Building a wine cellar is a lot of work. Installing a vapor barrier, insulating the entire space and installing the proper green board drywall can really take a lot of time out of our busy schedule. All of this back breaking work just for wine. Wow, we must really love it.
What if there was a way to eliminate at least one of these steps in an attempt to save time and money when building your very own wine cellar? Well there may be a solution that all of us could have access to. This solution is light years beyond ordinary wine cellar construction; this revolutionary approach will probably end up saving the world!
Well, the world will be safe with out this new wine cellar construction idea, but if I can help someone save a little time and money then my job will be just that much more enriching. Here is a phrase that needs some explaining: Closed cell polyurethane insulation. This is a sprayed or foamed-in-place application than can, at the very least, save a step in building out a new wine cellar, and at most might just save you a couple of bucks. This product usually performs better than simple batting insulation because it molds to all surfaces. All closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation produced today is made from a non -CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) gas as the foaming agent, so it won’t kill your mice!
It is said that 1 inch of the product has an “R” factor of 7. Wine cellars would therefore require at least 2.5 inches which would yield around an “R” factor of 18 or 19. This product is water-vapor permeable, but with around 2.5 to 3 inches the dew point should be well within the material leaving no chance of mold or mildew inside your cellar.
What does this mean to wine enthusiasts? One less step. No longer must you wrap the warm side of your cellar with 6 mill plastic, then apply insulation, then green board. Now, with this product, one can simply apply the polyurethane insulation and cover it up with green board.
For more information about this product, or if you just want to talk about wine cellars, send me an email at: chancock@wineracksamerica.com.
Drink Well,
Christian Hancock
Wine Cellar Specialist
[...] If you want to save a step it is possible to apply the vapor-barrier and insulation with one step: Using closed cell polyurethane insulation [...]