Wine Cellar Cooling in Austin, TX
Wine cellars are specialized accommodations for your liquid loved ones. If you are a wine enthusiast, you understand that statement. For most wine lovers, particularly those with limited room and budgets, it's likely better to invest money in the wine and not the room. Single and dual zone wine refrigerators suit the needs of most enthusiasts.
A wine cellar is a refrigeration problem wearing millwork, and refrigeration is where Efficient started in 1976. The same talented team that handles our AC service work across greater Austin designs, installs and maintains wine cellar cooling units.
When to Call About Your Wine Cellar Cooling Unit
- The cellar drifts above 60 degrees, or swings more than two degrees across a day.
- Humidity drops below 50% or climbs past 70%, and corks start drying or labels start lifting.
- Water pools under the evaporator, pointing to a failed condensate pump or a blocked drain line.
- The unit runs without stopping in July and never reaches setpoint, or ice builds on the coil.
- The compressor short cycles, or the controller displays a temperature the room is not holding.
Above 70 degrees a bottle is at risk. Past 78 degrees a collection can be destroyed in an afternoon.
Why Austin Wine Collectors Call Efficient
- Refrigeration depth. The R in HVACR is where this company started in 1976.
- One roof for AC, electrical and plumbing. A cellar needs a dedicated circuit and a condensate route, and we handle both.
- 24/7 emergency response. A cellar climbing in August does not wait until Monday.
- We service what other companies installed, including WhisperKool, CellarPro, Wine Guardian and Breezaire.
- Redundancy planning for collections where downtime is not an option.
- Full time technicians who pass background and drug screening. No subcontractors in your cellar.
How We Approach Wine Cellar Cooling
Load calculation and envelope check.
We size to cubic footage, glass area, insulation and the ambient temperature on the other side of the cellar wall.
System selection.
Self contained, split or ducted, based on where the heat can go.
Installation.
Equipment set, dedicated circuit and ductwork run, condensate routed to a real drain, system charged to specification.
Verification.
We log temperature and humidity through a full cycle before leaving, then keep the system on a maintenance plan.
What Our Customers Say
Building a Home Wine Cellar
Wine Cellar Construction
Custom wine cellars must be constructed in a way that ultimately does not harm the rest of the property. While low humidity and moderate temperatures are nice for living, wine rooms are generally colder and more humid. For storage, ideal temperatures are in the 55F-57F range with humidity around 60%.
This humidity level is on the edge of sustaining biological growth (mold). Hence, the room needs to be well insulated and sealed from other rooms. Wall, floor and ceiling construction needs to be able to accommodate these conditions.
Thoughts around where in the home to put the room is also important. Many simply convert part of a basement, garage or other storage area to a wine cellar. While this may function, the construction cost may justify a more prominent location, one which is better integrated with entertaining. If the wine is of value (or if teenage kids are around), some thought to security is important as well.
Wine Cellar Use
When thinking of room use, don't just think of bottle count or presentation. A popular but not practical concept is to incorporate a serving table in the center of the room. Without having a separate zone for wine storage and sitting, this can get unpleasant fast. Who wants to sit in 58F 60% humid air?
Separate zones for storage, display and entertaining raise the complexity significantly. Also, considerations for serving temperature are important. White wine will typically be served at 48F to 60F (the colder end mostly), so going from storage to serving is not one step.
Red wine will typically be served at 60F to 68F (warmer end mostly), so the wine needs a little time to warm up and breathe before serving.
Hence most wine rooms, but not all, are designed around red wines. These are supplemented with attractive refrigerated storage for whites to be served soon.
Wine Cellar Equipment Selection
The retail equipment manufacturers (WhisperKool and CellarPro, for example) will help you or your designer size the equipment. If possible, select equipment with an outdoor condenser to completely remove heat from your property.
These manufacturers sell systems complete with controls, which takes the guesswork out of sizing and performance. The downside is cost.
Alternatively, using systems based on small refrigeration equipment will work at a significantly reduced price point. The downside is slightly less control over humidity.
Either path means periodic maintenance and replacement of some components.
If the value of the wine justifies the cost, having two redundant systems, each operated alternately, each able to condition the entire room, should be considered. Parts support for all these systems are not always an overnight experience, so having one unit running while the other is waiting on parts is a consideration.
Looking forward to a shiny new wine room then hearing this may not be the ultimate selling point, but it is realistic.
Final Thoughts on Wine Cellar Construction
Talk to others who have a home wine cellar. Ask them how they use theirs and if they are happy with the experience. There are many ways to design a wine room that will have a lasting positive impact on entertaining. It's all about how you intend to use it.
At Efficient, we are happy to talk further. Fill out a quick form or give us a call at 512-501-2275.
Wine Cellar Cooling FAQs
Storage sits at 55 to 57 degrees with humidity near 60%, and stability matters more than the exact number. Above 70 degrees a bottle is at risk, and past 78 degrees a collection can be ruined in a single afternoon.
No. A standard air conditioner bottoms out around 60 to 65 degrees and strips humidity out of the room, which dries corks and lets air into the bottle over time.
Schedule Your Wine Cellar Refrigeration System Service in Austin
We will size a new wine cellar cooling system, take over an existing one, or tell you when a wine refrigerator is the better answer.
Whether you need installation, repairs, or maintenance, we'd love to help. Call us at 512-501-2275, or fill out our quick contact form.
Serving Greater Austin & Central Texas
We serve homeowners and businesses across Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Bell, Llano and Comal counties in the Greater Austin area, including Allandale, Barton Creek, Bastrop, Bee Cave, Brushy Creek, Buda, Canyon Lake, Cat Hollow, Cedar Creek, Cedar Park, Clarksville, Del Valle, Downtown Austin, Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Georgetown, Granger, Great Hills, Horseshoe Bay, Hudson Bend, Hutto, Hyde Park, Jarrell, Jollyville, Jonestown, Killeen, Kingsland, Kyle, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Leander, Liberty Hill, Lost Creek, Manor, Mueller, New Braunfels, North Austin, Oak Hill, Pemberton, Pflugerville, Rollingwood, Round Rock, San Marcos, South Congress, Spanish Oaks, Spicewood, Steiner Ranch, Sun City, Tarrytown, Taylor, Temple, Travis Country, Travis Heights, Wells Branch and West Lake Hills.