Does anyone here have experience with the Wine Guardian ductless split system? I have seen some other posts here talking about Wine Guardian, but I think most folks said they have a ducted system. I’m seriously considering the ductless (dealing with old house logistics) and would love anyone’s input.
I have had a ductless mini split cellar for 6 years. Works flawlessly. Super reliable, quiet, and efficient. I would buy a non wine branded unit like Mitsubishi but there are many firms who make them. Then they can be serviced by a regular refrigeration firm with regular parts. You need a coolbot to get the temps lower than for household use. A good refrigeration place will know about this or easily understand how it works.
Sean, I have had both a Wine Guardean ducted and ductless system. No issues with either. Currently six months into the ductless system, having experienced summer (in TX!) and now autumn. Working flawlessly. Feel free to PM with any questions.
I have this system. My cellar is two years old and I’ve only had one issue — it froze up in the summer last year. I just needed to turn it off for 24h and the issue did not repeat. My system heats in winter and cools in summer. I keep it at ~53 degrees year round. No complaints.
Interesting (kind of concerning) that it froze up. I don’t know a ton about HVAC, but I wouldn’t think that should happen with a new, well-maintained unit.
How cold does the surrounding area get, to need heat? I’m building the room in a corner of my basement. The rest of the basement is climate controlled, but some of the cellar walls will be “exterior” (against the dirt and rock of the ground). It’s kind of hard for me to estimate how much cold that would allow in during the winter…
That’s not a good sign. Having seen that with my own home A/C, I had this article handy while I was troubleshooting. Granted my home system has some years. A new system for a WC should not have those kind of issues unless there was a faulty install.
What Causes an Air Conditioner to Freeze Up?.
And this type of issues is independent of ducted or ductless from what I saw of the Wine Guardian schematic. Its basic systemic.
My system is in the garage and it got very dusty. Once I vacuumed the filter, it was fine. My cellar has two exterior walls — so, if I did nothing, it might get down to 45 or so if it really got cold…
Did you install yourself?
I have a friend that has installed several split systems himself but these seem a little less than DIY than I would expect many would prefer.
No, the people who did my cellar installed it.
Finally got this system up and running late last week. Still waiting on my wine racks, and for the movers to bring most of my collection, but I loaded in the wine I have here over the weekend. So far so good. I like that the system is quiet enough that I basically don’t hear it unless I’m actually in the cellar. The cellar is below our living room, and the outdoor unit is outside of our dining room, and we don’t hear them at all. Time will tell in terms of reliability, of course…