Cold box wine storage project

[NorCal]

Just a follow-up. Box is still doing its job. 99 degrees in the garage 66 degrees in the box.

 

[NorCal]

Probably worth revisiting once per year. This is season #4 on the wine box. It was 103 degrees in the garage and 65 degrees in the box. Still working like a champ. No changes since I first made it, besides adding a handle made from left over metal and a horseshoe.

 

[Smok1]

Probably worth revisiting once per year. This is season #4 on the wine box. It was 103 degrees in the garage and 65 degrees in the box. Still working like a champ. No changes since I first made it, besides adding a handle made from left over metal and a horseshoe.

Thats an awesome job on the cold box, inspiring me to try and build one. Whats that black threaded pipe in the back? Propane heater?

 

[Smok1]

Im curious about this.

 

[Smok1]

This picture, temp probe with some sort of piped in gas light?

 

[AZMDTed]

Norcal,

Thanks again for this thread as it's what gave me the ideas for the room I built last June. Like yours, mine is humming along like a champ. So simple and relatively inexpensive, but efficient and perfect for the task. Well done.

 

[NorCal]

@Smok1, it's me simply entertaining myself building stuff. Black pipe and parts out of the scrap bin at work, the gauges are working, and accurate thermometers and the Edison lights are functional.

 

[Smok1]

Very cool.

 

[we5inelgr]

Great project indeed NorCal.

I'm in the planning stages for something similar.

What are the dimensions of your cold box?

 

[NorCal]

80 x 49 x 84 inches high

 

[NorCal]

I'm so disappointed in photo-bucket for discontinuing their policy for linking pictures. I wish I had the time to to back and reload all the pictures in this thread, as I know more than a few have built their own box, with the help of this thread.
We are having one heck of a hot summer. The garage temp is reaching 105 degrees, the little wine box is plugging away and is keeping my temps between 65-69 degrees.

 

[Boatboy24]

Is there an available link to the WineMaker Mag article? Not at detailed, but it might be helpful.

 

[Ajmassa]

Is there an available link to the WineMaker Mag article? Not at detailed, but it might be helpful.

I tried looking for that article before as well. Was not able to pull it up. I pay for a subscription too. But I would have needed to actually purchase that specific back issue to view it. That goes for both hard copy and online.

 

[NorCal]

In fairness to Winemaker Magazine, I am not displaying the entire article, only the how-to parts, which is what most people that have contacted me from the forum wanted to know more about.

 

[NorCal]

It’s that time again, where the temperatures reach 100 degrees in the Sierra Foothills and the health of my wine is relying on my wine box, now on its 5th season. That $75 WalMart AC unit and the $10 eBay controller continues to deliver.

 

[ibglowin]

Can you fit inside there to cool off? LOL

 

[balatonwine]

That $75 WalMart AC unit and the $10 eBay controller continues to deliver.

Sounds like a far, far better investment than paying thousands to dig a wine cellar. Kudos!

 

[kevinlfifer]

I got out the saws and nailers last week. I'm not building anything wine oriented but rather a roof over the grill area where I cook the food that requires wine consumption. There used to be 4 umbrellas covering that space. All of which bit the dust with one gust of wind. (plus 4 more in an other area of the deck). As you can see there is plenty of shade. The roof is to keep crap out of the food and drink. I got all the lumber except the posts for free from a deck demolition.The steel roof and lights go up this week.

 

[Bprinc]

Have you ever noticed an increase in your electric bill since building?

 

[NorCal]

Have you ever noticed an increase in your electric bill since building?

Yes. I actually measured the power consumption. It runs 6 months out of the year and total cost for the year is under $100, so $15-$20 per month for the months that it is working.

Ken