Even if you love drinking wine while lying on the couch, a spoiled, broken wine cooler can make you sick. A spoiled wine cooler is one that has developed malfunctions and stopped functioning properly; it’s no longer reliable enough to use for serving wine. Broken wine coolers are just as bad: they don’t function at all, or function incorrectly. They either freeze up during the winter or become swelteringly hot in the summer.
Wine is an acidic drink, which causes some bottles to turn sour over time if stored in a warm place with little air circulation. This process is accelerated when exposed to sunlight and heat from within your home (like through your wall heater). Not only will this slightly sour taste impact every bottle of wine you store and consume, but it will also weaken the bottle’s seal over time, exposing it to more air and causing more damage the longer it remains stored. If you have a spoiled or broken wine cooler in your house, read on to find out how you can fix it!
How to take apart a wine cooler
If you have no experience in repairing household appliances, it is better to google “appliance repair near me” and find https://fixappliances.ca/toronto-appliance-repair/ service. But you can also try to fix it yourself. There are two main ways to take apart a wine cooler: by removing the top section or by removing the racks.
- The first step is to remove the bottles that may be stored in the cooler. This is to avoid the risk of breaking them. Bottles may be stored in any space of the cooler, but avoid placing them in the refrigerator section or the door area. These areas are both most vulnerable to breakage.
- Open the doors of the cooler and remove the racks, then take out the shelves. This will give you enough access to the sides of the cooler to get to the electrical components.
- You can also take out the back wall of the cabinet if you’re looking to have access to the electrical components. Take off the back wall of the cabinet, if it isn’t removable. You can now easily access the compressor and the electrical components.
Install a new compressor and refrigeration unit
The next step is to install a new compressor, refrigeration unit, and wiring. After all of these components are installed, you can use the cooler again. To install the new compressor and refrigeration unit:
- Open the door to the wine cooler and remove the racks, shelves, and any bottles you stored in the cooler.
- If there are any wires attached to the compressor, disconnect them.
- Find the compressor compartment and remove the cover. You can use a set of screwdrivers to remove the screws holding the compartment cover. Be careful to not lose any of the screws.
Now you can access the compressor and refrigeration unit. Some wine coolers have a tube connecting the compressor to the cooler for the refrigeration unit. To disconnect the refrigeration unit, you’ll have to remove the tube that connects it to the compressor. The tube is usually connected by two bolts that are accessible from the compressor compartment. You can use a wrench to unscrew these bolts.
Check your wiring and install updated components
When you’re replacing the compressor and refrigeration unit, check your wiring to make sure there are no exposed ones. You can use a flashlight to find them. If there are exposed wires, you may also want to replace the wiring with updated components. This is especially crucial if your wine cooler is over 10 years old and the refrigeration unit has been outdated for a long time.
New wiring components have been developed to prevent the kind of failures that occur with old wiring. New components can be purchased from a hardware store or online. When replacing the wiring components, make sure to connect them correctly. This can be tricky with older units, so consult a wiring diagram online for guidance.
Protect your compressor and filter drier
The filter drier also needs to be checked regularly. This is the part that blows air across the filter to dry it out. If it is not being cleaned, it will become clogged with dust and debris and will not work as well.
To sum up
The compressor and refrigeration unit can last for many years if they are properly taken care of, but they will eventually die. If this happens while you are in the middle of storing wine, it can severely damage the wine and ruin it. To prevent this from happening, you will want to keep an eye on the compressor and refrigeration unit. Check them regularly and change the cooling unit whenever it shows signs of failure.
