Curious if anyone can recommend some favorites (or systems to avoid)? I am converting a room in my house, which can vent outdoors, and am looking for a reliable unit. Based on a search of old threads, it seems like there’s some who have had good experiences with CellarPro. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
You’re correct. Cellarpro is great. Great products great customer service. Others out there but I have had good luck so far with them
Thanks Joe!
I just had a Whisperkool Extreme 8000ti installed in my walk-in cellar,replacing a Whisperkool 6000 that lasted 10(?) years. The new one will cool to 55 degrees below outside temps.
Now working great.
HOT MIAMI !
I’ve also been really happy with my through-the-wall Whisperkool here in the hot and humid Houston area. I started with a Whisperkool 8000 for about 8 years and replaced it with a Whisperkool Extreme 8000 about 9 years ago. My first unit was still running fine but Whisperkool/Vinotheque offered me a generous trade in to upgrade to the Extreme. The Extreme 8000ti looks like the current version of what I have, and interestingly, its list price is more than $800 less than the list price of the Extreme 8000 9 years ago !
I’m on my second Whisperkool (first was in a house I sold, so the 2nd was not due to failure of the first) and both have been rock solid.
Why not a split system installed by a local HVAC guy? Whisperkool/Cellarpro systems are typically proprietary and need to sent back for repairs. A split system can be regularly service by the guy who installed it, and can be fixed with readily available parts. It might be worth an investigation/quote to see what the price difference would be.
I was going to say Whisperkool but I like the split system suggestion!
Very well may be less costly, and they are effective, I work at a place that uses them (not for wine) for a number of building applications.
Yeah, that was my immediate thought - if you’re gonna go to the bother of cutting a hole in the side of your house, then why not get commercial grade equipment?
I certainly wouldn’t buy anything with the word “CHINA” stamped on it.
In fact, if I knew anything about restaurant [or laboratory] cold room chilling units, then I’d be scouring Craiglist and AuctionZip for ancient Made-in-the-USA dinosaur equipment, which, with proper maintenance, might last another century.
Of course, I’m the one who’s always trying to warn people to use pressure treated wood & stainless steel fasteners & hardipanel when they build these cold rooms…
Easier said than done. The HVAC companies I spoke with didn’t deal with wine cellar-type temps and humidity and the commercial refrigeration companies didn’t want to deal with a residential installation. I did find one company that would spec a system for me, and the cost was about 50% higher than the Whisperkool.
I’d like to add that due to some very fortunate weather and a very unfortunate incident with our pool pump, that we’ve been on minimal electricity usage the last month and the cost to run my CellarPro 3200 is negligible.
This is what we did with a local HVAC guy who had experience with wine cellars. The price came in below the two quotes we got for other systems, and he’s local to provide service. We only just turned it on for the first time last week and haven’t put any wine in yet, but it’s working well so far!
Yep, we did the same for the wine wall we installed in the house we’re finishing up. One word of advice though- make sure you use a HVAC person who actually has experience…or better yet…specializes in wine cellars.
We initially used the HVAC company that did all of our AC units for the whole house, and they swore up and down that the commercial unit they were installing would be quiet (the wall is in the middle of our dining room area in the center of the house, so quiet is key). Well…it was quiet like a freight train, and even with the thick glass doors installed, I could still hear it running from upstairs. Had them take it back and used another company that works with wine cellars often and it’s amazing, and whisper quiet. And like everyone else has mentioned, I can easily have it serviced as needed.
Rich, who makes your cooler? Is it a split system?
Yep, it’s a split system. Let me try and find the name of it tomorrow when I stop by the house (can’t recall as it’s not a ‘wine brand’ air handler).
As one of the owners of CellarPro, may I lob in my 2 cents?
Both CellarPro Cooling Systems and WhisperKool make split systems - there’s nothing “proprietary” about split systems, it just refers to a type of equipment configuration, like self-contained or ducted equipment. In this thread, it seems like “split system” is equated with commercial-grade HVAC equipment, which isn’t necessarily correct.
There are key differences between REFRIGERATION equipment (made by CP and WK) vs HVAC equipment. By way of background, the temperature and humidity inside the cellar will be primarily the result of the following:
Changes in any of these variables will change the outcome of the temperature, humidity, or both. So, for HVAC equipment, the variables are tuned to achieve human comfort - typically 72F and 30%-50% humidity. In contrast, wine cellar refrigeration equipment is tuned to achieve ideal wine storage conditions - eg 55F and 60% humidity.
The design parameters of our equipment won’t allow it to be used for HVAC purposes, and similarly, it’s hard to imagine that HVAC equipment could be effectively used for refrigeration (sorry Mighty Kenmore!). Even if you are able to “trick” the thermostat to cool down to 55F, the size of the coils, the airflow and the compressor rating will not be tuned to achieve optimal humidity conditions for wine storage, and I’d be worried about the impact on the longevity of the equipment (specifically the compressor) when using it outside of its design parameters.
I’ve definitely heard of techs who install non-branded split equipment with good success - the most common equipment that I’ve heard is that they use condensing units from LRC paired with custom-made evaporator modules - but I don’t know how those units are priced in comparison to split equipment from WhisperKool or CellarPro. I’d also weigh the cost/benefit of being tied to that installer, because it’s their custom equipment and no one else will warranty it, and whether you perceive any benefit to having equipment that was designed specifically for your application - wine storage is all we do.
Feel free to ping me with questions - I’m happy to share all that I know - good luck!
And as for my follow up, my apologies, but we’ve already installed the vent cover and I can’t see the actual unit any longer. I’ll try and hit up my guy and see if I can’t get the name of the company who makes the unit
A tech once told me if you’re looking for a split system contact a florist and ask for a recommendation. Apparently their needs closely mimic ours-55* 70ish humidity. And every town has a florist.
I’ve used room air conditioners in four cellars over a 40+ year period.
Never had problems with humidity. (They were true cellars with cement floors over soil)
TTT
I got mine from Cellarpro and could not be more pleased. I gave them all of the info on the cellar and they told me what size unit I needed. If I were estimating on my own, I would have bought a much bigger unit than I needed. The one they recommended keeps my cellar at 55 with no problems, and without long run times.