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Cellar Construction
This is only a guide and shall be considered as minimum requirements.
All interior walls and floors shall have a vapor barrier and a minimum of R13
insulation. All exterior walls and ceiling shall have a vapor barrier and a minimum
of R19 insulation. The vapor barrier shall be installed on the warm side of the
insulation. All joints, door frames, electrical outlets or switches and any pipes or
vents that go through the cellar shall be sealed to prevent air and moisture
leakage into the cellar. Concrete, rock, and brick are not insulation or vapor
barriers.
Doors shall be of a minimum size, insulated to at least R13 and tightly sealed
with high quality weather stripping. Be sure to seal the bottom of the door and fill
gap between the door’s frame and wall before installing the cap molding.
In order to maintain 55 °F in the wine cellar, the ambient temperature
surrounding the enclosure shall not exceed the temperature of the cellar by more
than 25 °F. No cellar wall shall receive direct sun or strong wind.
Lighting shall be of low wattage, with a timer to insure lights are not left on when
the cellar is not occupied.
The cooling system will not be able to maintain the proper temperature if fresh
moisture-laden air is constantly being introduced to the cellar. Symptoms of this
condition are; cooling unit runs all the time with only a slight reduction in
temperature and/or water overflows from the unit. Because of the temperature
difference between the inside and outside, very small cracks can allow large
amounts of outside air to enter into the cellar. Please be aware that moisture can
pass through solid concrete, paint and wood. Often a newly constructed cellar
contains fresh wood, paint, concrete and other building materials. These
materials contain large amounts of moisture. When placed into operation in this
type of environment, the system will work harder to remove this extra moisture
resulting in increased “run” time.