How can we convert our wine cooler to reach refrigerator temperatures of 35 degrees farenheit or below?

October 30, 2006 7:27 PM

How can we convert our wine cooler to reach refrigerator temperatures of 35 degrees farenheit or below?
posted by Jujee to home & garden (6 comments total)

This Askmefi question is not quite the same problem, but the solution might be useful: an external thermostat. As asker of that question, I can report the "freezer" has been running at a constant temperature of +5 degreees celsius with no hiccups - very stable.
posted by Rumple at 7:46 PM on October 30, 2006

I wouldn't be surprised to know that the smaller wine refrigerators use a Peltier-style cooling system that isn't capable of the massive cooling capacity of the "traditional" condensor/compressor your fullsize kitchen fridge has, so, it's quite possible you cannot. If it's "silent" without the noisy mechanical off-on like your kitchen fridge, nope.
posted by kcm at 7:48 PM on October 30, 2006

Are you talking about a portable wine cooler? We call them 'eskies' - if so, then dry ice might be what you need for temporarily reducing and maintaining that temperature: Dry ice gives more than twice the cooling energy per pound of weight and three times the cooling energy per volume than regular water ice (H2O).
posted by strawberryviagra at 8:00 PM on October 30, 2006

It's a 30-bottle wine cooler.
http://www.shentech.com/mcwc30mcgdh.html
posted by Jujee at 8:03 PM on October 30, 2006

It looks like a conventional refridgerator without a ton of insulation. Perhaps add a bit more? (like foam on the outside of the window, etc?) It might just not be designed to get below 35C.
posted by JMOZ at 8:57 PM on October 30, 2006

Three issues, I think:

1. Thermostat
   
2. Cooling capacity
3. Insulation

One has been answered.

Two.. Cooling capacity is relative to the ambient temperature of the room the unit is in. In general, the rating for a cooler could be around 10 degrees Celsius, where a freezer might be up around 40. So, a cheap cooler might take a moderate 20 degree room down to 10 degrees inside the cavity, where a chest freezer might take a hot 30 degree room down to -10 inside the cavity. The important point here is, if you have a nice cool place to put it in, you will be able to get a lower temperature out of the same cooler. Running at the full rated capacity, or beyond, will seriously stress the unit, or course, so you could burn it out.

Three.. Insulation will boost the cooling capacity. Be careful though, the heat being pumped out of the system has to escape somewhere. On a typical fridge it is through the part marked Heat Exchanging Pipes in this picture (bring back <img>). You really don't want to box in the heat; however, it should be easy enough to tell, if you do some experimenting. Imagine attaching panels of foam insulation to the fridge in the linked picture. If you move the foam away and touch the side of the fridge, it should be cool. If it isn't cool, you are blocking a path that heat was escaping from, and insulation in that area will have the opposite effect, reduced cooling capacity.

Finally, the manual for this unit is pretty non-specific, but it is very much worth reading before trying a mod project. For example, the manual points out that the unit automatically defrosts while the compressor is off. Of course the compressor has to be off long enough for defrosting to complete, otherwise you will get ice buildup and it will quit working. In a way, the compressor itself is capable of much more cooling than the unit as a whole.. Nothing you can do about that though, it needs to defrost.
posted by Chuckles at 9:51 AM on October 31, 2006