My wife and I are looking to purchase a 100+ bottle refrigerator for a library that we're remodeling. We have no clue as to how to make a choice. Can anyone give us some starters? We have a large closet when we plan to recess the unit (36W x 88H x 30D). Any tips on what models are good, and where to stay away would be very much appreciated. I'm at boberdle.hotmail.com

Welcome aboard Novice.

Tell you what. Go to the "Find" button and type in "wine fridges". You'll get lots of info and you'll learn more about how to use the site too.

Got an email from IWA today touting free shipping for one week on Le Cache cellars. I don't know anything about the brand, but free shipping would sure save a chunk of change.

Link here

If you are putting it in a closet, be sure and get a unit where the air exchange is to the front of the unit. Units like my economical Vintage Keeper have the exhuast vents in the rear. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a cabinet with a rear facing cooling vent would cause the closet to heat up and for the cooling unit to suck in hot exhuasted air.

If you're building in or recessing, you MUST have a unit designed for this, which vents to the front. Otherwise, the unit will run for awhile, but overheat and fail. You'll likely pay more for a chiller designed to be built in.

The other option you have, if you're capable, is to build in a free standing unit and cool it with an auxilary fan. I'm doing this in my kitchen remodel. I have a very shallow alcove in which I can place my Avanti dual zone wine chiller, which I purchased because it is only 18.75" deep. Owner's manual specifically says it should NOT be built in and requires 5" of free space on the back and sides. I'm getting around this by placing a fan in the ajoining wall/floor to suck cool air from the unfinished basement below up into the alcove where the unit will be placed. A themostat will also be added to kick the cooling fan on when the alcove gets too hot. I'm leaving about a 1" gap along one side of the unit to allow the warmer air to blow out into the kitchen. Should work just fine, but I've also had the benefit of having a best friend who owns a refrigeration repair company who has advised me on all this. This may still reduce the life of my chiller, but I don't have much other choice.

Shop around and buy one that is meant to be built-in. Just make sure you remove the door from the closet you're using so you don't shut it in.