Walk in Humi

[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 ElkTwin

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.

Thanks for the information.

I am going to maintain the temperature at 65 degrees. For about 8-9 months of the year the room self regulates to 65. During the summer months the room is heated to 70 from the ceiling. The room temperature is constant. It builds to 70 and pretty much stays there until the summer passes and it returns to 65 which it is now. This is a cement room. There were no stud walls at the start.

I do not have an area to exhaust a portable unit to or I would get one. The exhaust pipe would have to be around 20 feet. The manuals state you can not go more then about 6 feet. The extended length causes more back pressue and will lead to reduced cooling and equipment failure.

[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.

[ca21455]

Finally finished with back shift! Spent the last couple of days getting back to normal hours.

The second coat of mud is applied. Looking pretty good for an amateur project. Here are some pics:







Hopefully I will apply the finish coat this weekend and then the fun begins! Have plenty of paint left over from construction of the house, so I will use one of those colors for the room.

[zmancbr]

Looking good... I can't wait to see it all full of smokes!

[Scottw]

looks great!!!!!