Repairing a Dual Temperature Wine Cooler

A wine cooler in a kitchen.

Various problems can occur with your dual temperature wine cooler, such as one level being warmer or colder than its set temperature; frost buildup; insufficient cooling throughout the cooler, or leakage, among many others. Most of these are repairable by you, the owner. Read on to learn about how to troubleshoot and repair your dual temperature wine cooler.

Wine Cooler Doesn't Operate

Check the fuse or circuit breaker and the outlet you are using for the wine cooler. The wine cooler may be drawing too much power for the circuit it is on. Move the wine cooler to a stronger circuit or get the circuit breaker upgraded one setting.

Air in Wine Cooler Is Too Moist

A wine cooler.

Air that is too moist will hold heat and prevent your wine from chilling correctly. This can be from your evaporator fan not working properly. Ensure your fan has adequate air circulation around it so it can draw out condensation moisture from the interior of the wine cooler. The evaporator fan should also run quietly. If it is noisy, lubricate it with some WD-40 (TM) to reduce friction.

Temperature Is too Warm in Both Sections

Many temperature problems result from dusty condenser coils that do not allow complete cooling. Dust and vacuum the condenser coils of your dual temperature wine cooler at least four times a year. If cleaning the condenser coils does not solve the problem, check the circuit board inside the cooler. It may no longer be functional and you can replace it from the manufacturer. Examine the door gaskets to ensure you are getting a tight seal on the main door. If they are loose, cold air can escape, preventing your wine from chilling properly. Your wine chiller may also leak water if the door does not seal tightly. Refasten the door gaskets with waterproof epoxy glue, and let the gasket sit for 24 hours before opening the door again.

Temperature Is Too Warm in White Wine Section

A woman opens a wine cooler.

Check the thermostat of this section to be sure it is running the cooling fan long enough in each cycle. Consult your owner's manual for how to perform this check. Adjust the temperature by moving the setting in 1 degree increments with the down arrow to reduce the temperature.

Frost Buildup

Some dual temperature wine coolers build up frost in the rear and top of the main compartment. Check the defrost timer, located either inside the main compartment near the light, or outside on the back of the wine cooler near the compressor. Look in the owner's manual for the correct settings for the defrost timer and adjust yours as needed. Make sure that you have the wine cooler in a spot where the outside temperature remains at or near room temperature to reduce frost buildup.

Wine Compartment Overload

Dual temperature wine coolers are designed to store a maximum number of bottles, tilted correctly to keep the corks damp for optimum freshness. Do not be tempted to overload your wine cooler main compartment even for a few days. This will prevent wine from chilling properly and may overload the fan or compressor.