Hello all,
I'm building a small wine cellar room in our finished basement, essentially a plywood box 5 x 4 ft. I'm debating whether to put in a regular small room AC, or one of the cooling units advertised in wine mags (eg Koolspace Chillr). We're talking $80 vs $500 here, and I can't seem to find any info on significant advantages for the latter. Noise, vibration, humidity maintenance??
Any input or prior experiences much appreciated!
Thomas in St Louis
first and foremost, room preparation is critical. none will perform efficiently absent proper construction. a good source for room prep can be found on
this basic information should be of some help to you in your planning.
coolspace (and any of the other names under which it's marketed) systems have the most limited warranties in the industry - 12 months versus 5 - 6 years. the chillr has just come on the market (august). based on past models' performance, "good luck".
they introduce "new" models about every 2 years. the predecessors have had less than superior service histories or factory support. the machine must exhaust into an air conditioned, climate controlled space as opposed as to the more established lines such as whisperkool and breezaire, the 2 industry standards. (every national cabinet producer that doesn't tout it's own "house brand" chooses to use breezaire - it has the most comprehensive warranties - it has a 19 year service history that is immaculate and it happens to cost less than whisperkool.
there are also knock-offs that claim to be "replacements" for breezaire, but dimensions alone don't equate to performance history, warranties, loaner programs and overall value per dollar.
sound level, humidity (which is only a by product of the ambient environment - the machine doesn't "do" anything specifically, it can only with what mother nature provides), vibration non-issues created by the marketing folks. al things being equal with regard to capacity and when each is operating properly, there is no distinction - none vibrate, all will maintain 50% - 70% humidity relative to 55 degrees and they all sound the same.
air conditioners won't pull down to the mid 50's ... they will dehydrate the interior which will jeopardize the integrity of the cork (leading to oxidation/evaporation) ... they are designed to cool quickly, subjecting the wines to more severe fluctuations than appropriate to wine storage..
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