--- title: "Through-the-Wall Cellar Cooling Unit Repair" description: "A self-contained box set into an opening in the cellar wall: its cold face blows into the wine room, and its warm face breathes out into the room next door." url: "https://winecellarrepair.center/types/through-the-wall-cooling-unit-repair/" --- # Through-the-Wall Cellar Cooling Unit Repair A self-contained box set into an opening in the cellar wall: its cold face blows into the wine room, and its warm face breathes out into the room next door. ## Is yours a through-the-wall? A through-the-wall unit carries the whole cooling system in one steel case that sits in a framed hole in a cellar wall, usually high up, since cold air sinks toward the racks. The side facing the bottles has the evaporator and a fan that pulls cellar air across it; the side facing the neighboring space has the condenser and a second fan that throws the heat it collected out into that space. That arrangement makes the room next door part of the machine. When the exhaust side opens into a small closet, a laundry corner or a stair hall that runs warm, the unit ends up breathing its own discharge, pressures climb and the cellar creeps up a degree at a time. The wall matters too: the gap around the case has to be sealed and insulated, or warm air leaks straight past the cold coil. Most service calls on this type start on the exhaust side, with a thermometer in that room, before the case is pulled. What fails on a through-the-wall cellar cooling unit How to tell 01 One rectangular grille, often near the ceiling, sits flush in a cellar wall, and on the far side of that same wall a second grille of the same size faces another room. 02 Nothing runs outdoors and no ducts leave the unit; the power cord usually drops from the exhaust side to an outlet in the neighboring room. 03 A clear plastic drain tube or a small drip tray hangs below the cellar-side grille, or a condensate line runs down inside the wall. 04 A control panel or a small display sits on the case itself, on the cellar side, rather than on a separate wall thermostat. Not yours? [Ducted cellar cooling unit](https://winecellarrepair.center/types/ducted-cellar-cooling-unit-repair/) [Split-system cellar cooling](https://winecellarrepair.center/types/split-system-cellar-cooling-repair/) [Ceiling-mounted cellar cooling](https://winecellarrepair.center/types/ceiling-mounted-cellar-cooling-repair/) ## What fails on this design. On a through-the-wall cellar cooling unit: an exhaust room that cannot absorb the heat, a dirty condenser on the exhaust face, ice on the cellar-side coil, fan motors that run for years without a rest. The problems it shows ### An exhaust room that cannot absorb the heat The heat pulled out of the cellar lands in the space behind the unit. A closet with the door shut, or a room that already sits in the upper 80s in August, sends that warm air straight back into the condenser, and the unit runs all afternoon while the cellar drifts upward. ### A dirty condenser on the exhaust face Lint from a nearby laundry, pet hair and household dust collect on the condenser fins facing the warm room. Over a few seasons the coil clogs, the compressor works hotter, and the thermal overload starts shutting it off in the middle of a cycle. ### Ice on the cellar-side coil A cellar held near 55°F runs the evaporator close to freezing. A tired fan, a thermostat set too low or a door that lets humid house air in lets ice form, the airflow drops, and water pours out of the case when it finally thaws. ### Fan motors that run for years without a rest Both fans often spin whenever the unit is powered. Bearings dry out, blades pick up grime and a motor starts to hum, rattle or stall, and one quiet fan is enough to leave the cellar warm or the exhaust side overheated. ## Getting at it, and whether to. Most repairs are done from the exhaust side, where the case slides out of its sleeve, so the neighboring room needs about four feet of clear floor in front of the grille. [What repairs cost](https://winecellarrepair.center/cost/) On the visit 1. Clear any racks, cases or crates stacked under the cellar-side grille so a ladder can stand there and the drain can be traced. 2. If the unit hangs high on a finished wall with trim around it, expect the trim to come off and go back on; the technician checks for a sealed sleeve before pulling anything. 3. Keep the cellar door closed until the visit; a full, well-insulated room of bottles loses cold slowly, and every opening lets in warm, humid air. Repair or replace A through-the-wall unit fits one opening at one capacity, so a fan, a thermostat, a start relay or a cleaned and restored condenser nearly always makes more sense than a new case. The line moves when an older unit needs a compressor or a sealed-system leak repair, or when the unit was undersized for the room from the start; then a larger or better-placed system may serve the collection better. You see both options with their bands before anything is ordered. Book a visit for a through-the-wall cellar cooling unit ## The problems it shows. On a through-the-wall cellar cooling unit, most often wine cellar too warm. [All problems](https://winecellarrepair.center/problems/) The collection is exposed ### Wine Cellar Too Warm 6 causes, cheapest first ### Cellar Cooling Unit Exhaust Overheating 5 causes, cheapest first The collection is exposed ### Cellar Cooling Unit Leaking Water 6 causes, cheapest first ### Cellar Cooling Unit Loud or Vibrating 5 causes, cheapest first ### Cellar Cooling Evaporator Coil Icing Up 5 causes, cheapest first ### Cellar Cooling Unit Running Constantly 5 causes, cheapest first ## Who builds a through-the-wall. 7 of the makes on this site build a through-the-wall cellar cooling unit. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 7 brands](https://winecellarrepair.center/brands/) ## Through-the-wall cellar cooling unit repair, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Each maker prints a ceiling for the exhaust-side room in the installation guide, and it is lower than many owners expect. The room also has to be big enough, or vented enough, that the hot air leaving the unit does not simply circle back into it. A thermometer left in that room on a hot afternoon tells you a lot before any visit. ### Can the exhaust side of my cellar unit blow into a closet? Only if the closet is vented to a larger space or the maker allows it for that model and size. A small closed space warms up within hours, and the unit then runs nearly nonstop. A louvered door, a transfer grille or moving the exhaust can solve what looks like a failing compressor. ### Why does water drip from the grille inside my wine cellar? The cold coil pulls moisture out of the cellar air, and that water has to leave through a drain tube or a tray. A kinked tube, a clogged outlet or a coil that iced over and then thawed all at once can send it out of the front instead. Keep the floor below dry and away from any outlet. ### Is a through-the-wall unit louder than other cellar systems? Usually yes, because the compressor and both fans sit in the wall of the room. A steady hum is normal. A new rattle, a grinding fan or a buzz that starts and stops without cooling is worth a visit before it becomes a failure. --- **[Read on the site: Through-the-Wall Cellar Cooling Unit Repair](https://winecellarrepair.center/types/through-the-wall-cooling-unit-repair/)** **[Book a visit with WineCellarRepair.center](https://winecellarrepair.center/schedule/)**