Wineador Modification to Prevent Temperature Reset
Wineador Modification to Prevent Temperature Reset
I've been lurking at the old forums for a long while now. I’ve learned so much from the site and figured I would try to contribute. I’m in the process of outfitting my 28 Bottle Wine Enthusiast Thermoelectric Wine Fridge into a humidor. While many keep their fridge unplugged, others need a way to keep their cigar temperatures in check. In the case of the Wine Enthusiast and several other models of thermoelectric wine fridge, when there’s a power interruption the built-in thermostat resets to the lowest setting, resulting in condensation and a precipitous drop in RH. I’ve read that some keep their fridge connected to a power supply to keep it running continuously. If you are fairly handy with electronics you can install a switch and relay to keep the fridge from turning back on after a power outage, so that you can turn the fridge back on and adjust the thermostat at your convenience. Always make sure that you double-check the circuit and all connections so you don’t release the magic smoke.
Parts:
The principle here is that you use the switch to close the relay and send power to the fridge. The relay is then self-powering. In the case of a power outage the relay will open, and the only way to close it again is to manually hit the switch. Compared to a power supply this is an inexpensive modification that can be done in less than an hour. Fortunately I already had all the parts on hand, but they shouldn’t be difficult or expensive to procure.
Relay Wiring Diagram:
