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just finished all the shelving in my cellar and I can’t decide on a cooling option (if any). My cellar is about a 12ff. x 5ft. space under some stairs in a finished basement. One side of the cellar is all concrete and stays cool. The other side is insulated to the finished basement. I’m guessing the space will stay in the 60-70F range.
A window cooling unit isn’t an option and I don’t really have a setup to allow for units that pull air from other areas. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on formal wine cellar conditioner. That leaves some of the portable cooling options but it looks like those really dry the air out. I’m concerned that pulling all the humidity out will actually impact the corked beers worse than the gains seen from dropping the temperature 10 degrees. I also want to keep this very low maintenance. I don’t want to be changing water in a conditioner every month, etc.
So, I’m looking for suggestions on cooling options or experiences with the portable air conditions.
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Bump for the PM crowd.... anyone use a portable air conditioner in a cellar?
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I’ve never used those area coolers, but one thing you can do to keep the air moist is to keep a humidifier going in the vicinity.
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60-70F should be fine, I wouldn’t worry too much.
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What about a swamp cooler ? That would keep it cool and moist. Or am I missing something?
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You don’t want the air too moist. Humid is for caps what dry is for corks. That is, they rust and get ruined. Excessive humidity will also destroy labels, which isn’t as big of a deal, but it’s obviously something you’d like to avoid.
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a humidifier + air conditioner would result in a frozen AC unit. With the temp already lowered, you don’t want to add humidity to it. What’s the problem with just leaving the temperature where it is or adding a circulation fan?
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I’ll probably just leave it as is. I was worried it might creep into the low 70s some insanely hot August day in NC but I think the humidity issues w/ cooling could be worse.
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NC and WI are likely two different stories but my unfinished basement tends to range from around 55 in the winter to 65 in the summer. Some winter cold snaps will get the basement a degree or two below this range and some summer heat waves will get the basement a degree or two above. There’s never any drastic swing, it’s always gradual.
I don’t worry about it one bit.
That said, if you are heating this finished space, keep the cellar in the area that is uninsulated if you can. My racks are pushed right up against the wall, where I assume it is the coolest.
Oh, invest in a cheap digital thermometer and you’ll know exactly what your conditions are. Mine is an indoor/outdoor thermometer and I put the ’outdoor’ sensor in my DBF so I know the temp in there as well as the temp in the cellar. I keep a log of all the details......NOT!
Happy Cellaring!
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