Hole is dug for our new wine cellar

[seth8530]

Sammyk, here are some thoughts based on what we did. Good that you are planning on drainage around the base. You should also think about how the roof will drain. Our roof is slightly sloped with a rain gutter attached. The roof was made from plywood covered with a waterproof membrane. You could then put your corrogated metal over that. A cement roof would be expensive and for safety, you would want that to be designed by an engineer.

/

Did someone ask for an engineer? lol

 

[Sammyk]

This is a hard post for me to write

I need some help; some suggestions. While the cellar looks good it is greatly flawed.

We have been in the mid to upper 80's the past few days. Typically in the summer we have a lot of 90 degree days and some very close to a 100 degrees if not 100.

The problem is the past few days the cellar has been 71 degrees. While we felt we could live with mid 60's, low 70's, we are worried about the wine. More so because now we don't know how much higher it will go as we advance into summer.

We are not sure at this point if there is anyway to fix the problem so we are open to any suggestions and ideas.

On the other hand, the contractor has not been back in 2 weeks, not even with the final bill. Not a word from him. That is pretty typical of him show up unannounced and work a few hours and then disappear for a week or more at a time.

 

[Runningwolf]

Plant a shade tree.

 

[novalou]

Plant a shade tree.

Trees, lots of trees. Keep the ground from warming up in the hot sun.

In the mean time, run a sprinkler over the top. The evaporating water will cool the roof.

 

[Sammyk]

We did plant 3 trees in the front. We have vinca vine planted on the top that gets the sprinkler every day that we do not have rain. Vinca vine were well established vines that we moved from another area. They are fast growers and if kept water will fill up the "top" of the cellar in a few months.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I did not read every post - but do you have electric ? Possibility to run a small window air conditioner ?

 

[Sammyk]

We do have electric inside but the problem is we can not find an air conditioner that will work in a closed environment, meaning that there are no widows. The only opening is a small hole for the bottom drain inside.

 

[seth8530]

There is no such thing as an AC that will work inside of a closed environment. It works by taking heat from inside of the room and then exhausting it out the back (simple explanation).

 

[vacuumpumpman]

We do have electric inside but the problem is we can not find an air conditioner that will work in a closed environment, meaning that there are no widows. The only opening is a small hole for the bottom drain inside.

here is a possible solution that I had in mind - it only takes a small hole per say -

http://www.kingersons.com/serverroomportableairconditioner.html

 

[ibglowin]

I would suggest a portable "self contained" unit. They are more expensive than a normal window unit, they are louder, they are also less efficient than a window unit but....... It looks like your only real option at this point. If your drain line is clear/open to the outside world (and it sure should be) then it will work just fine stuffing the vent line into the drain line hole.

 

[Sammyk]

Mike do you have a model number and manufacturer? We search and searched and could not find anything.

 

[jswordy]

Google "portable air conditioner" and shop to your heart's content.

 

[ibglowin]

Those are harder to find than the normal window units but I have seen them at Costco (which is where that pic is from) as well as Target etc. Amazon also carries a bunch of them as well. Costco is my goto place as well as Amazon as they both have great return policies.

Mike do you have a model number and manufacturer? We search and searched and could not find anything.

 

[Sammyk]

What I found when I Googled it is. We were searching the wrong words.


http://www.lowes.com/pd_367199-37610-GL-PAC-08E4_0__?productId=3652601&Ntt=portable+air+conditioner&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dportable%2Bair%2Bconditioner&facetInfo=

I did talk to them and they told me that they had no idea if it would work for my situation.

 

[Sammyk]

I have a call into the manufacturer (they are in CA) and we are EST but after reading the reviews:
The reviews are not that good for the most part. Mostly is said it raises the humidity which we do not need!
You have to add ice and water and maybe ice packs on top of the unit.

It does pay to shop around, Lowe's $269.00, Home Depot $98.00 (free home shipping) Amazon about the same as Home Depot with free/shipping.


[FONT=&quot]SPT SF-609 Portable Evaporative Air Cooler with Ionizer[/FONT]




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[ibglowin]

The reviews on this unit from Amazon look to be pretty good.

MobileComfort Portable AC

 

[Sammyk]

I did read the reviews on Amazon and they were either good or bad but enough to put doubts in our minds.

 

[jswordy]

I know someone who got one for use with a small travel trailer that is permanently parked in a game preserve. Worked fine.

Why can't you just order up a dump truck load or two of dirt and pile it on top? Thickening the cover layer seems to be a far better long-term solution. Did they use rigid foamboard on the outside and especially the top of your structure? If not, that would have helped a lot, so if you do get more dirt, scrape back the top covering and put down 6 inches of rigid foamboard made for subterranean use. Top with soil.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I know that those portable air conditioners work well. Just make sure you have a drain for the water coming from the unit. The link I gave earlier - explains alot more in detail.
Is your cellar open to the sun ? from 1 of the pics it appears that it stands about 2 feet above the gound height. If so that is where all your heat is coming from

 

[JohnT]

SammyK,

DON"T PANIC!

71 is not that bad as long as it is steady! Sure beats the 90+ temps you expect.

Where in the cellar are you measuring the temp? I just wonder if there are cold and hot spots?

Also, check that the door is well insulated and air tight. Do plant shade trees.

I have found that Air conditioners ar far worse then a steady higher temperature. I never use any kind of AC because (with an AC) the temp never stays constant. The air is chilled down to a certian point, then the air warms up, then the AC kicks on and cools it back down. This "Up and Down" does more harm than good and could lead to "chill haze" and premature aging of the wine itself.