The Best Place for Slim Wine Fridges

Wine fridges are essential appliances for every wine connoisseur. They’re beneficial for people who keep wine collections and need them to be properly preserved or stored. Although some people might argue that a fridge serves the function of keeping wine, this is very wrong. In this article, we discuss the reasons to use wine fridges, as well as how and where to use them.

Reasons To Opt For A Wine Fridge

As mentioned earlier, keeping your wines in the fridge is a bad habit. Here are reasons why a wine fridge is the best option for storing and chilling wine:

• Best cooling option for wine: A wine fridge helps protect the bottle of wine and its content by stabilizing the temperature and humidity level. An average fridge is designed to increase the temperature quickly and dry out humidity; this is controlled in wine fridges.
• Affordable: Wine fridges are usually more affordable compared to actual refrigerators. Their cost of production is low, and this is reflected in the prices.
• Environmental friendly: Recent wine fridges have been built to be very eco-friendly.
• They protect the wine from problems caused by vibrations: Vibrations in fridges caused by compressors can affect the wine’s maturation and worsen the quality eventually. Like thermoelectric wine fridges, some wine fridges do not vibrate at all.
• Enough storage: Wine fridges are designed to allow for adjustable shelves to protect the wine bottles. The inner layout of wine fridges ensures enough room for wines.
• Ability to store using dual-zone coolers: Dual-zone coolers can enable you to use a section to store and another section to chill for serving. You can also choose to use the two sections for different chilling wines.
• Features unique to wine storage: Unlike a regular refrigerator, wine storage is embedded with some features designed specifically for a wine storage experience. Some of them are digital thermostats for controlling wine temperature, Collapsible and adjustable shelves, Energy-saving compressors, LED-illuminated interiors, Portable and slim sizes, and so on.

Freestanding vs. Integrated or In-built Wine Fridges

When picking a choice of the wine fridge, one of the essential choices you can make is choosing between a freestanding and an integrated wine fridge. Although they’re both great choices, you may need to consider the following before making a choice:

Positioning

Before choosing what kind of wine fridge you want to purchase, you should have an idea of what you want to achieve regarding positioning. The area you intend to place this appliance will determine what kind of purchase you should make.

If you intend to fill a space in your cabinet, choose a built-in fridge. They can easily fit into and under cabinets because of their size.

However, if you intend to fill a space in the room, a freestanding fridge is a good buy. These appliances are bigger and taller and would be a great accessory to your space.

Capacity

Another important factor to consider is how much capacity you need, considering how vast your taste or collection of wine is essential in choosing either fridge.

For modest buyers with a small collection, the built-in wine fridge is a better choice for modest buyers with a small collection. They are compact and are produced in small sizes offering limited capacity. This is probably because they are made to fit into and under cabinets.

On the other hand, the freestanding fridge is a better option for someone with a vast collection.

Temperature

This factor is important because temperature zones in both types of fridges are not always the same. Due to the size of an in-built fridge, they are mostly produced as single-zone fridges. Even when they are dual-zone, the space is usually very little.

On the other hand, Freestanding fridges can offer more spaces with more zones to suit a vast collection.

Price

Freestanding fridges are generally more affordable than in-built refrigerators because they’re not built to fit into a space.

Vent Placement

This factor is very important for installation. An in-built fridge has a front vent. This is to provide proper ventilation and prevent overheating since it is placed in a cabinet.

A freestanding fridge, on the other hand, could have a side vent or rear vent because it is placed in an open space.

Installing An In-Built Wine Fridge

Before you begin the D-I-Y installation, it is essential to get the following tools and materials ready:

• Fridge manual
• Measuring tape
• Saw
• Plastic sheeting (if the installation area is carpeted)
• Phillips Screwdriver (in case the handle is packed separately and needs installing)
• Level
• Scrap wood (to be used as shims under the feet in case of uneven floor surface)

Here are the steps to follow in installing an in-built wine fridge:

Step 1: Ensure You Have Chosen The Right Wine Fridge.

Installing in-built wine fridges can be quite tricky. There are so many models of fridges available, so it is important to select the most suitable.

The suitability test ensures that the wine chiller has grills in front to vent the warm air its compressor produces. Compressor coolers are more efficient because they can maintain a constant temperature. However, thermoelectric wine fridges would need a lot of air circulation around them and should not be installed as in-built fridges.

Step 2: Choose A Suitable Location

Choosing a suitable location for your wine fridge might be pretty tricky because more often than not, you have a wide range of options for this. You can choose to install this appliance in your dining room, kitchen, bar area, or even your living room.

You can fit in the fridge underneath an existing countertop like the home bar for your living room space. A good location choice in your dining room will be under a bar or a cabinet used as a serving area. However, if you’re considering installing it in the kitchen, you should consider a barely-used kitchen cabinet.

You can even do a little revamp by designing a new counter surface or installing the wine cooler in an already existing cabinet.

However, it is essential to note the following:

• Avoid installing your fridge next to an oven or dishwasher because of the heat that could be generated.
• Install your fridge in an area far from harsh or direct sunlight. UV light is not suitable for wine.
• Don’t squeeze the fridge into a very tight space. It is recommended to make allowances for extra spaces ( 2 inches at the back, 4 inches on top, and an inch on both sides) so the cooling system can work effectively.
• Ensure the cabinet door can swing open freely.

Step 3: Check The Power Supply

Ensure you have an electrical outlet nearby before you begin the installation. If it is not available, ask an electrician to install one. You may need to drill a hole behind the cabinet to make way for the appliance’s plug. Do not use extension cords to power the appliance.

Step 4: Prepare The Installation Space

It is important to consider if the floor is carpeted. If carpeted, it must be covered with a plastic or metal tray. This is because carpets can trap heat generated by the condenser that should have otherwise dissipated. Also, in instances where the fridge begins to leak, mould can grow on carpets.

Step 5: Take a Two Hours Break

Once you have ensured the wine fridge is secured and levelled, you should take a two-hour break before connecting it to a power source. This ensures the coolant settles after transport and prevents problems with the appliance.

Step 6: Test The Cooler

You can now plug in the fridge and stack your wine for testing and use.

Conclusion

In conclusion, installing an in-built wine fridge is not difficult and doesn’t need expert attention. Follow the steps above, and you are ensured a smooth installation process. You can also refer to the manual in case of any problems. At Enofaber, we write about the best and most affordable wine-cooling storage that can be used for different purposes.