7 Common Problems and Solutions of Wine Coolers

A wine cooler is a useful piece of equipment that helps keep wine at the right temperature. However, you may experience issues such as the wine cooler not cooling. Fortunately, fixing something that's broken isn't usually too much of a task, and with the right information and tools, most problems should be easy to fix yourself at home.

What are the common problems with wine coolers? Read on to learn more.

Here are 7 common problems with wine coolers and their solutions

Check your cooling unit thermostat -- A thermostat is an electronic device that controls the temperature of the cooling unit inside your wine cooler. If it's damaged or malfunctioning or the setting is off, it could cause your wine cooler to overheat or not cool properly.

If the wine cooler isn't cooling your wine, your thermostat may be faulty. Therefore, the refrigerator cannot effectively regulate the temperature by working with other refrigerator components. As a result, you'll find that the internal components of your wine cooler are either too cold or too hot because the thermostat can't disconnect or cut power to the different components.

We can check the thermostat by seeing if the cooling unit continues to run after we open the door to remove a bottle of wine. If so, then the thermostat is probably bad and we will have to replace it.

The thermostat is usually located near the compressor, so if you can't find it near your cooling unit, check there first. If you can't find your thermostat, or you're not sure if it's broken, you can test the thermostat by adjusting the temperature setting.

This can be done by placing a thermometer in the wine cooler and adjusting the temperature dial until it reads the same temperature as the thermometer. Make sure to place the thermometer in a wine cooler that is not being cooled by a cooling unit.

Unfortunately, you can't fix a broken thermostat. You need to replace your thermostat for your refrigerator to function optimally.

Check for a faulty wine cooler evaporator -- the evaporator is a cooling plate that fits inside the wine cooler to cool the wine as it circulates through the cooling unit. If the evaporator is bad or the wine cooler is broken, it could cause the cooling unit to overheat and stop working.

A damaged evaporator can cause the wine cooler to freeze. This ice, along with accumulated dirt, can clog the fan contained in the element.

You can fix a faulty wine cooler evaporator by cleaning debris around the fan and even ice and dust that may have accumulated in the components.

If the evaporator fan is broken or bent, you're better off replacing the wine cooler evaporator fan entirely than trying to fix it. However, if the problem is ice in the element, you can melt the ice and plug the cooler into the mains.

If you're not sure if the evaporator is bad, you can check by looking inside the wine cooler for damaged parts and by feeling hot air coming out of the cooling unit.

If warm air is blowing from the cooling unit, the evaporator may be damaged and you should replace the wine cooler fan or evaporator.

Check that the condenser fan is working -- the condenser fan cools the warm air coming out of the cooling unit and sends it outside. This process keeps the coil cool. If your wine cooler stops working then you should check to see if the condenser fan is working as this can cause the entire wine cooler to overheat.

If the condenser fan isn't working, you can try cleaning it and see if that fixes the problem. Debris could be the problem, so removing any dust can help the fan start spinning. If that doesn't work, you'll have to replace the fan to help the wine cooler start cooling down again.

If the condenser fan is working but the cooling unit is still not cooling the wine, the cooling unit may be bad and must be replaced.

Fix wine cooler compressor problems - The compressor is the vital part of the wine cooler that compresses and pumps the hot air coming out of the cooling unit to the outside.

If the compressor fails, the wine cooler will stop working completely. If the compressor fails, you will have to completely replace the wine cooler, as the compressor is usually sold as a unit with a cooling unit.

Fortunately, wine coolers generally have a long lifespan, and most people don't need to replace their wine coolers for that reason alone.

If you have any problems with the compressor, you can try cleaning it and see if that fixes the problem. If this doesn't work, the compressor must be replaced.

Check the wine cooler capacitor for a problem -- a capacitor is a device that controls the voltage to the wine cooler and keeps the cooling unit running properly.

If the capacitor is damaged or fails, it can cause the cooling unit to overheat and stop working. If the capacitor fails, it can cause other parts of the wine cooler to fail as well.

We can check whether the capacitor is faulty by multimeter test. If the reading is not what it should be, the capacitor is faulty and needs to be replaced.

If the capacitors are working but the cooling unit is still not cooling, the cooling unit is probably bad and must be replaced.

Check if your room temperature is not right -- If you have cooling issues with your thermoelectric wine cooler, you may be having room temperature challenges. This is because thermoelectric coolers are not as effective at maintaining cool temperatures compared to compressor systems.

For thermoelectric systems, the ideal room temperature is between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If your room temperature is higher, a thermoelectric wine cooler will not work as well.

As a note, you can easily fix this cooling issue by doing any of the following:

Turn on the air conditioner

Move the cooler to a cooler room

You can also replace the thermoelectric wine cooler with a compressor-style wine cooler

Also, the temperature setting on the thermoelectric wine cooler may be set too low, or the room itself may be too hot. This can cause the wine cooler to overheat and stop working.

If you set the temperature too low, the wine cooler will try to cool the wine down to that temperature, which may be too hot for the wine.

If the room is too hot, the wine cooler will also try to cool the room to a temperature setting that is also too hot for the wine.

If you have set the temperature correctly and the room is at the right temperature, but the cooling unit is still overheating, the cooling unit may be bad and need to be replaced.

Analyze if it is exposed to too much direct sunlight or if the wine cooler is placed next to a hot object - direct sunlight on the wine cooler can overheat the wine cooler, causing it to stop working. Your wine cooler can also overheat if it's near a hot object, such as a stove or radiator.

These problems can be avoided by keeping the wine cooler out of direct sunlight and away from any hot objects.

If you have placed your wine cooler in direct sunlight, or next to something hot, and it stops working, the cooling unit must be replaced.

If you've tried everything else and the cooling unit still isn't cooling the wine cooler, you can try fixing the thermal fuse.

A thermal cutoff is a device that shuts off a cooling unit if it overheats. If the thermal fuse fails and does not work, it may cause the cooling unit to overheat and stop working.

If the thermal fuse is faulty, you can try to fix it by cleaning and replacing any damaged parts. If the thermal fuse is damaged, it must be replaced.

If you've tried everything else and the wine cooler still doesn't work, you should check your circuit breakers and fuses.

If the circuit breaker or fuse fails or trips, it could cause the wine cooler to stop working. If the circuit breaker and fuse are OK, then you should check for power outages in your area.

If there is no power outage and the wine cooler still doesn't work, your wine cooler may be faulty and needs to be replaced. If your troubleshooting attempts fail, there are ways to fix a broken wine cooler.

You can check the cooling unit's thermostat, make sure the condenser fan is working, fix the compressor if it's bad, replace the capacitor if it's bad, and try to fix a faulty thermal fuse. If none of these methods work, then you will have to replace the entire cooling unit.

As mentioned, for most problems you can troubleshoot at home, but for complex problems, especially those that require replacement parts, you may choose to buy a new wine cooler to keep costs down. If you want to buy a new wine cooler, please contact us.

Josoo is a professional custom wine cooler manufacturer, specializing in the production of wine coolers/beverage cabinets/beer cabinets/cigar cabinets/ice makers/dry refrigerators, and other kitchen appliances. The products have been certified and reported by GS/CE/ETL/ERP/ROHS/REACH/DOE/CB. We have a strong technical team with more than 15 years of experience in the wine cooler industry, and our products are carefully designed with innovative P to meet different customized OEM needs.