# Winery room AC gone bad, help



## FTC Wines (Aug 1, 2013)

OK, Maybe I'm annal, BUT!!! I bought a LG Portable AC unit 7,000 btu to cool my 10X14 winery room, spent 5 weeks "talking" with LG & their service co. Well they told me I had a defective unit, I said it is a design flaw, so they sent me a new 9K btu unit( they, the factory were out of 7 k units) WELL it's as bad as the other unit. Both AC units exhaust air conditioned air 24/7 !!!! Try cooling Fla. at 91* outside. I told them this BUT they didn't believe me. When the compressor is running the exhaust air, did I mention I blew a 6" hole thru my CBS wall for the exhaust, exhausts air at 106.6*, when the compressor is NOT running the unit blows air out the exhaust at 76.6* measured outside the block wall. Room temp is 75.4. This means the unit exhausts air conditioned air 24/7!!!! OK I'm ranting BUT any one have some ways to AC their wine room, with a unit that cycles on & off. Local C&R's will NOT allow me to put a window AC unit in, that's why I blew a 6" hole thru the wall & used the stand up LG unit. Thinking about a Mitusbitusi unit, or a thru the wall unit into my garage/shop that cycles, ( it will make my shop more unbearable) suggestions?? Roy


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## Rampage4all (Aug 1, 2013)

Build a recess in the wall for the window unit so it doesn't stick out and put a vented cover over the outside here's a rough side diagram .


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## Sammyk (Aug 1, 2013)

Look for the Frigidaire at Lowes. I can find the model number if you need it. $129.00 and it is keeping our wine cellar at 60! It dropped from 62 a couple of days ago. Energy efficient. It is 90 here in NC and it is purring along just fine. We had to cut a hole in the steel door and mount it on the door near the top. You most likely saw our cellar thread. It does cycle off and on.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 1, 2013)

Thanks guys, thought about putting a window unit inside & doing a thru wall vent. Sammy goes that Frig unit cycle on & off, I.e. does the blower stop blowing when the compressors off? Roy ps just re read your post saw it cycles on & off.


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## vacuumpumpman (Aug 1, 2013)

FTC Wines said:


> OK, Maybe I'm annal, BUT!!! I bought a LG Portable AC unit 7,000 btu to cool my 10X14 winery room, spent 5 weeks "talking" with LG & their service co. Well they told me I had a defective unit, I said it is a design flaw, so they sent me a new 9K btu unit( they, the factory were out of 7 k units) WELL it's as bad as the other unit. Both AC units exhaust air conditioned air 24/7 !!!! Try cooling Fla. at 91* outside. I told them this BUT they didn't believe me. When the compressor is running the exhaust air, did I mention I blew a 6" hole thru my CBS wall for the exhaust, exhausts air at 106.6*, when the compressor is NOT running the unit blows air out the exhaust at 76.6* measured outside the block wall. Room temp is 75.4. This means the unit exhausts air conditioned air 24/7!!!! OK I'm ranting BUT any one have some ways to AC their wine room, with a unit that cycles on & off. Local C&R's will NOT allow me to put a window AC unit in, that's why I blew a 6" hole thru the wall & used the stand up LG unit. Thinking about a Mitusbitusi unit, or a thru the wall unit into my garage/shop that cycles, ( it will make my shop more unbearable) suggestions?? Roy



Definitely talk to Sammyk
I also realized that the portable AC need to have a separate intake and exhaust in order to be efficient. Because you will take air from the inside of the room and it will draw in from other areas to help compensate for that air loss. 
The portable AC unit that Sammyk has seem to be the best bet if you can make it work for you


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## ibglowin (Aug 1, 2013)

I picked up a GE window unit from Samsclub 3 years ago. This unit was only 5000 BTU and my winery/cellar is only ~200 ft2. It keeps the room ~68 during the heat of the Summer AND the compressor and fan shut off when the temp is reached. Could not be happier with this unit!


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## pjd (Aug 1, 2013)

You will not go wrong with a Mitsubishi unit. every thing else mentioned will just prolong your misery. Do it right the second time, put in a Mitsubishi and you will be fine.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 1, 2013)

I researched the Frig 5k btu unit on line & it looks like I can make it work, but I will also research the Mitisbutshi (spelling?) unit as PJD mentioned. With two poorly design LG units Ill take my time looking. I should say I heard from LG & they are going to send me UPS pick up sheets for both to be returnd at no cost, and refund my original purchase price, their customer service came thru!! Roy PS, Thanks for all the quick responses, wines 77*


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## Sammyk (Aug 1, 2013)

We are very pleased with the Frigidaire. Yes it shuts off when the temperature is reached.
I posted the photos here for you. We were between a rock and a hard place, or should I say between a rock and railroad ties. There was no other place as you can see by the photos to put an air conditioner. Maybe 8 inches at the top because of the railroad ties.

We knew once the hole was drilled in the steel door that we would have to replace the steel door if the air conditioner did not work. Don't recall for sure now but it was 75 degrees in there and I am thinking it only took 24 hours to get it cooled down to 62. There is about 600 to 800 bottles in there right now.
Once the bottles all cooled down it was shutting off so that is a good thing. It shut off when we were in there today.

It is weird because it has stayed consistantly at 62 degrees and we check it every day. But this afternoon it was 60 degrees in the cellar. Not complaining it is just curious that it dropped to 60 this afternoon. It was in the upper 80's, close to 90 today.

For what it is worth. the front of the cellar faces south so it gets sun almost all day long.


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## Sammyk (Aug 1, 2013)

The air conditioner is straight, the camera was not when the photo was taken. LOL


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## Sammyk (Aug 1, 2013)

One other thought we had planned to take it back to Lowe's if it did not work. The first one did not and we had to drill through cement blocks that are core filled with cement. When the first one did not work. we had to patch the hole that took 2 men many hours to make! Chipping away little by little to make the first hole.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 2, 2013)

SammyK, Really appreciate all the info. Lowes is my favorite store, just there yesterday AM. Will be back today to check the Frig AC unit. Could not find the amp draw on their web site. Besides super cooling our wine room, this AC will be running off my Honda 2000i generator for hurricane aftermath survival. YES sleeping cooly with 600 bottles of wine at your fingertips!!! Now I just have decide where to put the discharge exhaust. We live in a gated sub with strict C & Rs No window or wall mount ACs allowed. So I can have the unit inside & disguise the exhaust with some kind of vent cover, this would have to be mounted low to floor so vent is behind the landscaping, not the best location. Or mount it high to the ceiling & exhaust into garage/shop or attic. Again thanks for all the input. Roy


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## Sammyk (Aug 2, 2013)

Glad to help Roy. It was such a struggle to get the ill designed cellar. We were at the point of having it bull dozed over. Really we were!
This was our last attempt to make it work and then the cellar would have been history.

If we had known about the air conditioning unit, we would have just put it in a guest room upstairs which was our first option. Would have saved us a bunch of money. But the contractor convinced us it would work better underground. What a huge joke, it is not fully underground. Even if we had to put 2 air conditioners up there it would have still been way cheaper.


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## jswordy (Aug 2, 2013)

Sammyk said:


> The air conditioner is straight, the camera *person* was not when the photo was taken. LOL



Fixed it for you!


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## Sammyk (Aug 2, 2013)

jswordy That it did and we were lucky! Sometime in late October we think we will be able to shut off the air conditioner. We are pretty sure it will be fine here during the winter since our winters are not that cold and the dirt that is there should be able to hold it at a decent temperature.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 2, 2013)

SammyK, I remember my winery & basement in N. Ga. Too well. Miss that 63* winter & 68* summer temps. But I can't have a basement in N. Ft Myers. So super AC ing our extra bedroom is the logical answer. Going on a 3-4 day boat trip, but after that I ll be headed to Lowes for that 5K btu unit, thanks again, Roy. PS hope the wine doesn't blow while we are gone LOL!!!


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## vacuumpumpman (Aug 2, 2013)

Sammyk
I know what you all went thru when you were trying to keep your cellar cool.
I am glad that you are able to share your experience with others in order to help others out. 
That is what I feel this whole forum is about - helping others.


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## Sammyk (Aug 3, 2013)

*vacuumpumpman* Thank you for your support and to the MANY others who were in our progress from the very start. Many made very helpful suggestions right from the start. AND many had suggestions when things went "south" on the cellar. This is a great place to be! So much help and caring folks on the forum.


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## Arne (Aug 3, 2013)

Roy,
you mite try talking to one of your local A.C. contractors. A mini split air conditioner will run quiet, can be very economical to operate, and needs only a small hole thru the wall to get the lines thru. Downside, it will be more expensive and there is a small condensing unit that sits outside, but bet it will conform to your sub division rules. Just a thought, Arne.


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## Sammyk (Aug 3, 2013)

Arne we did just that and it was $3000 for a Lennox unit. Even if we could have afforded it, the rep would not guarantee on any kind of temp we could expect. And it meant a lot of digging to wire for 220 which the unit required. We only have 110 in the cellar. We also talked to refrigeration people thinking we could turn our cellar into a refrigerator but it would have broke the bank also.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 3, 2013)

Thanks Arne& Sammy, Local contractor wanted 2k for the unit plus install, similar prices on line, smallest unit I could find is 9k btu, a little over kill far a 10 X 12 room that is already 76*, going to Lowes now to get the Frig. 5K btu unit, $119, heat wave hitting us, so want to get one before they run out! Going to discharge into the garage for now, & when I'm happy with all will build a plenum so it discharges into the attic, fortunately there is a big roof vent right above where I'm putting the unit. Thanks again for all the responses, Roy


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## Sammyk (Aug 3, 2013)

Please let us know how it works out for you!!!!


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## FTC Wines (Aug 9, 2013)

OK, I'm back from our boat trip, set up the 5K Btu Frig. AC in the door way blankets blocking off back flow & it does NOT shut OFF when the compressor cycles off. Temp dropped from 76.2* to 68* in less that 4 hrs, great but,the compressor cycles OFF but the FAN keeps running 24/7. That's NOT what I was looking for, I want the compressor & the FAN to shut .OFF! Seems that the unit exhausts air out of the room 24/7 just like the LG units.So Sammy does your Frig. Unit shut OFF when temp is reached, or just the compressor? & the fan still BLOWS. May have to return this unit also, amazing how little info the store/Internet actually have on their products. NO one could answer the ?? Does the fan shut off when the temp is reached. Roy


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## dralarms (Aug 9, 2013)

Should have been an "energy saver" switch on it. Mine does. If you use that it shuts everything down.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 9, 2013)

Dralarms, thanks, but this Frig 5K btu unit doesn't have a energy saver mode on it. Fan never shuts off, only the compressor cycles on & off. It exhausts air from the room 24/7. Roy


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## dralarms (Aug 9, 2013)

Wow, the one I got did. I think it was the 6k unit though.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 10, 2013)

Dralarms, sorry to bother you again, talked to cust rep at Frig, they say the 6K btu has the Energy Saver Mode, not the 5K, BUT she said the fan cycles on & off every 20 seconds, it does not stay off. TMI, so my question is does your fan turn off & stay off until the compressor comes back on to cool the room? Because when the fan is on the unit exhausts room conditioned air to the outside, she said that's how they are all designed. Thanks, AC annal, Roy


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## ibglowin (Aug 10, 2013)

I picked up this GE unit from Sam's back in June of 2010 and it has the shut off (shut down) feature you want. 6400BTU and was cheap. Still running great.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/ge-6400-btu-ac/prod8570131.ip?navAction=push


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## FTC Wines (Aug 10, 2013)

Thanks Mike, I'll contact GE To make sure the new ones shut down like yours does. It really is hard for me to believe the LG & Frig units exhaust to outside 24/7. Roy


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## ibglowin (Aug 10, 2013)

On the GE unit, if you look at the blown up pic on the website you can see the "energy saver" mode setting. That is the setting I use and it works just like a regular house AC unit with a thermostat. Once the temp is reached the whole thing shuts down.


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## dralarms (Aug 10, 2013)

I think the rep has lost their mind. I don't use the energy saver setting because I'm trying to cool computers but I did try it and it shuts completely down between uses.


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## FTC Wines (Aug 10, 2013)

Thank you both, guess I'm going out Mon. To get another AC unit, I'll check avail & $$ for the 2 locally, Roy


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## FTC Wines (Aug 22, 2013)

*Update!*

Well it took a while, but GE came thru. 6+ emails to GE customer service to confirm the unit would do what I wanted it to do, emails were quick finding the 6,400 btu unit locally was a challenge, everyone was telling me AC units are seasonal, & season is over in Fl! So I emailed my friends at GE customer service to see if the unit at Wallmart has the same features, they said it did, model # at Wallmart had a "W" regular model had a "M". Wallmart shipped the $148 AC to my door for free, that's $ 20 cheaper than the store, IF they had one in stock. Unit works great, cycles on & OFF totally!! Hey!!! Now I have to blow a hole thru the wall &install it properly. Cool wine soon, not to mention a cool bedroom if there is a big power outage, (unit will run on my Honda 2000i generator) wood floor next, Roy


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## ibglowin (Aug 22, 2013)

Awesome, another happy wine maker and cellar story. 

Remember, pics or it never happened!


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## FTC Wines (Aug 22, 2013)

Mike, it was your encouragement that put me on to the GE unit, THANKS! No camera but have this new I-Pad that I'll have to figure out how to take pics on, have great plans for the Winery. Roy


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