Wine Cooler Not Cooling

Which kind of wine cooler do you have?

The fix depends on how it makes cold.

• Thermoelectric coolers are the small, very quiet ones with no compressor. They depend on the room staying cool, so a warm room can leave one running warm with nothing broken. Your manual lists the room range for your model.
• Compressor wine refrigerators work like a small fridge. That includes most built-in and under-counter units from Sub-Zero, Avanti and Danby. They cool hard but need clear airflow over the condenser.
• Walk-in cellar cooling units serve a whole room, through the wall, ducted, or as a split system with a condenser outside. Here the room is part of the system.

Checks you can do

Unplug the cooler (or switch off the cellar unit) before you clean anything.

• Room temperature. Garages and sunny rooms in the Bay Area swing a lot. If the cooler sits next to the oven or in afternoon sun, that alone can beat it.
• Airflow. On a built-in unit, keep the front grille at the bottom clear: no rugs, no kick plate added later. On a freestanding unit, leave the clearance your manual asks for. Danby’s manual for one of its freestanding coolers asks for 5 inches at the back, sides and top.
• Condenser coils. Danby’s advice for a cooler that won’t hold temperature includes cleaning the condenser coils. A soft brush and a vacuum are enough.
• Door seal. Close the door on a dollar bill. If it slides out with no drag, the gasket isn’t sealing there.
• How it’s loaded. A case of room-temperature bottles takes hours to pull down. Frequent door opening does the same.

Walk-in wine cellars

A cellar cooling unit that runs nonstop without reaching temperature isn’t always a bad unit. WhisperKool, one of the common makers, points first to the room: door seals, insulation and a vapor barrier. Glass walls, lighting and an undersized unit also add load. Look at the door sweep and seals, make sure nothing blocks the unit’s supply and return air, and check that the space where it exhausts heat isn’t trapping it.

Split systems have refrigerant lines running between the cellar and the outdoor condenser. Anything on that side, including a frozen evaporator or a condenser that won’t start, is technician work.

Signs it needs a repair

• The compressor feels hot and runs, but the cabinet stays warm
• You hear clicking every few minutes and the compressor never starts
• Frost or ice builds on the back wall inside
• The fan inside or at the condenser has stopped
• The display reads a temperature that doesn’t match a thermometer in the cabinet
• Water pools inside the cabinet or under it

Don’t try to add refrigerant, pierce lines or open the sealed system. Refrigerant work is dangerous, and it requires EPA certification.

What we work on

We repair wine refrigerators and residential walk-in wine coolers in homes across the San Francisco Bay Area. We’re factory authorized for Avanti and Danby and factory trained on Sub-Zero wine storage, and we see most other brands too. We repair existing units; we don’t install new cellar systems or size them for a room.

For a small countertop thermoelectric cooler, a repair often isn’t worth it, and we’ll tell you that on the phone. Built-in compressor units and cellar systems usually are worth a diagnosis.

See refrigerator, wine cooler and ice machine repair and Sub-Zero appliance repair. If your main refrigerator is also warm, start with refrigerator not cooling. It’s a $219 service call, free if you go with the repair, and you get the exact price before work starts (how pricing works). OEM parts, 90 days on parts and labor for qualifying repairs, and same-day weekday service is often available.

Bay Appliance Repair is an independent, locally owned repair company. Brand names belong to their owners.

Bay Appliance Repair, 140 San Pedro Rd, Daly City, CA 94014 · (415) 585-5900 · BEAR #46247 · Mon–Fri 8am–5pm. We come to you; there is no walk-in counter.

Common questions

Why is my wine fridge not getting cold but the fan is running?

A running fan means the cooler has power and the control is asking for cold. If the compressor isn't running too, the start relay, the control or the compressor itself may have failed. If the compressor runs but the cabinet stays warm, look at airflow over the condenser first, then frost on the evaporator or a sealed-system problem.

Can I put a wine cooler in the garage?

Check your manual first. Danby's manual for one of its freestanding wine coolers says it isn't designed for garages, porches or anywhere that isn't temperature controlled. Bay Area garages get cold on winter nights and warm on sunny afternoons, so if it has to go there, look for a unit rated for that space.

Is it worth repairing a wine cooler?

It depends on the type. Small thermoelectric countertop coolers are often cheaper to replace than to fix. Built-in compressor units, wine columns and walk-in cellar systems usually are worth a diagnosis, because the repair is often a fan, a sensor or a control rather than the whole unit.