Wine chilller vs Coolidor
- Thread starter wayner123
- Start date
My wine cooler does fine without an external controller. It is a Kenmore 32 bottle unit and has a programable thermostat.
My wine fridge seals better than any plastic cooler.
Yes, it uses electricity when you need temp control. I unplug mine in cooler weather. In the summer it costs a few pennies a day to maintain proper temp.
Expensive? I paid $280 for mine and it provides 4 cubic feet of cigar storage, includes temp control, is attractive and has a double pane tinted glass door that can be opened from either direction.
I have regular wooden humidors, I tried coolers, I prefer the wine cooler. Heck, I will be living full time in an RV soon and it's going with me
Hey man can I ask you a few more questions?
heres a few.
1. How hight does the temperature go up to.
2. Are you using beads, cigar oasis ect.
3. Where did you buy it from?
and how do you deal with this runoff of water and condensation problems?
also what is your RH And Temp in your wine cooler when is running
in the summer time, on average?
Smokey Bob
Evolving Lead Gorilla
1. 68 degrees
2. I use one pound of 65% beads and a Oust fan. I only keep about 1/2 of the beads saturated. The other half are left dry and opaque.
3. Sears. And I have never experienced runoff or water condensation.
The built in controller keeps the wine cooler between 62 and 67 degrees. This difference is called hysteresis and is totally necessary. Even an external controller will provide for hysteresis. You don't want the cooler cycling on and off every few seconds.
The 65% beads keep my wine cooler at 65% RH + or - 3 points. Winter or summer.
Hope that answers your questions. Feel free to ask if you have more.
Robert :ss
Wayner check Craigslist or ebay. The wine cooler method is the way to go in my opinion. Protect your investments!!! Nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing I wont see any creepy crawlies coming out of my sticks. Who wants to open a box of sealed Opus and find 12 fat beetles and a pile of dust?
Perfect this is the one I want!
Well just to let you know, I live in a very hot spot in CA, Palm Springs Area.
And summertimes around here are around 100 to 115! so on average,
my temperature in my house in the summer times is around 78 & 85.
and in the winter time its anywhere around 75 & 80. So I need a wine cooler that will be stable all year round. thanks for the help.
So your is a Kenmore 32 bottle unit and you bought it at Sears is that right? and one more thing, is your wine cooler thermoelectric?
Beachcougar
Cigar Fanatic
The wine cooler is definitely the way to go. I just got a second one as my collection is growing way to fast. The Vinotemp from target is a hell of deal right now and the temp controller is not needed. Plug the drain hole, stick a couple of pounds of beads and your set. The temp and RH is rock solid and I don't have to worry about my cigars. Here is a pic of my setup.
Smokey Bob
Evolving Lead Gorilla
Yes, Kenmore purchased at Sears in Sacramento about 7 months ago.
Thermoelectric? I don't think so... looks like a compressor. It's quiet as a mouse though.
It's a Kenmore Wine Cellar, Model # 183.14322500
BTW, you should probably take any further questions about my cooler to PM.
Hm I heard they have to be thermoelectric its very important as the compressor-driven models pull a large amount of humidity out of the air when they cycle on, leading to humidity drops?
The wine cooler is definitely the way to go. I just got a second one as my collection is growing way to fast. The Vinotemp from target is a hell of deal right now and the temp controller is not needed. Plug the drain hole, stick a couple of pounds of beads and your set. The temp and RH is rock solid and I don't have to worry about my cigars. Here is a pic of my setup.
Hey man can I ask you the same questions?
1. How hight does the temperature go up to.
2. Are you using beads, cigar oasis ect.
3. Where did you buy it from?
4. Is it thermoelectric or a compressor-driven model?
and how do you deal with this runoff of water and condensation problems?
Also what is your RH And Temp in your wine cooler, on average?
tedrodgerscpa
PSHC - Vandy's B*tch
I have the same vinotemp unit, which is the one everyone is referring to as the Target wine cooler.... So I can answer those questions.
1. Mine will run up to 72 if I set it at the max temperature (on these units, it's a temperature setting of 66 on the dial)
2. I just use beads, and use 2 pounds in my one unit... no such thing as overkill when it comes to beads
3. As mentioned above, that's the Target unit
4. It's a thermoelectric unit (side note... if the unit is squared off on the inside, i.e. there's no big blocks inside the unit, it's probably thermoelectric, which means no external controllers AND more storage space)
5. I only get condensation when I run the units hard, meaning I try to get the temperature really low (internal temperature around the mid to low 60's, or 57 on the dial, the lowest setting)... I don't need to run it hard to keep the temps below 70, and the ambient temp in the room is pretty high. If I do get condensation on really hot days, a quick mop up will usually take care of it.
I stay rock solid at 65% and a temp of 67 +/- 2 degrees
Hope that helps
Ted
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That's the way to go!
Ted, Thanks you so much! I think this might be the one.
A few more things, so it is the same vinotemp up above and which model exactly is it?
and how long have you had it?
tell me if this is the same one?
http://www.target.com/Vinotemp-28-B...123?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k:vinotemp&page=1
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I have both a coolerdor and a Wine Cooler. The temperature in my apt. fluctuates constantly and I ran out of room in my coolerdor. It really depends on the wine cooler that you want. The higher end models cost more, but will hopefully last a long time.
It depends on your budget mainly, but if you have the room I recommend a Wine Cooler.
It depends on your budget mainly, but if you have the room I recommend a Wine Cooler.
tedrodgerscpa
PSHC - Vandy's B*tch
That's exactly it... Model VT28TEDS, the same one as above.
Had mine for about four months. Love it.
barbourjay
random cigar bum
i've got a 28 bottle vinotemp also. it's sealed using silicone sealant. two natural sponges are in the bottom to soak up extra moisture along with some beads towards the front. i've also been using a hydra but the beads really work fine by themself. the only problem is space, i need more.
Beachcougar
Cigar Fanatic
1. 72 like previously mentioned. I keep mine at 68/69 and it reads 64 on the unit.
2. Beads....1.5 pounds each cooler. No need for the CO.
3. Target
4. thermoelectric
I used some weatherproof duck tape and taped over the hole and then I used the method listed below to deal with any runoff.(hope it's ok to post this link):
http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35094
If you keep the temp at 67-69 you should not have hardly any condensation.
On average my temp is 68/69 and my RH is 65/66.
Also, I had some custom full piece cedar shelves cut and drilled holes in them for ventilation. Here is a few pics:
When you go to Target and get it, make sure it is the one with the door handle that comes off the side. I got one of the new ones where the door handle is screwed directly in the front(same model number, newer version) and it ran and would not stop. I had to return it and get the one shown.
Thanks a lot, man!
But heres the thing I don't i'm gonna get mine for another month or 2.
So do you think they'll still have the old model. and does the door handle
come off the side?
I got mine a couple weeks ago, and did not plug any hole...am I losing moisture here, or is it just so condensation doesn't run off to the floor? It does seem that my beads are drying too quickly...