I have had a Vintage Keeper 220 for about 10 years. It has done a nice job, and wasn’t too outrageous at about $1000.
But these days it constantly runs. It’s fairly loud. I know it struggles to keep the wine at 57. The cooler is at the top, so the wines at the bottom are probably being stored closer to 63-65.
So, I now have to go shopping and am looking for some advice. My collection is nice, but moderate in comparison to most. I usually have between 100-150 bottles, and the total value is usually around $10,000.
After doing some browsing, I was close to pulling the trigger on a Eurocave 283, black, glass door, some added shelving. This would give me plenty of room to add as it holds 223 bottles (which I know really means about 175-190). It seems to be top of the line as well. But even with free shipping it comes to a little over $4,000. That is quite an investment.
I am willing to spend this much, but only if I have to. Does anybody have suggestions? Whether it be better values, personal experience with Eurocave, or even simple logic ($4000 to store $10000 of wine?!), I could use some advice.
I don’t know the ins and outs of different storage units; others will know more than I. But I wonder if finding a used one might be more “bang for the buck” (alternatively, headache for the buck I suppose, as well) or better yet, if you have space, having someone install a cooling system in a room for an even larger cellar at the same price or less.
I agree with Wilfred. I had a little cellar for a few years but eventually built a small one in our basement. I bought racking and put it together with some help from my wife; and yet we’re still married! I did it cheaper than guying a stand alone unit. Obviously, if you don’t have any space at your home to build then its either off site or you’re buying a stand alone unit.
I thought about building my own cellar. I don’t have an entire room I can dedicate to it, but possible a storage closet (if the little lady lets me )
The passive offsite cellar never crossed my mind. I am about 30 minutes from where it would be cool enough. I guess I could look into it. But to be honest, I love having my wine more available than that.
I think I will look into used wine cellars on craigslist (the more headache for the buck scenario)… see what’s out there.
From another perspective, do not discount Craigslist. In this economy, there’s quite a lot available. I got a never used custom built in SubZero that holds 144 bottles for about 60% off retail from the new owner of a spec house whose builder went under. He was a Kenmore guy, and had no use for it.
Eric, have you ever cleaned out the cooling unit of your cellar? Might just be 10 years worth of dust accumulated on the coils, you might be able to save yourself a lot of $$.
This has happened to me before with a refrigerator.
i have always vacuumed the coils; the little attachement on the vacuum that is round on the end with the furry thistles seemed to do the trick. That doesn’t work anymore.
Josh, is there more I can do to clean it than just that?
Also, what is the life-span on something like this? 10 years does seem to be decent for a not-too-fancy one.
In my case vaccuuming the coils was all I needed to do to get it working again. Other than a coolant recharge (if the chiller is servicable) I don’t know anything else in the way of maintenance that may or may not be possible on that unit.
Okay, Josh. I took it apart a tiny bit, removing some of the protective hardware, and there was much more dust clogging the coils than I thought. I vacuumed out the back.
The cooler also has a vent in the front (inside the actual fridge) that I started to vacuum, but a good amount of liquid started to drip out. I figure this is from running so long.
If I leave it off for a day, while keeping it cool, I am hoping the old guy will start running back to normal tomorrow.
Thanks again for all your ideas everyone. I will keep you updated since I know how important this is to all of you.
I am currently building my own cellar and considered building my own racks, but I decided it would not be cost effective and will go with double deep redwood racks. Double deep maximizes space efficiency while individual slots is to my liking compared to diamonds or bins. I linked two that I am considering.
The shape of your cellar plays a huge role in space utilization.
My cellar is 8 x 12 which will give me a long row on each wall. The longer wall will easily hold 1000 bottles and the shorter wall (door side) will hold about 600 bottles leaving space for stacked cases and the door. I should have no problem holding my relatively modest collection and at this point, I see no reason to have more wine, maybe better but not more.
Each of these racks hold about 380 bottles and are 45 inches long and 24 inches deep. So, a thousand bottles would occupy about 2600 sq-inches (about 17-18 sq-ft) of floor space. The door and isle spacing depends on your configuration but in any case, I hope this helps as I went throuughsimilar calculations.
Well, in this case, one wall backs to an outside wall, so it’s got PLENTY of insulation - the other is actually a standalone interior wall as well, and since it is triangle shaped, it would seem only one wall needs to be insulated, plus the door/seal. I could put a cooling unit directly in the nearby window, with ducting to the closet 1 ft away, or cut a new hole in the wall which might not be the best option.
I doubt it - it has got to be quieter than either of the two central air units we have, neither of which we run more than 2X a year. Besides, where this exhaust would be is essentially away from where my neighbor would be bothered - it’s on the 2nd story, too, and next door is a single level.
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