--- title: "Find the cooling unit model plate before the visit" description: "The plate is on the housing, not the controller, and on through-the-wall and split systems it often faces a side you cannot see from the cellar; where to look…" url: "https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/find-the-cooling-unit-model-plate/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- Troubleshooting # Find the cooling unit model plate before the visit A wine cellar cooling unit model number is printed on a plate on the unit's housing, not on the controller. On a through-the-wall unit, check the sides visible from the exhaust room; a split system usually carries two plates, one on the evaporator and one on the outdoor condenser. Photograph the whole plate, and keep the original manual or invoice as a backup. By [WineCellarRepair.center technical team](https://winecellarrepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. The wine cellar cooling unit model number and serial number decide which manual, which parts and which refrigerant apply. On most cellar units they are on a plate fixed to the housing, often on a side hidden by the wall, the ceiling or the cabinet of an outdoor condenser. Read the whole guide ### Where CellarPro puts it Left side of the housing Its seven-digit serial number, which the manual asks owners to copy onto its first page. ### What a split system carries Usually two plates One on the evaporator in the cellar, one on the condensing unit. ### What makers ask for first Model and serial number WhisperKool lists them ahead of installation details and photos of the cellar. ### Weight of a typical through-the-wall unit 45 to 101 pounds Breezaire's WKL series; a reason never to pull one out just to read a plate. In this guide 1. Why the plate matters more than the brand 2. Where to look on each kind of unit 3. When the plate is missing or unreadable 4. Photographing it so it can be read 5. Step by step 6. Questions ## Why the plate matters more than the brand Cellar cooling makers build several generations under similar names, and one series can include units with different compressors, controllers and cabinet sizes. WhisperKool's SC series alone spans four capacities in two housings. A fan motor or a probe that fits one may not fit the next, and the only dependable way to tell them apart is the model and serial number stamped on the housing. The plate also records the electrical rating the unit was built for. WhisperKool's split system manual asks installers to make sure the supplied voltage matches the rating on the unit's specification plate, and a technician checks those same figures before testing a compressor or ordering a part. - Model number: the series and the capacity. - Serial number: on many makes it also encodes the build date or revision. - Voltage, running amps and the circuit the unit needs. - On most plates, the refrigerant type and charge, which matter for any sealed-system work. Source: [WhisperKool — SC Pro series owner's manual](https://whisperkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/WK-SC-Series-OM-22-w-UV-120122.pdf) — The SC series covers the 2000, 3000, 4000 and 8000 in two cabinet sizes; support asks first for the model and serial number, then installation details and photos; the manual ends with a form for model and serial number; [WhisperKool — Platinum split 4000–8000 owner's manual](https://whisperkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WK-Platinum_Split_4000-8000_OM_NO_UV_220HE_012422.pdf) — Ensure the voltage supplied matches the rating specified on the unit's specification plate ## Where to look on each kind of unit Start with the paperwork, then the housing. The plate is rarely on the controller or behind the cellar-side grille, and it is never worth removing a panel to find. ### Through-the-wall units The cellar side shows only a grille, so look at the side panels from the exhaust room with a flashlight and a phone held flat to the wall. CellarPro puts its serial number on the left side of the housing. If trim is fitted tightly around the unit, the plate may be visible only through a gap between housing and framing; photograph it through the gap rather than pulling the unit, which is heavy and sealed into the wall. Breezaire's WKL units alone weigh from 45 to 101 pounds. ### Ducted units A ducted self-contained unit usually sits in a closet, a basement or above a ceiling, with ducts running to the cellar. Its plate is on the cabinet, often at the end where the power connects. In a ceiling space, take the photo from a ladder with the unit switched off at its breaker, and do not stand on joists or ductwork to reach it. ### Split systems and ceiling-mounted units A split system has two pieces and usually two plates. Outside or in a mechanical room, the condenser cabinet carries one, often near the electrical box; the evaporator in the cellar carries its own, typically on a side of the housing or behind its access cover. A ceiling-mounted unit's plate may face the ceiling itself, so check the manual or the installer's invoice before climbing up to look. Close on a blank metal plate with no characters riveted to the side of a cellar cooling unit housing. ## When the plate is missing or unreadable Plates fade in humid exhaust rooms and disappear under paint when trim is refinished. Look for the owner's manual first. CellarPro asks owners to write the serial number on an early page, Breezaire's WKL instructions carry blank fields for the model, serial number, installer and date on the first page, and WhisperKool's manual ends with a form asking for the same numbers. Many installers also recorded them on the invoice or the start-up sheet left in the cellar. If none of that survives, photograph the controller, both grilles, the drain port and the exhaust side, and measure the housing. A technician can often narrow the model from those details, though parts for a unit with no plate take longer to confirm. - The owner's manual: the first pages and the back. - The installer's invoice or start-up sheet. - The builder's or cellar designer's handover documents. - The confirmation email, if the unit was registered online. Source: [CellarPro — 1800 series owner's manual](https://www.cellarprocoolingsystems.com/PDF%20Documents/Owners%20Manual%201800.pdf) — The seven-digit serial number is on the left side of the cooling unit; the manual asks owners to write it in the space provided; [WhisperKool — SC Pro series owner's manual](https://whisperkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/WK-SC-Series-OM-22-w-UV-120122.pdf) — The SC series covers the 2000, 3000, 4000 and 8000 in two cabinet sizes; support asks first for the model and serial number, then installation details and photos; the manual ends with a form for model and serial number; [Breezaire — WKL Series installation instructions](https://breezaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WKL-Instruction-Jan-2025.pdf) — WKL units weigh 45 to 101 lb; the first page has fields for model, serial number, installer and date ## Photographing it so it can be read Hold the phone square to the plate, turn off the flash if the metal is shiny and light it with a flashlight held at an angle instead. Take one close shot that fills the frame and one wider shot that shows where the plate sits on the unit. Zoom in on the photo before putting the ladder away; a blurred digit costs more time than the climb. Send the photos with your booking, along with the controller reading and any code, and say from which side of the wall or ceiling the unit is reached. That one message decides whether the technician arrives with the right parts and the right ladder. ## Where to stop Do not pull a through-the-wall unit out of its opening, cut away the sealant or trim around it, or open a split system's panels to reach a plate. The units are heavy and sealed into the wall with tape or caulk, and the access panels on split systems sit beside line-voltage wiring. A photo through a gap, or the paperwork, is always enough to start with. Written by [WineCellarRepair.center technical team](https://winecellarrepair.center/authors/technical-team/). Cellar cooling technicians who write from readings taken in the room, at the exhaust side and along the line set. Sources: [CellarPro — 1800 series owner's manual](https://www.cellarprocoolingsystems.com/PDF%20Documents/Owners%20Manual%201800.pdf) · [WhisperKool — SC Pro series owner's manual](https://whisperkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/WK-SC-Series-OM-22-w-UV-120122.pdf) · [WhisperKool — Platinum split 4000–8000 owner's manual](https://whisperkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WK-Platinum_Split_4000-8000_OM_NO_UV_220HE_012422.pdf) · [Breezaire — WKL Series installation instructions](https://breezaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WKL-Instruction-Jan-2025.pdf) ## Step by step. Five steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Check the paperwork The manual, the invoice and the start-up sheet often carry the model and serial number already. 02 ### Switch the power off Pull the plug or turn off the circuit before reaching toward an exhaust grille, a ceiling unit or an outdoor condenser. 03 ### Look on the housing The side panels from the exhaust room, the cabinet end of a ducted unit, both cabinets of a split system. 04 ### Photograph it twice A close shot that fills the frame and a wider one that shows where the plate sits. 05 ### Send it with the readings Attach the photos to the booking together with any code on the controller. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Is the number on the controller the model number? Rarely. A controller often carries its own part number, which identifies the controller rather than the cooling unit around it. The number that identifies the unit is on the housing. ### Do I need both plates on a split system? Yes, if both can be reached safely. The evaporator and the condensing unit are matched by the maker, and a repair on one side usually depends on the other. If only one is reachable, send that plate and a photo of the other cabinet. ### The plate faces the wall. What now? Try the paperwork first, then a phone camera or an inspection mirror through any gap at the trim. If neither works, book anyway with photos of the unit and its controller; the plate can be read during the visit. ### Does the serial number tell me the age of the unit? On many makes it does, although each maker codes it differently. Send the full number rather than guessing; the age affects which parts are still made and weighs heavily when deciding between repair and replacement. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Cellar Cooling Unit Error Code 8 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cellar Cooling Unit Not Turning On 5 causes, cheapest first The collection is exposed ### Wine Cellar Too Warm 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Wine cellar cooling diagnostic visit A visit that reads the cellar, the room the heat goes to and the cooling unit itself, and ends with one named cause, whether it is a part or the room. ### Cellar controller and sensor repair Getting the controller, its display and its probes to read the cellar truthfully and call for cooling at the right time. ### Cellar compressor and sealed system repair Getting the heart of the cellar unit pumping again, from the start capacitor, relay and contactor that give out first to a compressor or a sealed-system restriction. ## More in troubleshooting. What an owner can safely check on a cellar cooling system, from a thermometer and hygrometer among the racks to the controller's set point, the filter, the drain outlet and the exhaust side, and where to stop and book. [The whole section](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) Checks an owner can make in the cellar ### Cellar cooling checks before booking: twenty minutes on both sides of the wall A thermometer in a water-filled bottle, both grilles, the breaker, the door seal and the drain outlet: the checks that settle many calls before anyone drives over. Checks an owner can make in the cellar ### Reading the cellar controller: set point, probes, modes and alarms What the number on the display measures, why it can differ from the bottles, and how the symbols on common controllers separate a routine mode from an alarm that needs attention. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Find the cooling unit model plate before the visit](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/find-the-cooling-unit-model-plate/)** **[Book a visit with WineCellarRepair.center](https://winecellarrepair.center/schedule/)**