Long story short, I’ve just reallocated and now I have no space for my wine cooler, except for in the living room in front of a massive window. The manufacturer states that the front glass is UV resistant, but that could essentially mean a minor reduction in UV rays making their way through the glass, which could lead to light struck wines over the storage period.
Any thoughts on how effective this glass is at keeping UV rays out?
I had never listened to those statements myself. Always tried to avoid direct light or buy new shades, like I did for my ‘den’ where my main cellar is.
As a wedding photographer, i can attest to the damage even indirect sunlight has on items: photos, book spines etc. Why take the chance?
That is the answer I was afraid of…I guess I’ll have to find somewhere else to put it. Due to the ductwork, curtains/blinds are difficult to cover the entire window.
Or figure out a way to screen the windows of the cabinet perhaps with some opaque film on the inside of the glass that could be removed if the situation changes.
you can also apply film to the exterior of the glass doors with serious UV ratings. Call a local window film specialist.
Andrew,
I’d go with Rick’s and Suzanne’s suggestions to modify the cabinet you have. Personally, I’d put an opaque screen on the inside glass and be done with it. Being able to see my wine bottles with the door closed isn’t anything for which I’d put the wines at risk.
+1 to the idea for film on the cooler door. You don’t have to give up a view of the bottles–the films are transparent and in many cases don’t cut a huge amount of visible light. It’s not like putting window tint on your car.
One other thing to think about - is the light coming through the window going to heat the wine unit such that it’s overworked?
Great suggestions, folks. I never even thought about putting a film on the inside of the glass. I don’t care if I can see the bottles or not, so this would be a great solution. I think the unit may have to work slightly harder when in direct sunlight, but I keep it at 55, and it can go as low as 46, so I don’t think it is beyond the capability of the cooler.
Keeping sunlight off the unit entirely would be optimum. Even if it were a glassless unit, I would give the same advice.
I would think having direct sunlight on the unit with or without glass can easily change the temperature by several degrees in a relatively short amount of time.