Usually, when people discuss wine cellar refrigeration systems the focus of discussion is on the inside of the wine cellar room (like temperature, air circulation, the location of the custom wine cellar, etc.). Although these things are very important to storing wine, you need to remember that a wine cellar unit is basically an air exchanger, which means that while it is producing cool air into the wine storage room, it is also releasing hot air into the exhaust environment.
All Types of Wine Cellar Cooling Units Have an Exhaust Room/Environment
All wine cellar cooling units have an exhaust room or environment. In the case of a self-contained, through-the-wall wine cellar cooling unit, the exhaust environment is the adjacent room built to receive the exhausted hot air (unless the air is ducted elsewhere). In the case of ducted split type cellar refrigeration systems, the exhaust environment can be the garage or outside. These cooling units have their exhaust environment located away from the custom wine cellar.
Why A Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Exhaust Room is Important
There is a need to give importance to wine cellar cooling system exhaust rooms or environments because a cooling unit’s ability to cool a wine storage room is directly related to the temperature of the exhaust room. Since a wine cellar refrigeration unit is an air exchanger, cold air is basically produced inside the cellar and hot air is exhausted. This exchange creates a temperature difference between the two environments.
It is imperative that a refrigeration unit is able to maintain at least a 30-degree Fahrenheit temperature differential between the custom wine cellar and its exhaust room. The temperature differential is calculated by subtracting the cellar temperature from the exhaust room temperature. For example, if a custom wine cellar is set at a temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, its exhaust room should not get higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit in order to have a maximum of 30 degrees Fahrenheit temperature differential. If the exhaust room does get warmer, for example, 95 degrees Fahrenheit, then the cellar could get as cool as 65 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain a 30 degrees temperature differential.
This temperature differential needs to be maintained at the appropriate levels because it greatly affects the ability of a cooling unit to cool the inside of a custom wine cellar. If a wine cellar refrigeration unit fails to provide the ideal temperature levels, your wines will suffer and get damaged.