Controlling the humidity of your home is essential, but is it more critical for some rooms than for others?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is a bit more complicated.
For now, let’s focus on one room in particular that deserves a little extra attention in regard to humidity – your wine cellar.
That’s right. As you’ll see, controlling the humidity of your wine cellar proves important for several reasons.
Not sure why?
Join us below as we walk through everything you need to know about putting humidifiers in your wine cellar for climate control.
What is a Wine Cellar?
Before we start, let’s answer a simple question: What is a wine cellar?
Generally speaking, it’s a place where wine is stored- typically underground. Cold and dank wine cellars usually have a different atmosphere and climate than the rest of your house.
It’s also likely the case that they aren’t temperature controlled.
Wine cellars are perfect for those looking to add a romantic and luxurious flair to their homes.
By storing aged wine, you can ensure that your home is the perfect place for any party.
That being said. However, there are essential considerations you should make when setting up your wine cellar.
Without the proper humidity, for example, you may find that your wine-aging efforts are going sour.
Let’s take a look at why it’s so essential to control the humidity of your wine cellar in more detail below.
Why Should You Worry about the Humidity Here?
If you’re looking to get perfectly aged wine, the temperature and humidity of your wine cellar become an essential factor.
That’s right—if you neglect to control the humidity or temperature of your wine cellar, you may be in for a surprise.
Since wine corks are made from a natural product (bark of a Cork Oak Tree), these tend to deteriorate with time if not kept at proper humid levels and temperature.
That being said, how much humidity is too much humidity? And are there any other challenges that you may face?
Consider the following information:
You Want Your Humidity to be Around 70%
Humidity is desirable in a wine cellar. If you find the humidity too low, you will want to use a humidifier to keep it around the 70% range.
If it’s any higher, however, you’ll face another set of problems.
Why, then, is it so important for your wine cellar to have this humidity level?
The answer is simple: it keeps your cork from drying out.
Too Much Humidity Can Cause Serious Problems.
With that in mind, however, do note that having humidity that is too high can be equally damaging.
High humidity levels can damage wine labels and give them a funny smell. They can likewise damage any packaging that your wine is sitting in.
For this reason, make sure that you don’t go overboard as you look to increase your wine cellar’s humidity.
You can be on your way to perfectly aging your wine by striking the right balance.
Keep the above information in mind as you look to maintain the proper humidity levels in your wine cellar.
Why Should You Invest in a Proper Humidification System?
As discussed above, your wine cellar or a wine storing room needs proper humidity along with optimum temperature to store your wines in perfect condition.
Investing in ideal wine cellar cooling and humidification systems is therefore essential.
Where To maintain the optimum temperature, you can invest in a portable air conditioner for a residential wine cellar, and you can buy a good air humidifier to maintain proper humidity.
If, however you need a humidifying and cooling system for your commercial wine cellar, we recommend getting Wine Guardian’s D025 (on Amazon).
Other than Wine Guardian, brands like CellarCool and WhisperKOOL also sell highly reliable cooling systems for wine cellars and can be checked when you are searching for the best wine cellar humidifier.
Centrifugal Atomizing Humidifier is also highly efficient in maintaining proper temperature and humidity in your wine cellar, making your expensive wines last much longer.
Humidifier OR Dehumidifier for Wine Cellar?
Although getting an excellent cooling system and humidifier is essential for residential and commercial wine cellars, before investing, do check the humidity of your place to judge whether you need:
- A humidifying device to enhance the moisture levels OR
- A dehumidifier for a cellar to extract the excess moisture that may be caused due to various reasons
A good humidifier with a self-regulating humidity feature (or humidistat) is an excellent option to invest in.
As it can monitor and control the relative humidity to the most desired levels according to the place, this is one of the most suitable options for your small size wine cellar at home.
What are The Types of Humidification System Available?
Usually, there are two types of humidification systems available for the owners of the wine cellar, who love to store expensive wines in their place.
First is a through-wall system that can be mounted through the wall of the wine cellar to deliver the moisturized air directly into the cellar.
These freestanding humidifier units are usually the best options for a small space.
The second is a duct type of humidification system that is installed to bring in the humidified air through flex or complex ductwork.
You should consider this option if you have a vast collection to preserve and a much larger area to humidify.
Choosing the Correct Humidification System for Wine Cellar
When trying to maintain the optimum levels of RH in your wine room, remember that it’s all about how well insulated the construction in the walls and the ceilings you have arranged for.
In case it’s well-maintained with proper vapor barriers, you may require less moisture.
However, with a low construction profile, you may need to invest in a sound humidification system to keep your aged wines in tip-top condition.
Here are a few things you may need to consider when investing in the right wine cellar humidification system;
✅ Automatic controls:
First of all, the humidification system for your wines should be working in an automated way to maintain the proper RH levels.
Most of these automated systems come with a built-in digital humidistat and a digital thermostat installed to monitor and control the desired humidity levels.
While providing good humidification, it should turn off or adjust itself to maintain the right levels (according to the size and construction of your area) without requiring you to make the humidistat adjustments frequently.
✅ Capacity and construction:
Secondly, you should check for the unit’s capacity, which should be enough to humidify the area based on the size, construction, and other factors in your wine cellar.
In general, the systems available on the market range in size from 400 cubic feet to 8,400 cubic feet.
You may check with a service provider or an installation team to figure out which system would be best suitable for your cellar regarding the sizing and capacity.
At the same time, the unit’s material should be sturdy enough to last for long.
The system you choose to install should come with a premium quality material that is rust and corrosion-proof to resist the damages that may be caused due to the water residue.
✅ Safety levels and maintenance:
When picking a wine humidification system, do not forget to check its safety measures.
You should be choosing a system that comes with a wetted pad design as it’s safe enough and offers humidity in the form of vapors.
These devices do not tend to introduce any kind of white dust, bacteria, or viruses into the air.
At last, you should also be considering the maintenance that is required by the system.
Choosing a system that does not require manual filling is good. Also, check that it comes with drains to flush out the minerals automatically.
Meen Smith is a nurse by profession who loves writing online, spending time with her family and caring for the elderly. She has already worked as an associate editor on various moms, babies, home appliances, kitchen, and healthy living blogs. In her spare time, she also enjoys drawing, reading/writing kindle eBooks and improving her skills a bit.