We have a wine cellar and I am hoping to get help with an issue we are having with the door. The humidity in the cellar always runs high (we live in Florida) so I keep a dehumidifier in the cellar to keep it at 60-65 percent.
Despite that, we are starting to see mildew around the door. I don’t know how to add pics to a post so I put them up on my website here:
Hi Jeffrey - Sorry to hear about your problems. I clicked the link you listed above and it’s prompting me for a ‘Yahoo small business’ login, so I’m unable to see the pictures.
I can’t see the pictures either, but if you are getting mildew near the door my guess is that you have a bit of an air leak and that the warm, humid air outside the cellar is getting into the cellar just enough that the moisture condenses on the cooler walls/door, allowing mildew to accumulate.
I would check the sealing and insulation around the door, and try removing the existing mildew with some sort of appropriate cleaner (diluted bleach perhaps)?
The pics seem to indicate the damage is on the outside of the cellar. Seems that the humidity inside is under control via the dehumidifier but outside of that door there is a problem. Corroded hinges, swelled wood making the door casing misaligned this difficulty with the lockset and mold growth on the surface.
What’s the humidity level just outside the cellar door?
Also, what is the temp inside and out? If there is a large differential, the heat could be causing an uneven expansion issue for the door casing.
Yeah, flip my earlier comment around. Looks like the cold on the inside is likely causing condensation on the outside, allowing mildew to grow. Hinges are easy as the metal goes into the cellar and simply conducts the cold (or dissipates some of the heat into the cellar, technically).
Can you control the humidity outside the cellar somewhat? Perhaps even a small fan blowing around the door will be enough.
What Andrew said…the cellar is making the outside of the door cold, which is causing condensation moisture on the door…causing mildew/etc.
A simple short term (or long term, if you don’t mind the looks) that’ll allow you to verify this is the problem: hang an old bed sheet (or similar, but bed sheets are the right size roughly) on the outside and inside of the door. The fastest way to do this, if you don’t mind some nail holes, is to nail 3 nails on the top of the door frame moulding/trim (door frame henceforth), one on each top corner and one in the top middle…the nails should be pounded half way in. Hang the bed sheet on those (use twist ties to keep the sheet in place). The sheet will drap across the entire door frame…i.e. top & both sides of the door frame and the floor around the door. This provides a relatively sealed air gap around the door. Do this on both the inside and outside of the door (so you’ll need to push the sheets aside when going in/out).
This will create an insulated air space around the inside & outside of the door, which will solve the condensation problem. This is a relatively easy and surprisingly effective way to test if your door/doorSeal/etc is insufficiently insulated. If it is, then you can figure out how you want to solve it. Also, you can leave this temporary solution in place until the cold months arrive, and mess around with your door then (when leaving the door open while being worked on won’t matter).
Thanks everyone! This is a big relief and I am pleased that the problem is outside the wine cellar and not inside. I have started running a dehumidifier next to the door and I will put up some bed sheets to try to create a better seal. Right now it is almost impossible to unlock the cellar. It means I am not tempted to drink some of my wines too soon but I would still love to get in there. Thanks again for the help! Jeff
You may find that your condensation issue may improve, you may still have difficulty with the door due to long term swelling and misalignment. If the lock (looks like just a deadbolt) turns freely when the door is open, the lock bolt is likely dragging against the strike plate in the jamb. With the door open and the deadbolt extended, look for signs of rubbing on the side of the bolt shank. If not evident, take a black marker and color all sides of the bolt shank, close the door and operate the bolt several times. Open it and inspect for the marker ink worn away on some side. You can then take a file and slowly file the strike plate in the jamb where it rubs the bolt. It may take some time of repeated filing and testing to get the fit right. You can also try loosening the screws in the strike plate very slightly just to get a little movement in the plate. It may shift enough to alleviate the pressure. It also may shift another way to make it more difficult or block the bolt entirely.
To get mold you need moisture so you are getting some condensation on your lock and hinges. Condensation occurs when the surface temperature falls below the surrounding air dew point. You might want to look at what temperatures you are maintaining your cellar and adjacent room.
I’m in Florida too and my wine room has a “normal” solid wood exterior door with double pane glass, it will sweat if don’t run the house A/C on a humid day, but I don’t have any issues with either the lock or hinges. I keep my wine room set point at 57 degrees with a 3 degree dead band, so my temp varies between 57 and 60, we try to keep the house at 78, but that varies a bit with my wife liking it a few degrees colder.
I have never used a dehumidifier in the wine room, right now the room is 58 degrees and 75% RH and I have no problem with labels (house is 78 and just under 50%RH).
What’ the picture of on the phone (the middle one)?
Does the cooling unit blow on the door?
Does the door have a gasket around it?
Is the cooling unit properly sized to the cellar? You really should not need/want a dehumidifier in the cellar.
What is the RH outside the cellar?
