I've got an R-13 wall, R-36 ceiling, insulated 25' sq, or 200 cu ft, pantry in an unheated part of the house that's on a slab foundation with peal and stick vinyl tiles on the floor. The pantry is roughly between the garage and laundry room, and just outside the kitchen, and even before I insulated it, it seemed cool and stable enough through much of the year (California--no snow/some frost). But, by mid-summer the room certainly needs air-conditioning and has not been a good place to store either my wines or our annual harvest of pears and apples. I reluctant to buy the expensive beverage refrigeration units sold at the Wine Enthusiast and other such places, that may blow warm air into the living space of the house, but I'm also concerned that a cheap portable a/c unit wouldn't perform very well. I notice that operating temperature of these latter type units is only as low as 62F, which is at the marginal upper end of temperature scale I'd like to maintain. However, these units also dehumidify, which is not good for either the fruit or wines. In general though this is not planned to be a fancy panty, as it also stores ordinary canned goods and the normal dry food storage of household, but I do want my wines to age reasonably well and the fruit from our 1/2 to ripen correctly. I figure if I can maintain a humidity of 50% and a temperature of 55 to 60F during the summer months, I'll be doing pretty good. Anyone have some recommendations...
- posted
17 years ago