--- title: "Troubleshooting — Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Guides" description: "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…" url: "https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/" --- Checks an owner can make in the cellar # Troubleshooting guides. 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. ## Troubleshooting, guide by guide. Use this section before you book, when you want to know whether the trouble sits in the unit, in the room or somewhere in between. Everything here can be done with a probe thermometer, a flashlight, a sheet of paper and the manual that came with the unit, and none of it involves opening a housing. [All 18 guides](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/) 5-minute read ### [Cellar cooling checks before booking: twenty minutes on both sides of the wall](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/cellar-cooling-checks-before-booking/) 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. 5-minute read ### [Reading the cellar controller: set point, probes, modes and alarms](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/reading-the-cellar-controller/) 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. 4-minute read ### [Find the cooling unit model plate before the visit](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/find-the-cooling-unit-model-plate/) 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 and how to photograph it. ## Checks an owner can make in the cellar. Cellar cooling is split across two spaces, the cellar itself and the room or outdoor spot where the heat goes, so most checks here are done twice, once on each side. Readings from only one side are the most common reason a problem stays unexplained after a first call. Two guides deal with information rather than symptoms. One explains what a cellar controller actually shows, from the number on the display to the letters of its alarms, using the makers' own manuals. The other shows where the model plate sits on each kind of unit and how to photograph it, since the right parts depend on it. Every guide marks where an owner's part ends: a breaker that will not stay on, water near power, anything behind a panel, the refrigerant lines of a split system. Those limits appear at the point where they apply rather than in small print at the end, and nothing in this section asks you to pull a unit out of its wall. [Not sure where to start?](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Cellar cooling checks before booking: twenty minutes on both sides of the wall Wine cellar cooling troubleshooting starts with readings an owner can take safely: a thermometer in a water-filled bottle on a middle rack, the air at both grilles, the exhaust room temperature, the breaker and outlet, the door seal and the drain outlet. ### The short answer Reading the cellar controller: set point, probes, modes and alarms A wine cellar controller display shows one temperature, and it may be air at the unit's intake, a probe in a water bottle, or the set point itself. ### The short answer 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. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://winecellarrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 The room and the unit, both measured 2. 02 The cause and the figure, before any work 3. 03 Common cellar parts in the van 4. 04 The cellar heading back to 55°F ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/) The collection is exposed ### Wine Cellar Too Warm 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cellar Cooling Unit Not Turning On 5 causes, cheapest first The collection is exposed ### Cellar Cooling Unit Tripping the Breaker 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Cellar Cooling Controller Display Blank 4 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about troubleshooting. ### What do I need on hand for these checks? A probe thermometer, a flashlight, a sheet of printer paper and a phone camera. A small hygrometer is worth adding if the complaint involves damp walls or dry corks, but the first round of checks works without it. ### Is it safe to do the checks with bottles in the cellar? Yes. The bottles stay where they are, the door is opened only briefly, and anything involving the unit itself is done with its power off. Keep the door closed between readings so the test does not become the reason the room warms. ### The display shows letters I do not recognize. Where do I start? Write them down exactly as they appear, including whether they flash, then read the controller guide in this section and the alarm table in your own manual. The error codes section of this site sorts the common ones by what they point to. ### How do I know when to stop checking and call? When a reading points inside the unit, such as cold air that is barely colder than the room or a compressor that will not start, or when the next step needs a tool, a ladder into a ceiling or a panel removed. At that point the notes you have taken are exactly what the booking needs. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/) What the room and the unit are telling you ### [Common problems](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Why the cellar will not hold 55°F: the room, the exhaust side or the unit](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/why-the-cellar-will-not-hold-55-degrees/) - [Why the cellar unit drips water, and which side of the wall it lands on](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/why-the-cellar-unit-drips-water/) - [Why the evaporator ices over, and what the ice pattern reveals](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/why-the-evaporator-ices-over/) Habits that keep the unit off our schedule ### [Maintenance and prevention](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) - [Cleaning the condenser coil and filters of a cellar unit](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/cleaning-the-condenser-and-filters/) - [Keeping the condensate line clear, from drip pan to drain](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/keeping-the-condensate-line-clear/) - [A yearly cellar cooling check, done in spring](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/a-yearly-cellar-cooling-check/) The bottles first, then the wiring and the floor ### [The collection, power and water](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [Protecting the Cellar During an Outage: Door Shut, Breaker Off, Thermometer Outside](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/protecting-the-cellar-during-an-outage/) - [Water From the Cellar Unit Near Wiring: Circuit Off First, Then Trace the Drain](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/water-from-the-unit-near-wiring/) - [Moving Bottles When the Cellar Warms: What Leaves First and Where It Waits](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/moving-bottles-when-the-cellar-warms/) Which system suits the room, and keep or replace ### [Choosing and comparing](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Through-the-wall, ducted or split: where the cellar's heat should go](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/through-wall-ducted-or-split-system/) - [Sizing a cellar cooling unit: heat load, not cubic feet](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/sizing-a-cellar-cooling-unit/) - [Repair or replace a cellar cooling unit: check the room before the machine](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-cellar-cooling-unit/) The room, the opening, the door and where the heat goes ### [Installation and setup](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Vapor Barrier and Insulation for a Cellar: The Envelope the Unit Depends On](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/vapor-barrier-and-insulation-for-a-cellar/) - [Where the Exhaust Heat Goes: The Room Behind a Cellar Cooling Unit](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/where-the-exhaust-heat-goes/) - [A Cellar Door That Seals: Weatherstripping, the Bottom Edge and Glass](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/a-cellar-door-that-seals/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Troubleshooting — Wine Cellar Cooling Unit Guides](https://winecellarrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/)** **[Book a visit with WineCellarRepair.center](https://winecellarrepair.center/schedule/)**