As summer approaches, now is the time to perform regular maintenance on your wine cellar cooling unit. Last summer, record temperatures baked the Northeast and caused serious damage to unprotected collections of wine, which need cool, constant temperatures to ensure proper development and aging.
When exposed to high temperatures, even for brief periods of time, expensive wine collections will become permanently impaired. Wine auction-goers and auction professionals agree that a wine’s provenance – i.e. where and how the wine has been stored – is the most critical consideration in determining the value of old, rare and valuable wine.
Fifteen minutes is all it takes to ensure that your wine will be protected this summer.
Start by unplugging the cooling unit. After removing and cleaning the protective grill cover, simply use the brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner to clean any dust, dirt, lint and grime that have accumulated on the condenser coils. Never use forced air to clean the coils, because particles may be forced into the cooling unit.
Cleaning the coils at regular intervals will improve the efficiency and cooling capacity of the cooling unit. In addition, cleaning the coils will reduce cycle times, resulting in lower energy usage and prolonging the life of the cooling unit.
Protect your wine investment by storing your collection in climate-controlled wine cabinets.