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 R11 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 enclosure shall be sealed to prevent air and moisture leakage into the room. Concrete, rock, and brick are not insulation or vapor barriers.

Doors shall be of a minimum size, insulated to at least R11 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 enclosure by more than 25 °F. No enclosure 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 enclosure 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 enclosure. Symptoms of this condition are; 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 enclosure. Please be aware that moisture can pass through solid concrete, paint and wood. Often a newly constructed room 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.

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