Ok, I have about half my wine in a temp controlled wine cabinet. The other half is not. I keep the house cool (around 60) and so for about 9 months of the year, it’s fine. The ambient temp of a room that’s closed off fromt the main house (one of the bedrooms) ranges from the low to high 50s. But that’s only 9 months of the year. For the other 3, I have, for the last 2 years, just put a portable AC unit in the room and kept the room at or below 65. I wasn’t using the room, so that was fine.
However, I want to use that room now and, while I could AC it again, I don’t necessarily want the room chilled to 65 when it’s only 75 or so outside - I don’t need that… but the wine obviously needs to be below 75. So…
The room has a closet that fits the wine. It’s about 120cf (4ft wide, 3 deep, about 9 high). My thought is to put in sliding doors that maintain a good seal and a (very) small AC unit in the wall of the closet. That unit could vent outside.Now… My choices for the cooling unit are a full on breezaire or the like or a through the wall AC unit… the latter is cheaper and, since it’s only 3 or maybe 4 months out of the year, my preference (I’m not that worried about the humidity for that time period). BUT… as I was looking at the in wall AC units I noticed that they’re $5-600. The same unit (BTU-wise) in the in-window configuration is about $200. It’s only $300 but I’m wondering… what makes one model that much more expensive than the other when they have equivalent cooling capacity? Is there any reason an in-window unit couldn’t be mounted in a wall?
Isn’t the problem with the window unit in a wall that it needs one side outside due to condensation? Rick- what about one of those portable “swamp coolers” that show up at Hone Depot and Costco around summertime? They are portable and would seem to work for a small controlled space.
But one side would be outside (the unit will be mounted in an exterior wall).
I have a portable AC unit and could use that… it’s just that it will take space within the closet. While I might not worry about it this season, I’m also considering reworking the closet into a cellar space with racking, etc. But I might just use the portable for this summer. ASsuming we HAVE a summer… /whimper…
Ok- so a hole cut in the wall rather than a window. Should work, but it seems rather permanent if you ever change your mind on the use of the space.
Funny you mention the lack of summer. I was enticed by the sun last Sunday during it’s brief appearance and brought a dry Fino and a Txakoli rose over to our friends’ place for dinner. I’m dying here- the forecast is 60 this Saturday- I may go au naturelle.
Yeah, I can cut the hole. I have to for either the through the wall or the window unit. What I don’t get is why the same cooling capacity in the through the wall version costs so much more.
My guess would be even though the capacity is the same, the in wall unit would be quieter, possibly more energy efficient and even if you are a skilled person with the saw, you would be likely doing some workarounds with the window unit. Consult your local hardware/HVAC expert. I’ve started too many projects that I had to call in reinforcements for.
The inexpensive through the wall wine units are not designed to be vented outdoors. If you have a window I’d just use a small AC. Just understand that it might dry the air (maybe not because it is so oversized). Don’t think you would find a 3-4’ slider. If you want to do it right and insulate the walls just use an exterior door on the closet.
The BTU capacity of a unit is based on the temperature that the unit operates at so you can’t compare the BTU rating of a freezer, refrigerator, etc to an AC.
You really wonder why an AC is cheaper than a wine cellar cooling unit
An AC through an interior wall will move all of the humidity to the adjacent space if it doesn’t drip.
No, I don’t wonder why AC is cheaper than a wine cellar unit. I wonder why a through the wall AC unit is 2.5-3x the price of the same capacity unit that is designed as a window unit. Since both have the same cooling capacity, are both AC units and vent to the outside, I’m wondering why I need to spend $600 vs $200.
I often wonder why wine cellar cooling units cost so much for what, in many cases, turns out to be very poor reliability. Just as an example, I have a decidedly low-end consumer-grade kitchen refrigerator that’s going on thirty years without so much as a hiccup.
Yeah, I remembered that when I saw his reply. I’d completely forgotten about the Kenmore unit though - that brings the difference between a unit meant to go in wall and an in window unit down enough that I’ll just use it.
At the end of the day, I only need to actively cool the space for 3 or 4 months. Keeping the door closed on the closet during the cool months will be enough to have that space stay well under 60F even if the room is at its typical 65-68.
+1
Yes, I have had terrible luck with Whisperkool units and when they break, refrigerator repair guys just scratch their heads. They aren’t designed for in-the-field repair.
I can’t speak for Jay, but I think he meant wine cellar units; that’s the rap on them anyway, that some of those currently being offered, and not inexpensively, don’t last for beans. AC units seem much more reliable, let alone kitchen refrigerators as I noted above.
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