Installation
Before you even begin to think about the racking for your cellar, you need to prepare your room to maintain the ideal environmental conditions for your precious investment. Achieving and maintaining those conditions will allow for proper development of your favorite wines and champagnes. By paying attention to details now, the enjoyment of your wine will be maximized and your investment will be protected far into the future.
Ideal Wine
Cellar Conditions
Most experts
recommend an
average temperature of
55 degrees Fahrenheit
for all wine storage. Cooler temperatures won't damage your wine but will slow
its development. A temperature of 65 degrees or more will have a negative effect
on wine the longer it's stored. The ideal
humidity in your wine
cellar should be 60-70%
but anything over 50% is acceptable. High humidity, 80% or more, may cause mold
to form on corks and bottles. In addition, ideal long-term wine storage should avoid
heat, direct light and vibration.
Choosing a Wine
Cellar Location
The best location for a wine cellar is below ground level in a basement. The
reason for that is the temperature is generally cooler and more humid conditions
already exist. A corner of a basement, with two exterior walls and free of
windows, is ideal. Wine cellars built above grade, where basements do not exist,
simply require special attention and materials to properly insulate and seal the
room thoroughly. One of the most important factors in choosing a wine cellar
location is deciding on the type and location of a cooling system. Most cooling
units are installed through a wall and exhaust into an adjacent interior room
that is at least equal in size to the wine cellar. The ambient temperature of
the intended venting area should not be higher than 85 degrees F in order or
proper operation of the cooling unit. Other cooling unit options such as split
systems and special units are available and may require installation by
certified HVAC Contractors. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your
environmental control options prior to building out your room.
Choosing Proper
Cooling
To choose the proper cooling unit, you must calculate the cubic area of your
room (multiply length times width times height). There are 2 main types of
refrigeration units. The standard self-contained units can be vented through
your cellar wall to the outside, or to an exterior room. There are also split
cooling systems, which work like central air conditioning. The condenser is
installed outside your home and is ducted through to the evaporator in your
cellar.
Wine Cellar
Construction
Unless local codes dictate otherwise, standard 2 x 4 framing is sufficient.
Electrical work should be completed to code prior to insulation and drywall. A
Vapor Barrier is critical in controlling the humidity of your wine cellar. The
ideal humidity of your wine cellar will be much greater than that of the rest of
your home. A vapor barrier separates the two conditions and keeps the higher
humidity from flowing out of the room. It also prevents warm and moist air (in
high temperature and humidity areas) from entering the room, eliminating excess
condensation and build-up from the cooling unit. A 6 mil poly/plastic (sold in
rolls or sheets) should be stapled over the studs before the insulation is
applied.
The interior walls of your wine cellar should be insulated with a minimum of R-13 and preferably R-19 insulation. If you live in areas of very high summer temperatures or very low winter temperatures, we recommend that you insulate with R-19 (minimum) and R-30 where your framing allows. Ceilings should be insulated to a minimum of R-19. Concrete walls and floors should be sealed with a sealant (such as "Dry Lock") to seal all cracks.
Generally 1/2" plywood sheeting will be secured to all walls (after electrical rough in and insulation) to anchor your wine racking to, but it is not required if using nailers between studs. Although a standard 1/2"-3/4" sheet rock may be used, it is highly recommended that you use moisture resistant "green board". Your wallboard may be finished with a quality oil base or latex enamel paint. We do not recommend installing a baseboard as the racking will be flush to the entire wall and include a toe-kick molding.
In selecting a door for your wine cellar, please choose a solid core, exterior grade door or one of our custom doors. All doors should be weather stripped and completely sealed to prevent loss of cooling and/or infiltration of warm air that will cause condensation. If you select a decorative glass door, be certain that the glass is thermo-pane and tinted.
Other factors to be considered in the construction of your wine cellar include locations of electrical switches (in order not to be covered by racking) and locations of plumbing and lighting. Proper lighting should be low heat (if lighting will be left on) and properly insulated and installed. If your wine racking is single depth, your lighting should be a minimum of 16" from walls and 28" from walls when double deep racking is used.
Measuring your Wine Cellar Walls and Ceiling Heights
We will only have your racking manufactured after you have approved the final drawings. The custom racking is non-returnable so please be certain to verify all of your measurements. In order for you to provide us an accurate faxed sketch along with your completed Wine Cellar Questionnaire, we ask you to follow these simple instructions. Please do not hesitate to call CWS Wine Cellars with any questions or concerns.
On your drawing/sketch, please draw an overhead view of your room and label your walls, A, B, C, D, etc., indicating your door opening and the direction that the door opens.
Draw a separate sketch of each wall, being sure to indicate which wall it is.
For each wall, measure the width in three places, at the bottom, the center and the top and provide the smallest measurement.
Measure the ceiling heights in all corners and the center of all walls. Provide us the minimum and maximum measurements.
All walls that jut out or form in should be measured from corner bead to corner bead (outside the pocket) and wall to wall (inside pocket) in the same fashion as the wall width measuring instructions, providing us the smallest measurement.
Indicate exact locations of obstructions such as light switches, plumbing, overhead beams, poles, soffits, access panels, air vents etc.
As a general rule, racking should end 3” or more from door casings, existing light switches that are to be used, thermostats and cooling units.
Reminder: In order for us to have all the information required to provide you an accurate AutoCAD Wine Cellar Layout, we will need you to fax these room measurements and details, along with a completed Wine Cellar Questionnaire to CWS Wine Cellars. If you require any assistance, you may contact us via phone or email. We will gladly assist you in making this project as seamless as possible.