I have 2 small (30 bottle) GE wine cellars, and I’m starting to think I need a third (but no more after that, I promise!). The most logical place for it would be right near the others, in the garage. However, I’m using both power outlets in that spot. My question is, would it be a total no-no to get a power strip for one of the outlets and plug 2 of the 3 units into that?
One of the existing units rarely seems to run (or at least is inaudible), whereas the other one runs frequently for some reason.
Sorry to be so ignorant on the subject. I could probably get an answer with a Google search, but I thought perhaps one of you might be able to advise. Plus, it’s more fun to come here.
I = current (Amps)
P = Power (Watts)
V = Voltage (Volts)
I don’t know what voltage is local to you, but the wattage should be in the use manual. I doubt it’s high and my guess is that it might be a good prompt to put a lower amp fuse in than the default 13 amp on the individual plugs.
Assuming this puts all three under the level of the fuse used, this should be ok, but I know people who don’t trust power strips that much (we use a couple of them indoors, but prefer the ones with separate switches).
I’m sure many will say “who are you kidding!” (that 90 bottles would be enough). Before getting a third mini fridge, worth considering a 100-200 bottle fridge, with a view to retiring the fridge that is having to work hard. Many here would find it easy to fill up a 30 bottle fridge inside a month.
Even if they come on infrequently, you still have to plan for the times when all 3 happen to be on at once, which is likely not that rare if they are similar models in the same place. If you satisfy Ian’s threshold, you may want to consider a battery back up instead of a power strip, though those fridges may draw too much for that.
Check the back and see how many amps each unit draws, and check the specs for the new one. Most household circuits are 15-20 amps. If the coolers draw 5 amps or less each, you should be OK plugging them all into the same outlet.
One caveat: There could be other outlets or devices on the same circuit. So, for instance, if your garage door opener or a deep freeze or something else with a sizable motor/compressor is on the same circuit, you could trip the circuit breaker/blow the fuse.
It’s very strange, but the specs for the GE 30-bottle units that I find online don’t list the amperage:
That’s very odd, since it’s crucial when buying appliances. I think that’s required by law to be listed on the product itself.
While most of the time they may not all run at once, when it’s hot the compressors on all three might well be on at once – particularly, as Ken said, since they’re the same make and presumably have the same or similar thermostats.
From a power standpoint, I would guess that fewer, bigger units would be much more efficient.
Wattage is a good indicator of amperage requirement.
V x A =W or A = W/V (110 x 15 = 1650, 15 = 1650/110)
In other words, if the units draw less than 550 watts each, they can be on one 15 amp circuit.
You need to figure out the worst case amperage requirement, which would be when all three start up simultaneously. Any appliance with a motor will draw more current to get the motor running than it does when the motor is up to speed. There should be a little metal plate on the back of the fridge that states both startup and run time amps. Multiply the start up amps by three and compare it to the rating on the breaker in your panel box. If the current draw is less than the breaker rating, you should be okay, assuming the wire run between the breaker box and the outlet is not excessive.
As an example, suppose the start up amperage is six amps. When all three start simultaneously, the draw is 18 amps. If the breaker is rated at 20 amps, no problem. A 15 amp breaker, on the other hand, will trip, cutting power to the outlet until you reset the breaker. This assumes no other loads on the circuit.
See, this is why I came here! Lots of good information, and thanks everyone for making it easy for a layperson to digest.
I probably would be better off just replacing the smaller units with one larger one for efficiency’s sake. I just dread the process of unloading the two I’ve got. Maybe my first foray into eBay is on the horizon.
What John said pretty much. Also the stated draw will be less than the initial power draw. I doubt you’d have all three turn on at the same time but I would be wary of three on one existing circuit regardless. I bet they each draw about 5 amps after the initial load. Just a WAG, wild a** guess.
Usually there is a tag on the unit near the power cord with these specs. A larger and cheap unit can be found at Cosco if you are US.
If the units are Thermoelectric there shouldn’t be any problem because this type of unit usually draws less than 100w. If they are compressor type unit then 3 units will probably cause an overload on that circuit.
But those are full-sized refrigerators and they draw 6.5 amps each. A 30-bottle fridge is maybe a quarter or a sixth the volume of a full fridge and only has to maintain 55F, not 0F for the freezer and 40F for the fridge side of a regular fridge. So I would guess that the wine fridges draws much less than 5 amps each.
I actually just stopped in at an appliance store to try to get an answer. They didn’t have specs for the their wine fridges. We even pulled ULine out of the cabinet but there was no plate with that info on the back.
Here’s a thread that suggests a wine fridge of unspecified size draws only 3 amps.
I’ve been wondering about this too, since being told our Hydro bill is way higher than comparable houses on our area. That’s pretty independent of the seasons. I have 4 Vintage keeper (Koolr) units in the basement. No data yet!
One thing I wonder about is (lack of) insulation compared to a regular fridge.
I don’t see how these would be the culprit. But I can’t think of anything else in our house that is unusual.
The other thing to keep in mind is since you have the unit in your garage (assuming it is an unconditioned space), you should really consider if that is the best place for the fridges…most refrigerators (wine or other) aren’t meant to be in unconditioned spaces where temps can fluctuate wildly. You may want to consider moving these into a basement or office where they are operating in a narrower temperature range (e.g. 65-80 F). If your park your cars in the garage in the summer, environmental temps (easily 90F+) could cause the fridges to run constantly and quite inefficiently as they attempt to keep the unit cool (I’m not sure what your winters are like, but that could be an issue as well since fridges don’t heat particularly well). Plus, a failure from a blown circuit or compressor could be catastrophic for whatever wine you have in there. I know this wasn’t your original question but it is worth considering, especially if you upgrade to a bigger unit (which may also void a warranty if not installed in the correct location such as indoors).
Yes different sizes so scale appropriately. The electrical theory is there. Surprising that a small 30 btl vin fridge to hold at 55 or 40 degrees would draw almost half the current of a full size unit which does a lot more.
Here is a 30 unit that claims to draw 2.3 amps but its expensive.
I would be concerned that cheaper units could be kind bad on the energy draw, maybe that’s why its hard to find the numbers on some of them, and would be careful about three of them into one plug unless I knew the numbers.
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