So I was going to buy the BiLD 3000 and throw it in the Garage, however with a comment from the wife that ‘It looks like a jail’ along with looking at other indoor wine cellar designs I have started the hopefully not too long journey of converting our bathroom downstairs to a Wine Cellar. My biggest concern like most was the cooling system. The bathroom is 10ft x 7ft x 7ft. There is a fan which brings air from the bathroom. Another aspect is that I live in Quebec, hence winters here can get to -35*C outside, my guess is that it does not go directly outside, yet again I need to work that out.
A forced air system would not be ideal since the two adjacent rooms are living spaces, and the third space is a closed closet where the sump pump is located, we could probably throw the air in there but I am worried about how large this adjacent room needs to be, any thoughts on this?
A Ducted unit seems like a good option since we already have a duct from the fan in the bathroom, I am struggling to see the downside of this option for now…
A split system - I am guessing this is ideal especially a ducted version due to the enhanced control, however it seems significantly more expensive vs a ducted system and I can’t work out the true advantages.
Any guidance on the above would be much appreciated!
You space isn’t so large that you can’t just use one of the smaller “through the wall” cooling units. They are typically placed over the door. Same type you find in the stand alone cabinet cellars. I used one from KoolR. They are very inexpensive and work well. Cheap enough to buy two or three to have a “spare” on hand. There are several other brands as well.
As mentioned above, might look into a ‘thru the wall’ unit. We converted an interior walk in closet into a walk-in wine cellar with a CellarPro1800. It pulls ambient air from an interior room via a duct and dumps hot air out via another duct. The unit itself is self contained inside the wine cellar so little to no sound outside the room.
Are you keeping the toilet in there for the ultimate man throne?
Reading up on the ‘thru the wall’ unit I was worried about the noise and the quality of the stable temperature/humidity level. I also thought the unit made quite a bit of noise outside? How much space is required in the side room? It would be next to the sump pump. Also The bathroom would hold around 800-1000 bottles so would a thru the wall be sufficient? Maybe I am overthinking this, however I want to ensure humidity and temperature are always consistent. I also read that it is a bitch to change, is this true?
Noise is super low. My cellar is insulated with closed cell spray foam, which also helps with the noise.
Quality of temp is super stable. My temp monitor varies by about 2-3 degrees, so the bottles are even less. And, I’ve never had an issue with humidity, but in a dry climate you might need to add some humidity.
Mine is mounted up top, which is great because it’s out of the way and pushes cold air from the top down, creating an even more even temp.
BUT, you hit the nail on the head, it’s a bitch to change, much of the reason is because of how mine is mounted. I’m actually in the process of that right now. Old unit is sitting on the floor waiting on new unit.
Other than the recent issue, my CellarPro has been great. They (CellarPro) will also help you size your unit, which was helpful when I was building out my cellar.
That is good information about the noise, Luckily in Quebec we have more of a humid than dry climate, yet with a duct already installed in the bathroom due to the fan would it not be more practical to install a split system, I know more $$$…
Split system is more expensive, but if i would have had the space, I would have gone that route. Larger capacity, more options for mounting and MUCH easier to change out.
Since it is in a bathroom, you obviously have access to water and drainage. You might want to look into a water cooled cellar. Fairly rare, but would be neat.
My experience is that the smaller units people here are talking about (whether CellarPro or Breezeaire) do not last very long (3-6 years). Bigger systems are better made and last longer, even when made by the same companies. If you use the smaller ones, install it in a way where you can easily get it out and put a new one in.
A forced air system would not be ideal since the two adjacent rooms are living spaces, and the third space is a closed closet where the sump pump is located, we could probably throw the air in there but I am worried about how large this adjacent room needs to be, any thoughts on this?
Do not vent the unit into a closet, it will limit the performance and life of the unit. Typically you want to vent to a space that is at least 2x the size of the cellar.
A Ducted unit seems like a good option since we already have a duct from the fan in the bathroom, I am struggling to see the downside of this option for now…
You can not use the existing ductwork, it will be to small and will not be insulated, you also need two ducts (supply and return).
A split system - I am guessing this is ideal especially a ducted version due to the enhanced control, however it seems significantly more expensive vs a ducted system and I can’t work out the true advantages.
A split system is always a good choice, the main advantage is it moves the heat and most of the noise (2 of 3 motors) to the outside.
Your best choice would be a split system with outdoor condenser, either ductless or ducted with the air handler in the pump closet. All these should be ordered with low ambient options.
The room must be demoed and insulated and vapor barriered properly.
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