Wood Wine Cabinet Placement

Vinotemp Wine Cabinets at Andiron Steak & Sea Restaurant

Wood wine cabinets are beautiful custom creations and it is important to install your new cellar in the proper location to ensure it continues to deliver excellent service to you and your collection. There are several considerations which need to be made in order to receive the best performance results from your unit; weight factor, ambient temperature, humidity control, proper ventilation, noise factor, and electrical requirements.

Custom Vinotemp Wine Cabinets at The Hilton in Tucson, Arizona

You will need to take into account that the weight of your wine cellar when fully stocked with wine can be substantial. The chart below specifies the approximate weights of different models when empty or filled with wine.

The cooling system of your wine cabinet has the ability to cool a maximum of 25◦F below the ambient temperature in the room. Therefore, you want to place the unit in a room which will not exceed 80◦F. Otherwise, the unit will not have the capacity to keep the wine at a desirable 55◦F. On the other hand, you want to make sure the temperature in the room does not fall much below 55◦F. The unit only has the capacity to cool the wine inside and cannot exceed the ambient temperature of the room. In addition, the unit is designed only to cool to a minimum temperature of 50◦F.

Select models with a more powerful cooling system than the standard 1500 BTU unit, when combined with thicker insulation, may be suitable for use in areas where the maximum ambient temperature is 95◦F. Models with glass doors should not be installed in extreme environments, even when using upgraded cooling and insulation.

Humidity is maintained inside the cabinet using patent pending digital temperature and humidity control. This is accomplished using the special design/engineering of the cooling unit. There are no special controls for this function. As the cabinet cools, the humidity will begin to rise, thus creating an ideal environment for long term wine storage. If you live in a dry climate, you may add humidity by placing a container with water and a small sponge at the bottom of the cabinet. This will help to create the humidity needed.

Place your wine cabinet in a properly ventilated location. The cooling system compressor of your wine cabinet will give off heat, which will need to dissipate away from the unit. If the wine cabinet is located within a restricted area and ventilation is not available, then the ambient temperature of the room will increase and thus will prevent the unit from cooling adequately. Be sure to find a location with good ventilation. For standard (rear exhaust) units, the rear of the unit should be placed 6 inches away from the back wall. In addition, there should be 12 inches clearance above the top of the unit and 12 inches on each side. This will assure adequate ventilation of the heat exhaust. Regular maintenance, such as periodically vacuuming dust from the grille of the cooling unit will ensure it functions properly.

These units are motor driven and do produce a nominal amount of noise while the compressor and temperature equalizer fans are in operation. The noise is comparable to the noise of a refrigerator when it is running. The unit will run continuously during the initial cool down period when the wine bottles are first placed inside the cabinet. After that, the unit will run as needed in order to maintain relative humidity and precise temperature tolerances. The amount of time the unit will need to run is based on the ambient temperature of the room. Front venting cabinets and the Wine-Mate 2500 upgraded cooling system are louder, due to design and size of the compressor. If the unit is placed on a hard surface such as tile or hardwood floors, it is recommended that you consider installing a small piece of carpeting underneath the unit to prevent the unit’s operating noise from echoing against the hard surface.

We strongly recommend against the use of an extension cord. However, if you still select to use one, it is necessary that it is a UL Listed 3-wire grounding type appliance extension cord. The marked rating of the extension cord should be 115V, 15A, or equivalent and not greater than 15 ft. in length.

For additional information about wine cabinet placement and installation, please refer to our Wood Cabinet Owner’s Manual.

If you have any questions or concerns about placement, please contact us with our Contact Form.