--- title: "Cellar Controller and Sensor Repair" description: "Getting the controller, its display and its probes to read the cellar truthfully and call for cooling at the right time." url: "https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-controller-and-sensor-repair/" --- # 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. ## What the cellar controller and sensor repair involves. A modern cellar unit is run by a small controller: a board in the unit, a display on the case or on the wall, and two or more probes that read the air in the cellar, the temperature of the coil and sometimes the humidity or a bottle. The controller decides when the compressor starts, whether the fans run constantly, when the coil is allowed to defrost and when an alarm appears. A probe that reads two degrees off makes a cellar sit two degrees wrong; a coil probe that drifts can end defrost too early, so ice builds, or hold the compressor off while the room warms. Displays go blank from a loose cable, a failed transformer or a board damaged by a power surge or a wet cellar. The technician compares each probe with a reference thermometer, reads the settings and any stored codes, checks the voltages the board receives and sends, and looks at the cable between a remote display and the unit. Probes, displays and boards are replaced with parts matched to the model, and the settings, including the set point and the differential, are put back to what your cellar needs. How the visit goes ### What it usually costs Moderate · Air or coil probe, display, transformer or control board A probe or a fuse is a small repair. A control board or a remote display made for one make of cellar unit costs more and sometimes has to be ordered, and a long cable run to a wall display can add time. ### Answers 6 problems Cellar Cooling Controller Display Blank Cellar Cooling Unit Error Code · Wine Cellar Too Cold · Cellar Cooling Unit Short Cycling · Cellar Cooling Unit Not Turning On · Wine Cellar Too Warm ### Comes up most on Through-the-wall cellar cooling unit Ducted cellar cooling unit · Split-system cellar cooling · Ceiling-mounted cellar cooling ### Codes that lead here Er · LO · HI · E1 Breezaire Er: the Sentry III has lost its temperature sensor. ## Cellar controller and sensor repair, step by step. Watch a full cycle so the start, the stop and the defrost follow the controller as they should. 01 Compare what the controller shows with a reference thermometer among the bottles and at the coil. 02 Read the settings, the differential, any stored codes and the alarm history. 03 Measure each probe's resistance against its chart, and check the transformer, the fuses and the cable to a remote display. 04 Replace the probe, the display or the board with parts made for the model, and restore the settings your cellar needs. 05 Watch a full cycle so the start, the stop and the defrost follow the controller as they should. ## The problems it answers. 6 of them, from cellar cooling controller display blank to wine cellar too warm. [All problems](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/) Most common ### Cellar Cooling Controller Display Blank 4 causes, cheapest first Before you call ### Tell us this when you book 1. What the display shows, including any letters, numbers or blinking symbol 2. What a separate thermometer among the bottles reads compared with the display 3. Whether there was a storm, an outage or water near the unit before the problem began 4. Whether the display is on the unit or on a wall, and how far it is from the unit It also answers - [**Cellar Cooling Unit Error Code** 8 causes](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/cellar-cooling-unit-error-code/) - [**Wine Cellar Too Cold** 4 causes](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/cellar-too-cold/) - [**Cellar Cooling Unit Short Cycling** 5 causes](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/cellar-unit-short-cycling/) - [**Cellar Cooling Unit Not Turning On** 5 causes](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/cellar-unit-not-turning-on/) - [**Wine Cellar Too Warm** 6 causes · the collection is exposed](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/cellar-too-warm/) ## Moderate, on the site's scale. A probe or a fuse is a small repair. A control board or a remote display made for one make of cellar unit costs more and sometimes has to be ordered, and a long cable run to a wall display can add time. [Read the full cost guide](https://winecellarrepair.center/cost/) | Repair | Relative cost | | --- | --- | | [Start capacitor, contactor, compressor or sealed-system restriction](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-compressor-and-sealed-system-repair/) | | | [Leak search, joint or coil repair and a weighed charge](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-refrigerant-leak-repair/) | | | [Evaporator or condenser fan motor, blade or capacitor](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-evaporator-and-condenser-fan-repair/) | | | **Air or coil probe, display, transformer or control board** | moderate | | [Drain line, drain pan or condensate pump](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-condensate-drain-and-pump-repair/) | | | [Thawing an iced coil and correcting its cause](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-coil-icing-and-defrost-repair/) | | | [Line set section, insulation or control cable](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/split-system-line-set-repair/) | | | [Humidifier module, humidity probe or settings](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-humidity-control-repair/) | | | [Cooling load and room survey](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-cooling-load-and-room-check/) | | ## Where it comes up most. Most bookings: Through-the-wall cellar cooling unit, Ducted cellar cooling unit, Split-system cellar cooling, Ceiling-mounted cellar cooling. [All wine cellar cooling unit types](https://winecellarrepair.center/types/) Codes that lead here - [`Er` Breezaire · Sensors and probes](https://winecellarrepair.center/error-codes/breezaire-er/) - [`E1` CellarCool · Sensors and probes](https://winecellarrepair.center/error-codes/cellarcool-e1/) - [`P1` CellarPro · Sensors and probes](https://winecellarrepair.center/error-codes/cellarpro-p1/) - [`E1` WhisperKOOL · Sensors and probes](https://winecellarrepair.center/error-codes/whisperkool-e1/) [All 12 codes that lead here](https://winecellarrepair.center/error-codes/#family-sensor) Often the same visit - [**Wine cellar cooling diagnostic visit** 4 problems in common](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) - [**Split-system cellar line set repair** 3 problems in common · moderate to highest](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/split-system-line-set-repair/) - [**Cellar cooling leak search and recharge** 3 problems in common · highest](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-refrigerant-leak-repair/) ### Through-the-wall cellar cooling unit ### Ducted cellar cooling unit ### Split-system cellar cooling ## The makes we see it on. 7 makes on this site, and the cellar controller and sensor repair on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 7 brands](https://winecellarrepair.center/brands/) ## Cellar controller and sensor repair, where we come out. The cellar, the climate and the building all change how the cellar controller and sensor repair goes. These notes are about that, metro by metro. [All service areas](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas Power flickering on and off as Tampa Bay's lines came back after Milton left some cellar controllers blank or reset to their defaults, and the repair restores the setpoint and humidity target and tests the board and its probe against a thermometer set among the bottles. - [Hyde Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas Rental guests in Orlando find a cellar controller on the wall and change it, so the repair often begins by restoring the setpoint, locking the keypad where the model allows and making sure the probe still hangs mid-room rather than in front of the cold supply grille. - [Winter Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - [Bay Hill](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/bay-hill/) - [Lake Nona](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/lake-nona/) - [Heathrow](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/heathrow/) - [Celebration](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/orlando/celebration/) [Miami / South Florida](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/) FL · 47 areas Owners who spend summers away from South Florida rely on a cellar controller with an alarm or an app, and when the alerts go quiet the repair checks the controller, its Wi-Fi module and its probe, since a probe reading low can hide a warm cellar for weeks. - [Brickell](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/brickell/) - [Coconut Grove](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/coconut-grove/) - [Coral Gables](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/coral-gables/) - [Pinecrest](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/pinecrest/) - [Key Biscayne](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/key-biscayne/) - [Aventura](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/aventura/) - [Sunny Isles Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/sunny-isles-beach/) - [Bal Harbour](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/bal-harbour/) - [Miami Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas In a New York brownstone cellar the controller's probe may hang near the old stone wall, which stays colder than the room, so the unit shuts off early while the upper racks sit warm, and the repair moves or replaces the probe and checks it against the bottles. - [Upper East Side](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas Houston's summer storms bring brownouts that can scramble a cellar controller's memory, and the repair checks the board's power supply and the remote sensor lead running from the unit into the room, since a damaged lead reads as a wildly wrong temperature. - [River Oaks](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - [Piney Point Village](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/piney-point-village/) - [Hunters Creek Village](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/hunters-creek-village/) - [Sugar Land](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/sugar-land/) - [Cinco Ranch](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/cinco-ranch/) - [The Woodlands](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/the-woodlands/) - [West University](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/houston/west-university/) [Chicago](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/) IL · 50 areas A Chicagoland basement cellar can sit at 50 degrees all winter while the display insists on 55 if its sensor has drifted, and the repair checks every probe against a calibrated thermometer before anyone lowers or raises the setpoint to compensate. - [Lincoln Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lincoln-park/) - [Near North Side](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/near-north-side/) - [West Loop / Near West Side](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/west-loop-near-west-side/) - [Wilmette](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/wilmette/) - [Winnetka](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/winnetka/) - [Glencoe](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas A Los Angeles showpiece cellar with glass walls may carry one probe for the air and another for the bottles, and the repair checks both, since a controller reading only the air near the supply grille lets the bottles against the glass run warmer all summer. - [Beverly Hills](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas In a San Diego cellar that barely calls for cooling in winter, a controller set with too tight a differential starts and stops the unit on every small swing, and the repair checks that setting and the probe position along with the board itself. - [La Jolla](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas Bay Area collectors often ask for the controller's temperature log after a heat spell or a power shutoff, and the repair reads that history where the controller keeps one before a board or a sensor is replaced, so the owner knows how warm the cellar got and for how long. - [Pacific Heights](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://winecellarrepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the cellar controller and sensor repair. ### The display says 55°F, but my thermometer reads 60°F. Which is right? Check where each one sits. A thermometer next to the unit's grille reads the cold air leaving it; one near the floor or the door reads something else. If a thermometer among the bottles still disagrees by several degrees after a day, the cellar probe may have drifted and is worth testing. ### Why did the cellar display go blank after a storm? A surge or an outage can trip the unit's breaker, blow a fuse on the board or damage the transformer. Check the breaker first from a dry panel. If power is on and the screen stays dark, book a visit and keep the cellar door closed. ### What does the differential setting on a cellar controller do? It sets how far the cellar may drift above the set point before cooling starts. Too small, and the compressor starts and stops often; too wide, and the room swings more than wine likes. The technician sets it for your room and unit. --- **[Read on the site: Cellar Controller and Sensor Repair](https://winecellarrepair.center/services/cellar-controller-and-sensor-repair/)** **[Book a visit with WineCellarRepair.center](https://winecellarrepair.center/schedule/)**