Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

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Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#1

Post by asavage »

A "Wine Cellar" is a place to store wine for aging. A "Wine Refrigerator" is to store wine for consumption.

I am not at the point in my life that I am buying wine to store/age and enjoy later, but a couple of years ago I had enough bottles of wine accumulated --primarily from Costco -- that I needed a better way to store them than boxes on the floor in the mud room.

Part 1: My Summit Wine Refrigerator story:

I bought a Summit SWC1380D in May2019 from Appliances Connection for $1100. I also bought the offered 5-year extended warranty -- offered by Consumer Priority Service, a third-party warranty agent -- because wine fridges in this class are notoriously short-lived. Pictures below are from the delivery/unpacking in late May2019.
Summit SWC1380D delivery
Summit SWC1380D delivery
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Summit SWC1380D delivery
Summit SWC1380D delivery
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Summit SWC1380D delivery
Summit SWC1380D delivery
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Summit SWC1380D initial loading by Marc.
Summit SWC1380D initial loading by Marc.
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Summit SWC1380D nameplate ratings
Summit SWC1380D nameplate ratings
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It stopped cooling in late May2021, gradually rising in temp until it achieved unity with room temp, with the compressor running continuously (I think). Out of mfgr's warranty . . . but that's what the extended warranty is for.

Opened a claim with CPS on 02Jun2021. They "found" a service facility, Mr. Appliance of Olympia, and emailed that Mr. Appliance would handle it. Of course, it took several phone calls to actually get a visit calendared: nobody calls you, because if you give up, they make more money.

24Jun, Mr. Appliance shows up. Two hours later: evaporator leak, no refrigerant left in the system, and Mr. Appliance does not service R600a systems (what!? The most popular modern residential refrigerant in the world?!), and I was told they would pass that info back to CPS, so CPS could decide how to proceed.

Fast forward another, oh, nine phone calls to CPS, trying to get an answer about when they'd fix this. It got to where I was calling them every morning. I'd get different answers, "We haven't received info from Mr. Appliance," but I'd call Mr. Appliance and get the name of the person they'd emailed the info to, then I'd call CPS back and give them that info, "oh, she's not in the office right now, but she'll get back to you tomorrow". Nope, nobody ever calls you back. And like that.

Then, "Compressor has a 5-year mfgr. warranty, and we'll need one of those to repair eventually, so we've reached out to Summit about that part." Ugh.

02Jul, 12Jul, & 22Jul, CPS emails me surveys, asking how my experience has been with them. Imagine how that went. I filled them out. After the first one, I got what looks like boilerplate email, "we're so sorry about your experience, blah blah, and please let us know how we can contact you to discuss this, blah blah." But no call.

13Jul, on my daily morning call to CPS, different story: Summit no longer mfgrs this model, so CPS offered me a new replacement Summit refrigerator of a different model for "free", "just pay shipping and tax." $350. I took the deal. But, I asked: what is the disposition of the old, non-cooling two-year-old unit? I was told it's on me to dispose of it.

Well, that thing is not going to magically levitate out of my mud room and to the refuse transfer station, where in this area I will be charged $35 due to having once-upon-a-time contained a non-GWP refrigerant (R600a is isobutane, which while mildly flammable has NO Global Warming Potential -- and, besides, before it all leaked out, it only contained 48 grams (that's less than two ounces) of refrigerant). Moving appliances of this size isn't something I do for fun-and-profit anymore.

I've ordered some R600a + sealant ("magic sealer in a can") and intend to recharge this thing; I'm willing to bet it'll run another couple of years fine. I am not terribly concerned about the potential harm to the environment of 2 ounces of isobutane possibly leaking over that timeframe, when I see folks at gas stations splashing fuel all over when trying to fill their lawnmower cans.

But, what a hassle these "cheap" units can be. I liked the unit, it was quiet though it never really regulated temperature as well as I thought it should.

--------------------

A couple of weeks later, the replacement "free" ($350) Summit refrigerator was delivered: SWC1875B, which is a dual-zone unit with separate glass doors for top/bottom (the older unit has two zones but a single door).
Summit SWC1875B delivery
Summit SWC1875B delivery
SWC1875B_Delivery_03b.jpg (3.03 MiB) Viewed 3132 times
Summit SWC1875B delivery

I never opened the box: I listed it on CraigsList and two weeks later, someone came and laid a stack of hundred-dollar bills on me, I helped him load it in his pickup, and off it went. I never did take the cardboard off it, don't know what it looks like.

[this saga will continue when the R600a sealer arrives, late next week]
Attachments
Summit SWC1875B
Summit SWC1875B
SWC1875B_Amazon_01b.jpg (18.25 KiB) Viewed 3132 times
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#2

Post by asavage »

My background is not in wine; I'm just into about my third year of seriously stocking the stuff, and I mostly like to imbibe 4-5 times a week. I needed a way to effectively store wine a couple of years ago, so I tried to figure out what 'frig to purchase, and the options seemed daunting: everybody sells a wine 'frig, and the prices range from $150 to over $12k for standalone units. What differentiates these units? I spent more time than I'd like reading, then I bought something, and it didn't make it to 2.5 years, so I've read some more.

My background is in service. Not refrigeration (though I've taken some classes) but service principles remain the same.

First, I'd say that if you're buying new, stay far, far away from Vinotemp. Read Lou Ferreira's and Susan Williams' Tales of Woe dealing with Vinotemp (it's a fairly long read, with lots of details) and you'll understand why you don't want to go that way.

Broadly, there are two distinct types of wine (and general-purpose) refrigerators: those that can be serviced when they break, and all the rest. The serviceable ones are expensive. But, the expensive ones can't all be serviced, so price alone will not guide you here. For example, Eurocave gets high marks from reviewers and longtime owners, but nobody claims that they can be serviced in the US, nor does there seem to be a reliable source of spare parts, if you can convince a service facility to diagnose yours.

The class of wine refrigerators that can definitely be serviced are the ones that use what Quasar in the '60s (remember Quasar?) used to call, "Works in a Drawer" technology. The refrigerator's cooling unit is all in one box that (usually) hangs from the cabinet's ceiling. When it craps, it unscrews with (often) two screws, and drops out. You can have it serviced, or if the economics don't work out, replace the whole cooling unit. It's so easy to swap the cooling unit out, that Le Cache has a video showing how owners can do it themselves on theirs.

So, if you buy a Le Cache or a (used) Vinotemp, or one of the other wine refrigerator mfgrs who use this technology, you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to repair it five, ten, or twenty years down the road, because there are (or have been in the past) several different mfgrs of the cooling units (WineMate (Vinotemp's house brand), CellarPro (Le Cache's house brand these days), WhisperKOOL, Breezaire, etc.), and while the coarse dimensions of the units do vary a bit, it's nothing that can't be accommodated by your cabinet.

On the other side, you have Eurocave & Transtherm (on the high end), and on the budget side: Summit (the one that I just dealt with), Magic Chef, and literally dozens of import 'frigs sold under various brand names from everywhere including Home Depot. While you can often get a 5-year warranty on the compressor (only), compressor failures happen but the labor to replace will be 1/2 or more the cost of replacing the entire 'frig, and the all-too-common evaporator leaks cannot be repaired at all, esp. when the evap is built into the back wall of the cabinet. This is the "affordable" class of wine refrigerators.

Le Cache has notably good customer service. In their standalone products, their lineup skews to the wood-finish cabinets, with only a few metal cabinets, but AFAICT all their products have the "Works in a Drawer" technology. They are not cheap. However, they do come up on the used market fairly regularly so if you're not averse to buying used, they are a good buy. The older Le Cache units used the somewhat problematic Breezaire cooling units, not noted for quiet nor longevity, but they can be replaced with a modern CellarPro for ~$1600 (there are options from $1,400 to $2,100).

----------------------------------

Part 2: My Le Cache Wine Cellar story:

So it was that in late Jul2021, I bought a 2007-vintage Le Cache 3800 Contemporary . . .
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary.  List price (Aug2021): $6k.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary. List price (Aug2021): $6k.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland CraigsList ad
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland CraigsList ad
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. . . from a couple selling their empty nest house, just north of the Cedar Hills neighborhood, west of Portland, Ore., for $1,000.

The unit came up on CraigsList, and it fit my criteria for serviceability: it has the "Works in a Drawer" cooling technology, in this case a Breezaire model 1060 LC. The CellarPro 1800QT has the same box dimensions -- the top vents are only slightly offset from the Breezaire's -- and is a $1,500 new drop-in replacement.

The seller admitted that the Breezaire was only dropping the cabinet temp 17* below ambient, and he suspected it was losing cooling efficiency.

This model weighs about 475 lbs fully dressed. I figured to remove the Breezaire cooling unit (~50 lbs.), the internal rack units (~40 lbs) and both doors (~50 lbs ea.), but even with two people, I really wanted a lift gate load, rather than a ramp. Narrow ramps and hand trucks and age (experience) = give me an elevator. Problem was, this is moving season, and the only lift gate equipped vehicle I could rent was a 24' moving van. Which I rented. We drove to Portland, took the cellar apart and loaded it out to the moving van.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: doors removed.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: doors removed.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: removing racks (lots of screws).
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: removing racks (lots of screws).
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: racks & cooling unit removed.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland seller's living-room: racks & cooling unit removed.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland and out of the house.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland and out of the house.
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Not shown exactly, but I'd brought lots of large pieces of cardboard, and all rolling of the appliance truck was accomplished on cardboard, to protect the hardwood flooring. We caused no damage, which is not a given. I am not a professional mover, but I've damaged a lot of things moving them, so I've got some experience ;)

Note that the cabinet has six adjustable legs.

Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland and out of the house.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland and out of the house.
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland: heavy-duty appliance truck with FOUR wheels
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland: heavy-duty appliance truck with FOUR wheels
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Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland: old mildew damage on bottom.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary, in Portland: old mildew damage on bottom.
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Lift gate and straps make this look easy.
Lift gate and straps make this look easy.
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Doors supported, racks tied and strapped down
Doors supported, racks tied and strapped down
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Checking on loads while stopped at Subway in Kalama, Wash.
Checking on loads while stopped at Subway in Kalama, Wash.
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I planned well, brought everything we needed, and it was an easy first-floor load-out, but still took us three hours until we had everything tied down and ready to leave. Then four hours drive back to east of Seattle, unload everything into my garage, and return the moving van, which had to be ready to be rented to someone else the next day at 7am. Long day!

Next day, we had to remove the garage-to-mud room door. Oh, and empty the mud room, which was not anything like empty!

Next day, we got the cabinet moved from the garage 2nd bay into the mud room.
Next day, we got the cabinet moved from the garage 2nd bay into the mud room.
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Mud room is tight, and curved.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
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The mud room has a typical 8' ceiling, and the cellar is 86". I could get the cellar through the garage man door, but did we have enough width in the curved space to rotate it sideways, lay it down, then tilt it upright? I had to completely remove the light fixture, but . . . yes, it fit. It was a very close thing.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
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Mud room is tight, and curved.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
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Mud room is tight, and curved.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
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Mud room is tight, and curved.
Mud room is tight, and curved.
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OK, so the bare cabinet is in the mud room. I sent friend home and spent a couple of days recuperating. Truck rental was $500 plus $178 of diesel. Not a cheap move.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#3

Post by asavage »

While the 3800, at around 500 lbs, can be moved around on standard plastic furniture glides, it sure won't move when loaded up. Capacity of the Le Cache 3800 is (458) bottles. While it'll take some time to properly load this, meanwhile at some point I'm going to need to get behind it (it always happens), plus we just re-floored this room with new vinyl flooring, and I'm pretty sure that those six plastic feet on the cabinet are going to leave an impression on vinyl flooring. I decided I had to come up with a solution to both those issues.

Back in the day -- 1970s -- my father had a Hammond pipe organ in his South Pasadena, Calif. home. A pipe organ. The organ was a rarity that was actually designed for residence use; most residential pipe organs were/are reconfigured church or theatre organs. Dad's hobby was pipe organs, and when he married Judy, who owned a 1911-ish home with 9' ceilings, the Hammond -- which was basically an 8' cube -- fit nicely in their livingroom, where it stayed for a quarter century, only moving on when they had the house basically torn down for a major remodel circa 2001.

Well, pipe organs need to be maintained. Dad's solution was a plywood platform on casters. I believe there was plywood both above and below the casters. He could literally roll the whole organ out of its corner to service it. Ideas!

I was originally thinking of using commercial machinery skates of the brand Hilman, but prices are prohibitive. I ran across a fellow that makes homemade/fabricated machinery skates and sells on eBay, and I ended up purchasing six of them @ $65 ea.

Machinery Skate.
Machinery Skate.
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Machinery Skate.
Machinery Skate.
Machinery_Skate_03b.jpg (137.84 KiB) Viewed 3122 times
Machinery Skate.
Machinery Skate.
Machinery_Skate_04b.jpg (128.02 KiB) Viewed 3122 times

From OnlineMetals in Seattle, I purchased (9) aluminum flatbar 3/8" x 6" x 30" @ $48 ea. They're kinda sorta localish, so I could drive to them after work and Will Call them, and save the considerable freight charge.

I had to later trim three of them a bit shorter (thank goodness for non-ferrous circular saw blades). I spent some time deburring and polishing all edges and any scratches that might bother vinyl flooring if pressed hard.

I ordered some flathead screws from Fastenal.

Flathead screw.
Flathead screw.
Screw,_Hex_Drive_Black_Oxide_Finish_Alloy_Steel_Flat_Socket_Cap_Screw_01b.png (433.47 KiB) Viewed 3122 times

Then, a few holes with the drill press and a few countersink ops . . .

Countersinking
Countersinking
Machinery_Skate_06b.jpg (1.32 MiB) Viewed 3122 times
Machinery Skate.
Machinery Skate.
Machinery_Skate_05b.jpg (1.62 MiB) Viewed 3122 times
Skateboard
Skateboard
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Three skateboards
Three skateboards
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Now, I've got three heavy-duty skateboards, around 27.5" long, each with two 12,000 lb. capacity machinery skates under them.

Cabinet on skateboards
Cabinet on skateboards
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Cabinet on skateboards
Cabinet on skateboards
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Cabinet on skateboards
Cabinet on skateboards
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Three plates to form the skateboards' tops, three for the skateboards to run on, and three loose ones that I can lay down to roll the cabinet out onto, when needed.

Removable floor plates
Removable floor plates
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This works perfectly. The only issue I'm having is the damn thing wants to roll out when I open a door! I've tried various wedges, without permanent success. Soon, I'll drill a hole at the leading edge of one of the floor plates, to drop a steel rod into that will contact one of the machinery skate's forward axle bolt. That's today's plan, anyway.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
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asavage
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Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#4

Post by asavage »

The Breezaire cooling unit that came with the cellar really doesn't work well. I knew that going in. I wanted a CellarPro 1800, but new ones are currently out of stock and backordered "everywhere"; I know, because I called around and even placed two orders online with places that claimed to have them, only to have the orders rejected later. At the time, it was early August and the quoted ship dates were all early November (since have moved to early September).

I found a used unit, in . . . Portland. Well, not really, Newberg is around 40 minutes SW of Portland, but since I just CAME from Portland two weeks ago, saying "Portland" enhances the drama.

CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, in Newberg, Ore. via CraigsList.
CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, in Newberg, Ore. via CraigsList.
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CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, nameplate info.
CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, nameplate info.
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My friend, Doug, who lives "nearby" in Carlton, Ore. was able to find money and go buy it for me, and then I drove back to "Portland" and home the same day, with it in my trunk. Another long day.


There was some light condenser fin folding, which the seller had documented. They make a tool to help repair this kind of damage, and I have one on order (backorder), but the tool is only useful for very light fin folding and would not have been able to deal with about 1/3 of the damage on this one. Instead, I spent some quality time with electronics needle-nose pliers, and half an hour later I was able to remedy much of the damage.

Before:
CellarPro 1800QT condenser fin folding.
CellarPro 1800QT condenser fin folding.
CellarPro_1800QT_2015_03b.jpg (164 KiB) Viewed 3121 times

After:

CellarPro 1800QT condenser fin folding repaired.
CellarPro 1800QT condenser fin folding repaired.
CellarPro_1800QT_2015_05b.jpg (2.47 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

I pulled the cover off and blew everything out, and it is a clean unit, hardly any dust inside. Thanks, Steve!

Removing the Breezaire and installing the CellarPro cooling unit in its place went without incident. The Breezaire's two front mounting clips fit the CellarPro 1800. The Le Cache 3800's top venting cutouts do not match the CellarPro's exactly, but it's a close fit, close enough. Be sure to use butyl tape or equivalent to seal the cooling unit to the cabinetry, or the humidity will be difficult to control, as even minor leakage of air into the cabinet will cause the humidity to rise, and the cooling unit has limited capability to control it.

CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, installed in place of Breezaire 1060 LC, with optional bottle probe plugged in the side.
CellarPro 1800QT, 2015 vintage, installed in place of Breezaire 1060 LC, with optional bottle probe plugged in the side.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_19b.jpg (1.44 MiB) Viewed 3121 times


For top-vented cooling units in tall wine cellars, and for the CellarPro 1800 series of cooling units, Le Cache and CellarPro spec a minimum of 18" headroom. I have 10", and while our smallish mud room (~10' x 5') is connected to two other small rooms, with no intervening doors, one of those rooms is the HVAC and gas water heater, the other has two servers in it now, and the whole complex of rooms is technically unconditioned space. It gets hot in summer.

The official solution consists of various expensive custom ducts and inline fans, plus factory mods to the cooling unit -- I assume to tap control signal and/or power from the cooling unit's fan or compressor control circuitry. For those who want something that's been engineered, with a firm to stand behind it, and little fabrication, CellarPro's kit is nice, though expensive.

The top of the cabinet has an cooling unit condenser inlet (the larger rectangle, at the rear) and a hot air outlet (to the left, approximately 9.5" x 3.75" on this early 3800). The early 3800s like my 2007-vintage one were supplied with Breezaire cooling units whose inlet/outlet position and size are just slightly different from modern 3800s that are supplied with CellarPro 1800 cooling units, but the differences are minor.

Le Cache 3800 Contemporary: top of cabinet venting arrangement, 2007-vintage.
Le Cache 3800 Contemporary: top of cabinet venting arrangement, 2007-vintage.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_17b.jpg (1.25 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

My thinking is for hot weather/hot room use, to vent the heated condenser air to the garage. With that idea in mind, I purchased an off-the-shelf 90° rect.-to-round transition from Lowes.

Imperial GVL0088-B 10"x4" rectangle to 6" round 90° transition (Register Duct Boot), $12.
Imperial GVL0088-B 10"x4" rectangle to 6" round 90° transition (Register Duct Boot)
Imperial GVL0088-B 10"x4" rectangle to 6" round 90° transition (Register Duct Boot)
Imperial_GVL0088-B.png (263.77 KiB) Viewed 3121 times

I cut a rectangular hole in some scrap 3/4" material I had laying around, and because the register duct boot is of such sloppy tolerance, I fastened the boot to the wood with some scrap furring strips.

Register duct boot screwed to a wood adapter panel, sitting over the condenser exhaust.
Register duct boot screwed to a wood adapter panel, sitting over the condenser exhaust.
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Location tape for transition.
Location tape for transition.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_16b.jpg (729.62 KiB) Viewed 3121 times

I bought an inline fan and coupled it to the duct transition. AC Infinity CLOUDLINE S6, $109.

Inline fan, flex duct, duct transition.
Inline fan, flex duct, duct transition.
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ATM, I have not ducted through the wall (or ceiling, haven't decided which) into the garage. I'm thinking I may want that warm air in winter, when that unconditioned space cools off; OTOH, it didn't really get all the cool in there last winter with the other wine 'frig in there. And nobody has a reasonably priced 6" duct diverter wye --- and the 4" ones are for dryer use and such crappy construction, I think I'd be better off fabb'ing one myself, so all in all I will probably just dump the heat to the garage and call it a day.

---------------------------------

I have an inline fan, and it runs OK, quieter than the cooling unit actually, but there's no need to run this puller fan when the cooling unit's compressor isn't running. A feature of the CellarPro 1800 is that it run its cabinet internal cooling fan on a cycle of one minute on, 15 minutes off, to de-stratify the air temperature in the cabinet; the air is mixed up every so often. A by-product of this is that the cooling unit draws multiple different levels of current.

What I wanted was to have the inline duct fan, which I call an Auxiliary Fan, only run when the CellarPro's condenser fans are running. This is easy enough via hardwiring taps and an external relay, but the whole idea behind buying this class and construction of wine cellar is that when the cooling unit dies, it can be literally unbolted and replaced entirely, with any one of several makes/models. If I hardwire a connection to trigger the Aux. Fan, then I'd have to duplicate that mod on any replacement unit. Not a good solution.

I spent some time with my Googles, and found several promising "plug-n-play" boxes that on the surface looked close to what I want. In the past, I'd purchased and installed a "smart strip" device for a key cutting machine setup: a smart strip has a Control/trigger receptacle into which I plugged the key machine, and the strip has several subsidiary "controlled" receptacles that are fed power only when the Control receptacle draws power. When the key machine fired up, it drew a few amps, that turned on the "controlled" receptacles, into which I had a shop vacuum plugged. They sell these things primarily to woodworkers and such that want a vacuum to turn on when they run various dust-making equipment. That was 15 years ago, but they still make this sort of thing.

But.

Few of them have adjustable trigger current capability. Recall the CellarPro draws some current at idle (to run its controller), a different, higher level when the internal cabinet circulation fan runs every 15 minutes, and a lot more when the compressor runs. I need adjustable trigger current level. None of the "all in one box" units with adjustable trigger current capability had reviews that inspire.

And, I want my Aux. Fan to run for two minutes after the compressor turns off. That requires a Time Delay-Off Relay ("TDR")(aka Delay-on-Release of trigger). I found a unit that has a Control, and Controller outlet, with Time Delay, but it doesn't have adjustable trigger current functionality. Sheesh.

Dad to the rescue again! He homebuilt several hobby boxes for his several freezers and refrigerators. He was quite proud of them. I kept one of the four or six he left around when he passed away in 2011, mostly because he was proud of them, but I didn't have a use for it. What it is, is a box with a TDR that prevents his refrigerator from restarting after a power drop. I guess he had unreliable utility power at one of his homes? He had an adjustable Delay-On TDR in a hobby box with an IN and OUT cord, and he set it so when the power came on (or when you plugged it in at commissioning), the TDR would count two minutes, then pass power to the OUT cord, into which the refrigerator was plugged.

Well, that functionality is now built into pretty much all modern refrigeration; even the CellarPro has a three-minute powerup time delay before the compressor will come one. And I don't need it. But I have it sitting around, it's a cute vintage aluminum hobby box . . .

First: current sensing.

There are bucketloads of current sensing devices available, but the cheap ones are fickle and get terrible reviews. I settled on a Dwyer-branded made-in-China one, because if Dwyer is willing to put their name on it, I'll pay double.

Dwyer Miniature Current Switch, MCS-111050, $34

This thing is tiny. For scale, the sensing coil hole is 8mm (5/16").

Dwyer Miniature Current Switch, MCS-111050
Dwyer Miniature Current Switch, MCS-111050
Dwyer Miniature Current Switch, MCS-111050_01b.png (840.5 KiB) Viewed 3121 times

This module will sense AC current (only!) that is flowing through a single conductor (only!) that is routed through its current sense coil -- the 8mm hole in the side. Generically, it has a Current Transformer ("CT") coil integrated into it. A tiny potentiometer can adjust the point at which enough current is flowing though that CT that a small set of dry contacts should close. The default AC current sensing range is a half amp to 50A, and if more than 50A is flowing, nothing is damaged; the unit just cannot be adjusted to trigger at a point above 50A, but it will survive just fine. To obtain greater sensitivity (at the cost of halving the adjustment range), I ran two loops of wire through the CT opening: that changes the adjustment range to 0.25A-25A.

The small dry contact has a current rating of 0.3A (AC or DC), so you can't drive much of a load from this thing, but it could drive a Time Delay-Off Relay just fine.

I happen to have a TE Connectivity (Tyco, Potter & Brumfield) Universal TDR laying around, with a matching 11-pin DIN socket, leftover from some project from 2014. They're now obsolete and were/are quite expensive, but the functionality can be replicated by any number of current production units for a fraction of the cost of my old Tyco CNT-35-96. This unit is "universal" because it can be programmed to any of many various timing functions, and it'll accept a wide range of voltages, but if you buy a TDR of a single voltage and single function, the prices come way down.

Legend:
  • B = Delay-on-Release
  • 120 = 120 seconds
  • S = seconds
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_06-1b.jpg (82.15 KiB) Viewed 3121 times
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_09b.jpg (1016.12 KiB) Viewed 3121 times
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_08b.jpg (1.08 MiB) Viewed 3121 times
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_10b.jpg (955.04 KiB) Viewed 3121 times

Here's the inside of Dad's hobby box, with his TDR and 8-pin socket removed, and an 11-pin socket installed, plus the Dwyer current sense module mounted at the lower left end, on a bit of aluminum angle.

Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay 11-pin socket
Tyco CNT-35-96 Universal Time Delay Relay 11-pin socket
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_07b.jpg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

This is what it looks like with the TDR plugged in and powered up:

Auxiliary Fan Control, assembled hobby box.
Auxiliary Fan Control, assembled hobby box.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_06b.jpg (1.05 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

A couple of pics of the Dwyer current sense module:

Auxiliary Fan Control, pic of installed current sense module
Auxiliary Fan Control, pic of installed current sense module
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_11b.jpg (1.17 MiB) Viewed 3121 times
Auxiliary Fan Control, pic of installed current sense module
Auxiliary Fan Control, pic of installed current sense module
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_12b.jpg (1.4 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

The orange cords are Dad's original IN and OUT; they are a generic orange outdoor extension cord that he cut in half.
The grey cord is my addition: it is the receptacle that the Aux. Fan plugs into.

Auxiliary Fan Control, rear view, showing Aux. Fan receptacle
Auxiliary Fan Control, rear view, showing Aux. Fan receptacle
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_05b.jpg (1.29 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

Finally, here's what the front panel now looks like. As Dad built his, he had just the Power indicator at the lower left, and instructions on how it worked and why, printed on the back of greenbar printer paper, dated 1988. I've put a couple more holes in the front and placed my own lables; my heirs will be amused, I'm sure.

Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_01b.jpg (1.5 MiB) Viewed 3121 times
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_02b.jpg (1.33 MiB) Viewed 3121 times
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_03b.jpg (1.48 MiB) Viewed 3121 times
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view, with shaved adjustment screwdriver and circuits on.
Auxiliary Fan Control, front view, with shaved adjustment screwdriver and circuits on.
Auxiliary_Fan_Control_18b.jpg (1.7 MiB) Viewed 3121 times

This operates as intended:
  • When the cooling unit is idle or merely circulating air inside the cabinet, the Aux. Fan does not turn on.
  • When the compressor turns on, the Aux. Fan does as well.
  • When the compressor turns off, the Aux. Fan runs for a further two minutes.
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
handcannon
Posts: 58
Joined: 8 years ago

Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#5

Post by handcannon »

I like it!! Use your noodle for something besides a hat rack. Make things work for you, not against you. I spent most of my life working with wood, and a lot of that I had to use my head to figure things out for myself.

Don
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asavage
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Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#6

Post by asavage »

An issue arose: the door gaskets on this unit are magnetic, and the door frame mating face has embedded metal strips. Thus, the door gaskets work like modern refrigerator doors.

When opening a door to the wine refrigerator, sometimes the slight effort to break free the magnetic gasket will trigger the whole cabinet rolling toward you and off the bottom plates! This is quite exciting, when a 7' cabinet you are facing tilts toward you, believe me. It doesn't fall on me, but it sure got my attention.

I tried various "wheel chocks" but nothing worked reliably. After a dozen or so openings, it would happen again. Since the cabinet will not need to be rolled forward often, I bored a 3/8" hole in the middle skid plate and installed a matching peg. For a peg, I Dremel'd off the shank of a spare scrap 3/8" drill bit. Lifts out easily when needed, and keeps the cabinet from rolling forward when in place. Looking at it in these pictures, perhaps I'll make a slightly longer peg. The length is limited by the available space in which to pull it out.
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg, peg removed
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg, peg removed
Wine_Refrigerator_Le_Cache_3800_35b.jpg (1.2 MiB) Viewed 2968 times
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg
Wine_Refrigerator_Le_Cache_3800_34b.jpg (1.19 MiB) Viewed 2968 times
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg
Skid plate 3/8" hole & peg
Wine_Refrigerator_Le_Cache_3800_33b.jpg (1.06 MiB) Viewed 2968 times
Regards,
Al S.

1982 Maxima diesel wagon, 2nd & 4th owner, 165k miles, rusty & burgundy/grey. Purchased 1996, SOLD 16Feb10
1983 Maxima diesel wagon, 199k miles, rusty, light yellow/light brown. SOLD 14Jul07
1981 720 SD22 (scrapped 04Sep07)
1983 Sentra CD17, 255k, bought 06Jul08, gave it away 22Jun10.
Carimbo
Posts: 467
Joined: 18 years ago

Re: Wine Cellar: Le Cache 3800 Contemporary

#7

Post by Carimbo »

Clean elegant solution to stop the rolling forward!

Now strap the top to the wall studs. (You live in earthquake country.)
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