ericclem wrote:After serious consideration

Do it!!

ericclem wrote:After serious consideration, researching, and soul searching, I'm pretty close to pushing the button on the Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler at Home Depot. It's high capacity, really cheap, and the reviews don't seem to give any indication that it's built to die after a short period like so many Haiers and others on the market. Also, craigslist seems to be lacking in NYC these days.

Anyone out there have any long-term experience with this unit that can offer any last minute advice or warnings? It would be greatly appreciated.

We purchased one over a year a go and recently added a second unit. No complaints. Doesn't add much to the power bill, relatively quiet. So far we have a 100 btl (combined capacity) wine cooler for $300...not bad.

duckduckgoose wrote:We purchased one over a year a go and recently added a second unit. No complaints. Doesn't add much to the power bill, relatively quiet. So far we have a 100 btl (combined capacity) wine cooler for $300...not bad.

kylemittskus wrote:Do it!!

Imagine4vr wrote:I've had mine a year now and it's working just fine.

Decision made! Thanks ever so much and cheers!

ericclem wrote:Decision made! Thanks ever so much and cheers!

I can echo the others. I bought two of the 52-bottle capacity coolers three years ago from Home Depot. Have not had any problems with either. I keep one for the reds and one for the whites.

jmdavidson wrote:I can echo the others. I bought two of the 52-bottle capacity coolers three years ago from Home Depot. Have not had any problems with either. I keep one for the reds and one for the whites.

I've had my 35-bottle (I think that's the capacity, though in reality it holds less due to the bottle sizes I end up putting in it) for maybe 3 years (at least 2) as well also from Home Depot. Mine is officially Magic Chef, but Vissani & MC are synonymous. It hasn't given me any troubles that I've noticed.
Neither has the Urbina 28-bottle Thermoelectric I got back in Feb'08 from Overstock. It still seems to be working fine. This is actually the one that holds most of my more expensive bottles since it's the one I open the door least often (ie. almost never).

HitAnyKey42 wrote:I've had my 35-bottle (I think that's the capacity, though in reality it holds less due to the bottle sizes I end up putting in it) for maybe 3 years (at least 2) as well also from Home Depot. Mine is officially Magic Chef, but Vissani & MC are synonymous. It hasn't given me any troubles that I've noticed.
Neither has the Urbina 28-bottle Thermoelectric I got back in Feb'08 from Overstock. It still seems to be working fine. This is actually the one that holds most of my more expensive bottles since it's the one I open the door least often (ie. almost never).

So where do you keep the other 459 bottles?

Chargerrt500 wrote:So where do you keep the other 459 bottles?

Oh, I got a ~360 bottle Vinotheque QT500 from CL in June '09 for $400. That's pretty much where the rest of them are, but that still leaves almost 100 bottles in boxes down in my parents basement and others in racks and boxes at my condo.
A 2-bedroom condo isn't exactly the most conducive thing for cellaring 550 bottles of wine. LOL

Sold my other 50ish bottle cooler tonight (traded the first one for my 500 bottle) for $125. I bought it for $75 or $85 (can't remember which). WIN!

Just paid for my case of daily-drinking PS I have coming! WOOT!

Has anyone here tried to build their own wine cellar? I've got this great, deep closet underneath my staircase, and I'm trying to figure out if I could turn it into a makeshift wine cellar by installing one of those cooler units.

Looks like it would be some work, but it might give me more storage at a better price in the end.

redwinefan wrote:Has anyone here tried to build their own wine cellar? I've got this great, deep closet underneath my staircase, and I'm trying to figure out if I could turn it into a makeshift wine cellar by installing one of those cooler units.

Looks like it would be some work, but it might give me more storage at a better price in the end.

Go for it! The cooling units are what are so expensive but I think that it would be awesome. And, not sure if you plan on moving any time or ever, but that's got to be a big plus for resale.

redwinefan wrote:Has anyone here tried to build their own wine cellar? I've got this great, deep closet underneath my staircase, and I'm trying to figure out if I could turn it into a makeshift wine cellar by installing one of those cooler units.

Looks like it would be some work, but it might give me more storage at a better price in the end.

I've looked into it some; I know it's pretty involved, with a good deal of little things you wouldn't really think about - like installing a vapor barrier on the outside of the insulation to protect your walls from the humidity of the cellar, using a specific wood for your racks to prevent rot or lack of smell (cedar apparently will taint wine due to its strong smell), making sure the door has a good seal, and so on.

Check out this site for some basic information on things you'll want to do/consider. And let me know what happens if you decide to go for it! I'd be interested in seeing what problems/issues you encounter, since this is a project I'd like to do someday as well.

ciaranannrach wrote:I'd be interested in seeing what problems/issues you encounter, since this is a project I'd like to do someday as well.

Redwinefan = test dummy?

kylemittskus wrote:Redwinefan = test dummy?

I'm a strong believer in learning from both the successes - and failures - of others whenever possible.

So, yes. Yes he is, though I'm hoping to learn from his success, and not any failures!

ciaranannrach wrote:I'm a strong believer in learning from both the successes - and failures - of others whenever possible.

So, yes. Yes he is, though I'm hoping to learn from his success, and not any failures!

Well, let's hope. I'm planning on trying to do this somewhat on the cheap, so my ultimate result may not be the optimal storage area, but I hope it will be good enough and definitely better than room temperature storage.

redwinefan wrote:Well, let's hope. I'm planning on trying to do this somewhat on the cheap, so my ultimate result may not be the optimal storage area, but I hope it will be good enough and definitely better than room temperature storage.

The bigger concern I'd have would be causing damage to the surrounding walls, particularly if you get one of the room cooling units that also controls humidity. Last thing I'd think you would want is to have to replace entire walls due to rot.

But, it does sound like a good DIY project that could potentially be done on the cheap, or at the very least over time. I mean, you don't *need* racks just yet...and you can probably find a good deal on a cooler - either on sale or refurbished, if you keep your eye open.

Out of curiosity, what's your budget for the project? (If you don't mind my asking.) And how big is the room?

ciaranannrach wrote:
Out of curiosity, what's your budget for the project? (If you don't mind my asking.) And how big is the room?

This will be my New Year's pet project, so I'll get back to you on the size and budget. I'll be looking for all the advice I can get from my fellow wooters.

I've got two potential areas of my house for this. One is a deep closet under a stairway on the first floor with no windows and no ventilation, and the other is a "baby room" off the master bedroom which is of no use to me due to the lack of a wife and the subsequent babies that tend to come about from that. It has one small window and air conditioner vents.

redwinefan wrote:This will be my New Year's pet project, so I'll get back to you on the size and budget. I'll be looking for all the advice I can get from my fellow wooters.

I've got two potential areas of my house for this. One is a deep closet under a stairway on the first floor with no windows and no ventilation, and the other is a "baby room" off the master bedroom which is of no use to me due to the lack of a wife and the subsequent babies that tend to come about from that. It has one small window and air conditioner vents.

I'd go with the deep closet. With the "baby room", you'd have to replace the window with double-paned glass, and possibly tinted - you don't want sunlight getting in as it can damage wine. I'm also not sure how the air conditioning vent is going to affect the cellar. I know you want the cellar to be well ventilated, I just don't know if you want that ventilation to be tied in with the house's ventilation - my guess is probably not. You probably want all of your ventilation to be provided by the cooling unit you pick out for the project.

Besides, with any luck, the whole wife situation will change, and then you'll be glad you didn't turn the baby room into a wine cellar. I mean, you could use the closet as a baby room, but something tells me that won't sit well with the potential-future wife...

Check out this site - should provide a wealth of information for your project.

redwinefan wrote:This will be my New Year's pet project, so I'll get back to you on the size and budget. I'll be looking for all the advice I can get from my fellow wooters.

I've got two potential areas of my house for this. One is a deep closet under a stairway on the first floor with no windows and no ventilation, and the other is a "baby room" off the master bedroom which is of no use to me due to the lack of a wife and the subsequent babies that tend to come about from that. It has one small window and air conditioner vents.

You should really look at this thread by our buddy afranke here in nyc.
building a manhattan wine cellar

Anyone seen any good buys on coolers in the post-Christmas sales?

Costco has some different models of wine coolers I havent' seen before in (some) stores currently.

One interesting one I saw only held 24 bottles but was in a reasonably attractive semi-old fashioned piece of wood furniture (might have had a marble top or shelf on it too). I believe it was priced in the $299-349 range. I didn't write down the name as I should have.

To me this is too much to pay for a small cooler but it was a unique piece and might be of interest to someone who "just had to have" a wine cooler that harmonized with a traditional dining room.

As to the mfr. name being unrecognized by me, well, that's reason for concern, or I should say would be reason for concern with virutally any product...but as I've written before 1. my personal experience is that sometimes no-name coolers can be a delightful surprise in working far better than expected and 2. the "name-brand" coolers catering to vinophiles, according to my research, are grossly overpriced and have a poor reputation for quality and dependability.

ericclem wrote:Decision made! Thanks ever so much and cheers!

So, did you get it? How do you like it so far? How much was it? Does it run silent?The current price is $199 (seems high). I just bought a 36 bottle rack (not cooler) while in Napa but if I could find the space I'd really like to get a cooler that would hold about 50 bottles. I barely have room to fit the what the dimensions claim to be for the Vissani, but might go for it if the reviews here are any good. (Of course, that means I just wasted $75 on the rack)

Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler

Imagine4vr wrote:I've had mine a year now and it's working just fine.

I found this on CL and may go get it today (new), but a few questions if anyone is reading this before we make the 1 hour drive (each way) to pick up:

1. How loud is this? I will have to keep it on carpet in my "main room" where there is the dining table and right next to the TV area.

2. How far from the wall must this sit? I am very tight on space and if it needs more than a couple inches I don't have it.

time2testit wrote:Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler

I found this on CL and may go get it today (new), but a few questions if anyone is reading this before we make the 1 hour drive (each way) to pick up:

1. How loud is this? I will have to keep it on carpet in my "main room" where there is the dining table and right next to the TV area.

2. How far from the wall must this sit? I am very tight on space and if it needs more than a couple inches I don't have it.

I can't answer the first question. However, I can tell you that all it needs is a couple inches for the air to vent. Keep in mind that the cooler probably sticks out a couple or four inches from back of the unit.

time2testit wrote:Vissani 52-Bottle Wine Cooler

I found this on CL and may go get it today (new), but a few questions if anyone is reading this before we make the 1 hour drive (each way) to pick up:

1. How loud is this? I will have to keep it on carpet in my "main room" where there is the dining table and right next to the TV area.

2. How far from the wall must this sit? I am very tight on space and if it needs more than a couple inches I don't have it.

Re loudness....I'd give it a 2 on a scale of 0-10 (10 being loudest). We have ours in living room and no one notices it (loudness). The cooling unit doesn't run very often...and usually for less than a minute.

duckduckgoose wrote:Re loudness....I'd give it a 2 on a scale of 0-10 (10 being loudest). We have ours in living room and no one notices it (loudness). The cooling unit doesn't run very often...and usually for less than a minute.

Measuring from the wall (including the 2-3 inches from the wall) how many inches total from the wall to the front of the cooler? (Meaning, how deep including the space to the wall?)

time2testit wrote:So, did you get it? How do you like it so far? How much was it? Does it run silent?The current price is $199 (seems high). I just bought a 36 bottle rack (not cooler) while in Napa but if I could find the space I'd really like to get a cooler that would hold about 50 bottles. I barely have room to fit the what the dimensions claim to be for the Vissani, but might go for it if the reviews here are any good. (Of course, that means I just wasted $75 on the rack)

I did in fact purchase for $170 which includes shipping. However, I have yet to take it out of the box as I'm moving in a month and would rather leave it in for ease of moving. If you're still looking for advice in a month, let me know and I'll be more than happy to give you my full report.

Can anyone give a review on whirlpool wine coolers? I haven't seen many whirlpool models on the market. This is the one I had in mind. Cooler. Thanks.

I have a very specific space that I can put wine in, so I went with what I could find...WE. So I'm "over paying".

I would've had this 2 weeks ago, but apparently the first they sent was damaged in shipment and returned before I got it. So it's scheduled for delivery on Wednesday, this along with my smaller wine fridge should store my 180ish bottles.

Eurocave

I'm getting the version with the solid door as the spot gets some sun if we open the blinds.

hogfatt wrote:I have a very specific space that I can put wine in, so I went with what I could find...WE. So I'm "over paying".

I would've had this 2 weeks ago, but apparently the first they sent was damaged in shipment and returned before I got it. So it's scheduled for delivery on Wednesday, this along with my smaller wine fridge should store my 180ish bottles.

Eurocave

I'm getting the version with the solid door as the spot gets some sun if we open the blinds.

AND, it's not big enough lol...I've filled both my wine fridges and still have about 60 bottles without a home. Not to mention around a case still shipping to me. I'll post pictures of the process, I managed to get all of my "good" wine in the fridges, so I'll have to find somewhere sub-standard for my vin de pas.

So, I finally found a used large wine cooler (400 bottles) on Craig's List that I have the opportunity to buy.

I'm going to go check it out in the next few days. What should I look for?

I'm thinking of telling him to have it turned on with a wine bottle in it so I can make sure it gets up to temperature ok and doesn't seem to be leaking.

Any other advice?

redwinefan wrote:Any other advice?

Having him/her run it for 24 hours before you get there is a great idea. Check for leaks. Also, bring a thermometer with you and test the temp in two or three different levels of the cooler. Listening to it run is always good. If it sounds iffy, it is (like a car engine). Lastly, google the model # and see if you can get an approximate age and see if anyone has posted problems with theirs. Otherwise, it's kind of a gamble since you don't really know.

How much is it/how much are you offering?

kylemittskus wrote:Having him/her run it for 24 hours before you get there is a great idea. Check for leaks. Also, bring a thermometer with you and test the temp in two or three different levels of the cooler. Listening to it run is always good. If it sounds iffy, it is (like a car engine). Lastly, google the model # and see if you can get an approximate age and see if anyone has posted problems with theirs. Otherwise, it's kind of a gamble since you don't really know.

How much is it/how much are you offering?

Be sure to ask the seller to have the wine cabinet inside his residence, and not in a garage. Otherwise, if it's, say, in the garage, and it's colder than the target temperature outside, then you won't get a good reading on if it actually works.

kylemittskus wrote:

How much is it/how much are you offering?

Thanks for the tips.

It is $500. Not sure how much I'm going to try to bargain since there have been a few other people interested in it. If I get it and it works, I can drop the monthly storage fees I'm paying at a wine storage place ($75 a month).

The unit is 10 years old and the owners says it has been serviced every two years.

ciaranannrach wrote:Be sure to ask the seller to have the wine cabinet inside his residence, and not in a garage. Otherwise, if it's, say, in the garage, and it's colder than the target temperature outside, then you won't get a good reading on if it actually works.

Oh, that's an excellent point, but it's the sort of unit that sits in a garage. Hmmm...

redwinefan wrote:Oh, that's an excellent point, but it's the sort of unit that sits in a garage. Hmmm...

If it works, assume you may need to pay a bit more to keep ambient temperature, but it should be able to handle the difference between garage and inside well enough.

Good luck!

hogfatt wrote:AND, it's not big enough lol...I've filled both my wine fridges and still have about 60 bottles without a home. Not to mention around a case still shipping to me. I'll post pictures of the process, I managed to get all of my "good" wine in the fridges, so I'll have to find somewhere sub-standard for my vin de pas.

Good choice! I have a 5 year-old Eurocave Comfort and have been very happy with it, I bought it used on Craig's list last year and it's still running strong. I also have a smaller GE undercounter wine fridge in the kitchen... and just like you, I have 3-4 cases in boxes in a closet!

kylemittskus wrote:If it works, assume you may need to pay a bit more to keep ambient temperature, but it should be able to handle the difference between garage and inside well enough.

Good luck!

What I had meant was, it's a poor test of cooling ability when the ambient temperature outside the cooler is colder than the target temperature inside.

The cooler could very well not work at all, and you wouldn't know just by seeing if what's inside is cold.

ciaranannrach wrote:What I had meant was, it's a poor test of cooling ability when the ambient temperature outside the cooler is colder than the target temperature inside.

The cooler could very well not work at all, and you wouldn't know just by seeing if what's inside is cold.

It's an excellent point. I had them bring it inside so I could test it, and everything appears to be in order.

So, I think I'm going to go in for this cooler, but now I've got to figure out a way to transport it.

It's essentially a very large cabinet: about 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The refrigeration unit is installed at the top inside the cabinet.

My plan is to lay it on its back in one of those home depot hourly rental trucks and drive it about 8 miles back to my house. I'll set it up and let it stand there for a week before attempting to turn it on.

Does that methodology sound ok?

My other option would be to remove the cooling unit from the inside so that i can keep it upright the entire time but still transport the cabinet on its back in the home depot truck.

Thanks for all the advice.

redwinefan wrote:So, I think I'm going to go in for this cooler, but now I've got to figure out a way to transport it.

It's essentially a very large cabinet: about 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The refrigeration unit is installed at the top inside the cabinet.

My plan is to lay it on its back in one of those home depot hourly rental trucks and drive it about 8 miles back to my house. I'll set it up and let it stand there for a week before attempting to turn it on.

Does that methodology sound ok?

My other option would be to remove the cooling unit from the inside so that i can keep it upright the entire time but still transport the cabinet on its back in the home depot truck.

Thanks for all the advice.

Sounds like a solid plan - just make sure you get a few moving blankets (or blankets you don't care much about). You'll want to lay those down on the bed of the truck before you put your cooler in, so the truck doesn't scratch up your cooler.