Wine Celler Cooler

[Andy Energy]

I=92m looking for information on using a residential AC unit as a wine cellar cooler. It is set to 55 deg F. The house was built in 1891 and =BD of the basement is used for a will cellar. The walls of the basement are about 18=94 thick. The walls are about =BD of exposed and the other =BD is below grade. The space is about 450 ft sq. It is cooled by a standard AC unit (no furnace) and no way of controlling humidity, it smelled musty the day of our inspection.

What is the lower limit an AC unit should be cooling a space? What % of loss in efficiency might be expected when the thermostat is set to 55 deg F? Will setting an AC thermostat at 55 deg F 24/7, 365 days a year reduce its useful life of the compressor? Any recommendations on a unit made to control temperature and humidity for walk in wine cellars?

Andy W

[Stormin Mormon]

Most window AC don't go that low of a temp. I saw a conversion gadget advertised, to force the temp lower. No idea if those work.

[Zyp]

You need a medium temperature cooler. Check the yellow pages for a refrigeration company near you and seek their advice on the application.

Using a comfort air conditioning system is out of it's range and will be abusive to the equipment not to mention a waste of electricity.

[DIMwit]

conversion gadget? changing it to degrees C won't make it any colder but the numbers will be lower :-)

you shmoo

[Stormin Mormon]

The conversion gadget had a small heater, to keep the thermostat probe warm. So the compressor would run down to lower temps. And then some kind of defrost cycle, so the evaporator would melt off now and again.

[DIMwit]

who designed it, Rube Goldberg? any hammers, gears, levers or mice in its functions? defrost cycle a blow torch on the evaporator coil?