars.

Initially, the wine cellar cooling unit installation was a bit of a challenge due to the size of the cellar and the all-glass-front.  At least 10,000 BTUs were needed to cool the room down to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first design had a fully ducted commercial grade high static system, which would be installed in the attic.  But it turned out that the attic did not have enough space because the air handler for the house was already kept there. This resulted in a redesign that allowed the evaporator coil of the cooling unit be hidden in the wine racks.

The split wine cellar cooling system by SLD was chosen for this wine room because of its versatility and functionality.  It is designed for medium to high temperature wine storage spaces.

The wine cellar cooling systems team installed the cooling unit horizontally, and covered it with a louvered grill, which was made of the same wood as the wine racks.

• Extremely quiet operation
• Low profile
• Wall mounted
• Uses R-22 refrigerant

Parts

• Evaporator
• Condenser
• Standard thermostat
• Indoor controls
• Line set kit

Product Specifications of the Evaporator

• Height: 11 and 7/16 inches
• Width: 41 and 5/16 inches
• Depth: 9 and 3/8 inches
• Weight: 26.5 lbs
• Capacity: 2,000 cubic feet
• BTU: 10200
• Electrical requirements: 115V/60 Hz.

Product Specifications of the Condenser

• Height: 20 inches
• Width: 26 inches
• Depth: 20 inches
• Weight: 125 lbs

We at M&M are pleased to offer optional products for this cooling unit. These include the outdoor condenser enclosure and the Ranco digital thermostat. Both are sold separately.

(Click here to see the installation guide.)

M&M Wine Cellar Cooling Systems California is a family owned business based in California.  We have years of experience in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).

We’re also one of the very few HVAC specialists in Los Angeles and Orange County with expert training and experience installing and servicing wine cellar refrigeration systems for homes and commercial properties.

We work closely with a number of local wine cellar dealers like Vintage Wine Cellars who need our expertise to complete their wine cellar projects.

Contact us now for a free consultation on your wine cellar design and wine cellar cooling unit installation project.

A wine cellar refrigeration system is a crucial component of cellaring wines.  The cooling unit is responsible for keeping temperature levels between 50°F and 55°F, and the relative humidity at around 60%.  Maintaining a stable and consistent storage environment is essential to preserving and improving the quality of wines for a prolonged period of time.

Types of Wine Cellar Cooling Systems

Wine cellar climate control systems are used in both residential wine rooms and commercial wine displays.  There are three different types of residential and commercial wine cellar cooling units on the market: self-contained “through the wall” systems, split cooling systems, and self-contained ducted units.  Each refrigeration unit has unique specifications, and requires regular preventative maintenance and service from licensed HVAC personnel.

A self-contained “through the wall” wine cellar cooling unit is the most economical and the easiest to install.  It is simply mounted on the wall, and vents through an adjacent room.  The room must be well-ventilated and should not exceed 80°F.

A split wine cellar cooling system houses the evaporator unit and condensing unit separately.

Separating the units provides flexibility in wine cellar cooling installation options, that can help minimize the impact of noise, heat, and vibration.  A line set is used to connect the condensing unit (placed in a remote location) to the evaporator unit (installed inside the wine room).

A self-contained ducted cooling unit provides efficient performance.  This entire cooling unit can be located within or near the wine cellar (e.g. attic, adjoining room, etc.).

Air ducts are used to supply cold air into the wine room, and return air vents pump air out of the cellar and into the system.

Since the unit can be installed outside the wine cellar, the absence of mechanical equipment inside the storage space can increase total bottle capacity, as well as add to the aesthetics.

Wine Cellar Cooling Maintenance

The absence or lack of wine cellar cooling installation can cause irreversible damage to a wine collection.  Proper support infrastructure (e.g. insulation and a vapor barrier) must also be in place to ensure that the ideal climate conditions are maintained and the refrigeration system does not overexert itself, which could otherwise lead to overheating and costly damage.

Applying insulation to all walls and the ceiling helps maintain a consistent wine storage temperature.  The cool environment of a wine cellar can promote moisture migration, which can consequently lead to mold growth.  A properly installed vapor barrier prevents vapor diffusion and halts mold presence inside the wine room.

Routine wine cellar cooling maintenance and annual inspection service is highly recommended to ensure the optimum performance of climate control systems.  Proper service and maintenance conducted by a certified HVAC professional will keep the refrigeration equipment running smoothly and prevent higher cost repairs down the line.

An HVAC professional is a licensed technician that specializes in the maintenance, repair, and installation of various equipment, including commercial and residential wine cellar cooling systems, air conditioning, refrigeration, humidifiers, heating units, hermetic compressors, and intake and exhaust fans.

Preventative wine cellar cooling maintenance Los Angeles allows HVAC professionals to identify a potential problem that may lead to a major breakdown of a residential or commercial wine cellar cooling system.  Sudden failure of wine cellar climate control systems exposes wines to temperature swings that can completely ruin the overall taste and flavor of wines.

A preventative maintenance plan for commercial or residential wine cellar cooling systems provides early detection of mechanical failure.  Regular wine cellar cooling maintenance and inspection service enables a licensed HVAC professional to formulate and implement corrective measures and actions that can greatly reduce the probability of equipment malfunction and complete system breakdown.

HVAC preventative wine cellar cooling maintenance checklist includes monitoring and adjusting refrigerant levels, operation of compressor, fan motors, amperage and voltage readings, superheat and sub-cooling measurements, as well as checking electronic relays and controls, and wiring connection.  Routine inspection service of wine cellar cooling installation helps maintain the efficiency of the refrigeration equipment.

M&M Cellar Systems offer a proactive wine cellar cooling maintenance Los Angeles plan that allows their team of technicians to conduct periodic health checks to commercial or residential wine cellar cooling systems.  A general inspection of the cooling system keeps the equipment running smoothly at all times, and minimizes the risk of exposing wine collections to unfavorable climate conditions.

M&M Cellar Systems is a Los Angeles based company that specializes in the design and installation of residential and commercial wine cellar cooling systems.  The company offers top notch wine cellar refrigeration equipment product sales that are backed by a team of specialists that provide quality wine cellar cooling maintenance Los Angeles services.  The refrigeration solutions they supply are from the best manufacturers in the industry:  US Cellar Systems, CellarPro, Wine Guardian, and WhisperKOOL.

Wine cellar refrigeration systems may be simple or complex, forced air or split-type, and affordable or expensive.  These units vary significantly on the amount of noise produced (decibel level), how they vent, installation method, and lifespan.

Generally, there are three main types of wine cellar refrigeration:

Forced Air

One of the three general types of wine cellar refrigeration systems Los Angeles is the forced air type, also known as the through-the-wall wine cellar cooling system.

This basic style of wine cellar refrigeration is like a window-type air conditioner, but the forced-air cooling unit cannot vent air out.

It can only vent interiorly, into an adjacent room that should be bigger than its maximum cooling capacity (80 degrees Fahrenheit).

One of the advantages of this cooling unit type is its affordable price and simple installation method.  However, a forced-air cooling unit only lasts up to 8 years, and it is quite noisy.

Ductable Wine Cellar Refrigeration Systems

This wine cellar refrigeration type offers high functionality.  It is somewhat similar to the forced-air type, because they both have their compressors and evaporators in a single housing.

On the other hand, a ductable unit gives you the convenience of positioning it in a separate room, far from your custom wine cellar.

You can then duct the cooled air into your wine storage room while releasing the warmed air to outside. In fact, some units can even be placed outside of your house, as long as you protect the unit from environmental factors.

Ductable wine cellar refrigeration also gives you the convenience of a quieter wine storage space, because of its lower decibel level compared to forced-air units.  It also has a longer shelf-life of up to 15 years.

With its higher functionality and lifespan, it is a bit pricey; and, on the downside, the ducts can only run a maximum of 25 feet, and you have to make sure that warm air is vented away from any living space.

Split Wine Cellar Cooling System

The third type of cooling system is the split-type.  This type has two configurations – ductless or ducted.  The former is more common, because its installation is simpler.  It is like a centralized air conditioning setup with a separate condenser that can be placed in a separate room or outside the wine cellar.

A pair of refrigeration pipes that would normally hang on your wine cellar walls connect the condenser to the evaporator.  A ducted setup, on the other hand, is ducted into the wine storage; but, this is only needed if your wine cellar is large.

Split-type units are very advantageous.  Their evaporators are very quiet, because the fans are the only parts producing a sound, and their condenser is located somewhere else.

Also, its refrigeration lines can run as long as 90 feet, giving you a wide range of installation options.  Additionally, split wine cellar refrigeration systems last up to 20 years and can give you constant temperature and relative humidity levels which allows your wines to age safely.

For its downside, a split-type unit is costly.  This is due to the fact that its refrigeration lines need to be charged with a refrigerant. You would need the HVAC expertise of a wine cellar specialist.

Ultimately, a lot of factors need to be considered for your final decision.  This includes the storage room size, venting application, your budget and location, just to name a few.  Make sure that you talk to wine cellar refrigeration systems Los Angeles expert before making the final decision.

M&M Cellar Systems has the best customer service and installation and maintenance skills for your wine cellar refrigeration. It is a family-owned business based in Los Angeles with years of experience in HVAC refrigeration and heating installation and services.  You can contact them through their website www.winecellarcoolinglosangeles.com.