Le Cache Wine Cabinets Placement Requirements

CLEARANCE ABOVE THE WINE CABINET - UPRIGHT WINE CABINETS

In all Le Cache upright wine cabinets, the heat generated by the CellarPro cooling unit is ventilated through the top of the wine cabinet. Consequently, there must be sufficient clearance above the cabinet for the hot air to dissipate. With the proper overhead clearance, the wine cabinet can be placed flush against the wall behind it. See the table below for minimum ceiling heights.

* If you don’t have enough clearance above your wine cabinet, Le Cache can solve the problem by modifying the cabinet before it is shipped so that the air intake will come from behind (instead of above) the wine cabinet. Under this scenario, you no longer will be able to place the wine cabinet flush against the wall. Instead, the wine cabinet will need 3-4 inches of clearance from the wall behind and at least 8-9 inches from the ceiling above the wine cabinet.

In all cases, the space above and to the sides of the wine cabinet must be unobstructed – i.e., the sides and front of the wine cabinet must be open. In addition, the wine cabinet must be placed in a space that is properly ventilated. The cabinet is not designed to be placed in an alcove, closet or built-in space unless an exhaust system is installed to evacuate the hot air generated by the cooling unit above the wine cabinet. In addition, access to the top of the wine cabinet is necessary to allow for periodic cleaning of the coils. Also note that the doors to the wine cabinet swing wide by approximately 1 1/2 inches when opened.

CLEARANCE BEHIND THE WINE CABINET - CREDENZAS

For credenzas with back-vented cooling units and upright cabinets that have been modified to intake from the rear, you'll need to provide AT LEAST 3 to 4 inches of clearance behind the wine cabinet and the wall for proper cooling unit ventilation. In warm environments, more clearance may be necessary to ensure proper ventilation.

If you purchased an upright wine cabinet without the rear-vent modification, it has been designed with SB/0™ technology, which means that you do not need to provide any clearance behind the wine cabinet, and therefore you can place the rear of the wine cabinet right up against the wall.

AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY

The CellarPro cooling unit can be set to provide a constant temperature between 48ºF and 62ºF; however, the maximum amount that the temperature can be cooled inside the wine cabinet is 30ºF below the ambient temperature above the wine cabinet. For example, if the ambient temperature above the wine cabinet is 80ºF, then the lowest possible temperature to be discharged from the cooling unit inside the wine cabinet will be 55ºF.

If you plan to place your wine cabinet in an environment which is not temperature-controlled, such as a garage, or in a restaurant, we strongly recommend upgrading to the CellarPro 1800-XT, to better handle higher temperatures.

The cooling unit is not designed to generate heat inside the wine cabinet, so it should not be placed in an environment where the temperature drops below your desired wine storage temperature.

The cooling unit is designed to reduce excess relative humidity to a suggested 50% to 70% range. While the cooling unit will not add moisture to the enclosed wine cabinet environment, the relative humidity inside the cabinet will rise as the temperature inside the cabinet cools down. For example, if the temperature in the ambient environment is 72ºF and the relative humidity is 30%, then the relative humidity inside the wine cabinet will rise to 60% when the temperature cools down to 55ºF.

If you live in a very dry climate, you can increase the humidity inside the cabinet by placing a wet sponge in a shallow container at the bottom of the cabinet.

WEIGHT LOAD FACTOR

After loading your wine cabinet with wine bottles, your wine cabinet will be extremely heavy. When selecting a location for your wine cabinet, make sure that the floor underneath your wine cabinet is strong enough to support the weight of the cabinet.

FLOOR SURFACE UNDERNEATH THE CABINET

Because of the significant weight of your wine cabinet, it is CRITICAL that your cabinet be placed on a hard surface, so that the cabinet remains level and the doors remain aligned. If you will be placing your cabinet on carpet, you will need to place a carpet board underneath your wine cabinet. You can purchase a carpet board directly from Le Cache, or have your local hardware store cut a 3/4 inch plywood board to the following dimensions (inches):

PLEASE NOTE: Much of the weight of an EMPTY wine cabinet resides in the doors. If your EMPTY wine cabinet is tilting forward when first placed on the carpet board, DO NOT over-compensate by extending the front leveling legs. Instead, load some bottles into the back of the wine cabinet until the weight is more evenly distributed and adjust the leveling legs so that the wine cabinet is properly level. The cabinet no longer should be leaning forward at this point. Additional adjustments may be required to level the wine cabinet front to back as the wine cabinet and carpet board compress the carpet underneath over time.

WALL OUTLET

The CellarPro 1800-QT and 1800-XT cooling units plug into a standard wall outlet, and draws 3 amps of power. The cord extends about 6 ½ feet from the cabinet, and extrudes from the back of the cabinet approximately one foot below the top and approximately seven inches to the left of the center of the cabinet. If an extension cord is used, be sure that the cord is at least 14-gauge wire, is grounded and is as short as possible.

PLEASE NOTE: IF THE WALL OUTLET IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE WINE CABINET, WE RECOMMEND USING AN EXTENSION CORD THAT YOU CAN REACH SO THAT YOU WON’T NEED TO MOVE YOUR WINE CABINET IF THE COOLING UNIT NEEDS TO BE UNPLUGGED IN THE FUTURE.

NOISE AND VIBRATION

The CellarPro 1800-QT cooling unit is designed to be ultra quiet and vibration-free. The CellarPro 1800-XT is meaningfully louder than the 1800-QT, and therefore is only recommended for placement in extreme conditions, such as commercial establishments, and in remote areas, such as garages or basements. When the cooling unit is on, the sound emitted from the wine cabinet is approximately < 50 decibels (“dBA”) for wine cabinets with the 1800-QT, and < 60 dBA for wine cabinets with the 1800-XT cooling unit.

The following table provides additional points of reference measured in dBA:

• 30 dBA Soft whisper
• 40 dBA Library
• < 50 dBA Le Cache Premium Wine Cabinet w/ CellarPro 1800-QT
• 50 dBA Refrigerator
• 55 dBA Coffee percolator
• 60 dBA Normal conversation
• 70 dBA Freeway traffic