Cellar Construction Guide
This is only a guide and shall be considered as the minimum requirements.
All interior walls, ceilings and floors shall have a vapor barrier and a minimum of
R13 insulation. All exterior walls and ceiling shall have a vapor barrier and a
minimum of R19 insulation. The vapor barrier shall be installed on the warm side
of insulation. All joints, door frames, electrical outlets or switches and any pipes
or vents that go through the cellar shall be sealed to prevent air and moisture leaking
into the cellar. Concrete, rock, and brick are not insulations or vapor barriers. Doors
shall be of a minimum size, insulated to at least R13 and tightly sealed with high
quality weather stripping. Be sure to seal the bottom of the door and fill gap between
the door’s frame and wall before installing the cap molding.
In order to maintain 55 °F in the wine cellar, the ambient temperature surrounding
the cellar shall not exceed the temperature of the cellar by more than 25 °F. No
cellar walls shall receive direct sun or strong wind.
Lighting shall be of low wattage, with a timer to insure lights are not left on when the
cellar is not occupied.
The cooling system will not be able to maintain the proper temperature if fresh
moisture-laden air is constantly being introduced to the cellar. Symptoms of this
condition are; cooling unit runs all the time with only a slight reduction in temperature
and/or water overflows from the cooling unit. Because of the temperature difference
between the inside and outside, very small cracks can allow large amounts of
outside air to enter into the cellar. Please be aware that moisture can pass through
solid concrete, paint and wood. Often a newly constructed cellar contains fresh
wood, paint, concrete and other building materials. These materials contain large
amounts of moisture. When placed into operation in this type of environment, the
system will work harder to remove this extra moisture resulting in increased “run”
time.
