Walk in Humi

[ca21455]

Click on the link below to see a quick summary of the progress to date.



Suggestions and comments are always welcome and are a big help.

Looking forward to completing the drywall and getting on with the finish work!

[shilala]

Totally awesome.
The only thing I could suggest is that you get a vapor barrier behind that drywall so you can control your humidity. A layer of Vis-Queen (plastic) would make all the difference in the world.
Can't wait to see this filled up!!!

Amazing... living the dream my friend!!

[webjunkie]

Dang, I will have to stay tuned to this.

That is just so cool.

Hmmm - I wonder if I could get by with a *much* smaller home office ...

[AriesOpusX]

It's coming together nicely, good luck finishing her up! Can't wait to see the end result.

[acruce]

Great job . Are you doing it your self ?

[dunng]

Yeah, I was afraid I would not get to see this done... Great job!

[ca21455]

Originally Posted by acruce

Great job . Are you doing it your self ?

Yup, have had some experience with finishing basements in prior homes. Received a lot of help from my friends on another board and people that do this kind of work here in town.

[Bax]

I can't wait till this puppy is finished.

[Footbag]

I usually tell people their humidors are too small.

You win!

[FriskyDingo]

I do have a spare bedroom for guests that isn't used very often...hmmm... yeah, they can just sleep on the couch!

Nice room!!

[ca21455]

Originally Posted by Footbag

I usually tell people their humidors are too small.

You win!

That's too funny! Now all I have to do is talk Dave into sending me his inventory! Mine is going to look pretty puny in there.

[Ender]

So my name is Andrew and I'm pleased to make your aquatance. I'm sure we will soon become the best of freinds.

[Bax]

Now that I look at it... it could have been a little bigger

[ca21455]

Thanks for all the encouraging words.

Currently looking for a cooling unit for the room. Tried running the house AC into the room but it did not handle the load. The room stays cool during most of the year but in the summer the cement porch above heats up in the sun and radiates heat into the room. The insulation helped some but the room stayed around 70 degrees. Ok for cigars, not ok for wine.

From the research I've completed it looks like a split A/C unit is the way to go. This has the cooling unit in the room and the heat exchanger outside. A portable unit looked promising but after reading a few manuals I discovered the exhaust had to be 6 feet or less. That will not work with the room outside being finished.

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Not a suggestion, but a question. Don't most AC units tend to dehumidify also?

What kind of temperature swings did you get from the heating of the cement above? If the temp moved more than a few degrees during the day you probably need to readdress the insulation before you worry about a chiller. I recommend a minimum of R-33 in the ceiling and R-20 in the walls. And don't forget the floor. A cement floor will need at least R-20 to prevent heat seepage. Keeping a room cool is not the big issue for wine - it's the temperature stability. Every time your room moves a degree or two in temperature the expansion and contraction of the contents of the bottle will force oxygen through the corks hastening the decline of your wine.

I'll also reiterate, if you are going to chill the room to store wine, you are definitely going to want a vapor barrier on both sides of the insulation. That's because condensation will form anywhere there is a significant temperature gradient and you don't want that occurring inside your wall.

The units from Koolspace and Breezeaire are fine units and if you have insulated correctly you won't need a split system to cool your small room. Mount a unit next to the door exhausting into the hallway and you'll be fine. It will make a little noise; the fans are audible, but it will sound like a large refrigerator not a Cessna.

[ca21455]

Originally Posted by rsamos

Not a suggestion, but a question. Don't most AC units tend to dehumidify also?

Yes it does, but it does not remove more then what a humidifier puts in. The A/C will not have to run much so the humidifier will not have a problem keeping up.

A side note, I actually have a dehumidifier in the basement during the summer to keep the humidity down.

[sofaman]

Very cool I hope I can do that some day!