How to Cool Basement

[Jetpilot007]

I am looking to cool my basement down to about 60°. The current temperature right now is approximately 68° and I think that that is probably as high as it will get during the summer. I have several batches of wine that are undergoing the aging process.

I am very concerned that if I don't control the temperature that the wine may spoil.

I am looking at various options to tackle this project. Obviously building a wine cellar on a professional level is way too expensive.

What about portable air conditioners? if I find one that is powerful enough will it be able to get the basement down to about 60° .

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[Thig]

I am still struggling with this very question and there seems to be no good answer as far as I am concerned. If you are going to use a standard room air conditioner then you have to use something like a Coolbot http://storeitcold.com/ to trick the A/C into not cutting off too soon. Most room air conditioners will not cool below 68 degrees with something like this.

 

[Thig]

I don't think at 68 your wine is going to spoil, it may not age as long as you would like but most home winemakers don't expect their wine to age for 10 or 15 years anyway.

 

[ibglowin]

Lots of people would love to have 68 be room temp in the Summers down South. Like already said your wine will not spoil. It will age slightly faster than if was ~60 or so but it will still age for quite some time. You really just want to mute large temp swings more than anything else, then get things as cool as reasonable achievable. I use a small GE window unit (with Energy Saver feature) it my winery and it can be set to as low as 65 degrees and it will hold the room somewhere between 64 and 65 during the heat of the afternoon. Make sure you get the right size BTU for your room and no sense cooling off 2000 sq ft if your only using 200. Unless you just like it cool and don't mind a high electric bill….

 

[GreginND]

I agree - 68 is not really a problem. Temp fluctuations and light are the big problems for wine spoilage. If your temp is relatively stable and changes over the season slowly, I would not worry.

 

[wineforfun]

I am looking to cool my basement down to about 60°. The current temperature right now is approximately 68° and I think that that is probably as high as it will get during the summer. I have several batches of wine that are undergoing the aging process.

I am very concerned that if I don't control the temperature that the wine may spoil.

I am looking at various options to tackle this project. Obviously building a wine cellar on a professional level is way too expensive.

What about portable air conditioners? if I find one that is powerful enough will it be able to get the basement down to about 60° .

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

My basement where my wine is stored is anywhere from 64-68, usually more around the 68. I have never had any issues with wine spoiling, etc.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I agree with most all of the above statements - I think you will be fine at 68 degrees.
That is about what my basement is also at as well, no issues with any type of spoilage.

 

[Brian55]

Measure the temp at floor level where the wine is sitting. It's usually at least a couple degrees cooler. Keeping it against an outside wall helps keep it cooler and minimizes fluctuations as well.

 

[Jetpilot007]

There are 2 windows that takes in the East sun. I will cover them completely. I am hoping this will lower the temperature by a couple of degrees.

I also lowered the thermometer to the level of my wine tanks to obtain a more accurate reading.

Thanks everyone!