Proper Location of Supply and Return Grilles

Supply and return grilles

Supply and return grille locations within a wine cellar are crucial to the proper performance of the HVAC system and the wine cellar in general. Improperly placed grilles and diffusers are one of the major causes of airflow short cycling. Airflow short cycling occurs when the supply and return grilles are too close to each other. Their close proximity makes the air travel from supply grille almost directly to the return grille and much of the air bypasses the wine cellar. The result can be a thermostat that never reaches setpoint, or a unit that operates longer than it should, resulting in improper humidity control, temperature control and the possibility of freezing the air conditioning cooling coil.

The supply and return grilles should be placed at opposite sides of the wine cellar, ideally with the supply grille located in the ceiling and the return down low along the wall. What you are trying to do is create a sweeping motion of the air forcing it from one side of the room to the other. Cold air at the ceiling will mix with the warm air from the cellar that naturally rises to help create an even mix of temperature from top to bottom within the space.

If you are not using the grilles that are supplied with the Wine Guardian then each grille should be sized appropriately for the amount of airflow it will deliver or pull from the cellar and have enough free area as possible. Properly sized grilles are important to provide for quiet operation and reduced system static pressure losses.

Below are the CFM requirements for proper operation.

For more information, locate a distributor in your area.