Self Contained Rear / Top Vent Cooling Unit 1800XT-ECX #1086

First the good. The unit is dramatically quieter than the Breezaire unit. It seems to be a little more efficient in that it runs a little less, but that may be because the Breezaire unit was losing refrigerant. The control panel is much more sophisticated than the Breezaire as well and the humidity in the cabinet is about 10 percent higher (which is good. The Breezaire maintained about 50 percent and I'm in Florida. Sixty is a much better number.)

Now the bad. It is not a matter of removing one unit and replacing it with the new one, at least not in my cabinet. I've replaced Breezaire with Breezaire in the past and it was really just a matter of removing and replacing, then resealing to eliminate outside air entry into the cabinet. My cabinets are both Vinocraft units from around 1999. They both exhausted upward and also took in fresh air from the top, with a grill directing exhaust air to one side and intaking from the opposite side. The unit was hung from the top of the cabinet and the rear of the unit rested on the rear of the cabinet. First of all, the dimensions stated do not include the front grill. Also, with the configuration of that grill, it must be removed to obtain an air-tight seal between the top front of the unit and the top of the cabinet. This detracts from the appearance of the unit. Also, the clips that allow you to hang the unit are pretty flimsy, but they do work. However, the height of the clips is different from those on the Breezaire. That was corrected by building up the rear of the cabinet so that the new unit would sit at the proper level. Finally, the entire cabinet needs to be moved away from the rear wall at least 8 inches. Esthetically, this might be a problem for some.

So, in conclusion, now that it's done, I'm very happy with the results. I'm disappointed that I have a large space behind the cabinet which I didn't have in the past. But someone sleeping in the next room won't be awakened by the rumble of the old Breezaire. And the humidity in the cabinet is better. Also, my first Breezaire units both lasted 11 years. One of the replacements lasted less than 3 and that’s unacceptable. The cost of repair (it wasn’t the compressor) is exorbitant and the only option offered is to send the unit in for refurbishment. What happens to the 700 bottles of wine in the cabinet while you’re waiting for the unit to be returned?

Used this to replace the heavy duty cooling unit in my 12 yr old Vinotemp 600E. This cooling unit is much quieter, has a control panel (which old one did not have), looks better, and is working great so far in my garage.I emptied out the Vinotemp and turned it 90 degrees to the wall, so that the air intake/exhaust is in free air, and so that it can be vacumned easily.
The original clips worked great for installing this, so I wasted money on buying the new clips

Purchased to replace old Breezaire. Helpful telephone sales rep. Delivery was prompt and unit was easily installed and activated. It is a big improvement - I really like the digital display. We have been in a bit of a heat wave and the unit is working perfectly. So far, excellent.

The CellarPro 1800 XT arrived on time and well packed. i removed the unit and let it sit for 24 hours as directed in the installation instructions. I then plugged the unit in to test it for proper operation, fans, cooling etc. I had to make the rear opening of my wine cellar larger , since the EW 800 (the original cooler) is a smaller unit , but that was not a big job. While i had my wine out of the cellar i took this time to also re-calk all the seams from inside and out to insure a good seal. Once the unit was installed and properly sealed (with sealing putty included with the unit) i plugged it in and it began to cool my cellar immediately , much quicker than the original cooler. Per the instructions i put my cooler into its "quick chilling" mode several times to get the bottles cooler quicker since they had been sitting out for 6 or 7 hours while i was performing this installation. This cooling unit is now cycling on and off much less often than the original unit, it is quieter as well. i also want to mention before purchasing this unit i called the 800 number and got very good advise as to which unit i should purchase for my needs and I purchased the extended warranty for five years , its is a good value should i need to have this unit repaired in the next five years. I have only had this unit for a few days but feel it will be a great asset to protecting my wine investment since the company seems to very professional in every aspect of its dealings.

I purchase the CellarPro 1800XT to replace the BreezeAire unit in my wine closet that sits in the garage. I chose the CellarPro because it was produced near where I live in northern California and the information on their website was compelling. Shortly after the installation, I noticed that when the ambient temperature of the garage reaches 82 degrees, the condenser alarm sounds. Following a number of calls to their tech staff, the installation of an air deflector and the resetting of the resetting of both the Minimum Set Point to 60 degrees as well as increasing the FON setting as instructed in the manual's trouble shooting section, I've had to disconnect the alarm setting. A big disappointment that this has happened and I would not recommend the CellarPro. I have another wine closet sitting right next to this one that I've had for 15 years cooled by a Cell Master unit which has never given me a lick of trouble. In hindsight, I should have replaced my BreezeAir with the Cellar Master. I suggest that you do the same.
+++
Reply from CellarPro:
Because the customer is located in the Bay area, we were able to visit the customer's home. Upon nspection, we noted that the rear-vented cooling unit is recessed in the rear wall of the cabinet, with Vinotemp's original grill covering the opening.  This condition was causing the unit's hot air exhaust to be trapped and re-circulated by the cooling unit, thereby causing compressor to overheat. When we removed the grill from the back, it improved the airflow and hopefully will resolve the problem; otherwise, the cooling unit will need to be installed flush or proud on the rear wall of the cabinet.

I am generally not a letter writer unless its bad news. In this case quite the opposite. I awoke the other morning to find my Breezaire had inverted and overnight became a heat pump. To add icing to the cake I was leaving for Sonoma that morning and then leaving later that week for an extended business trip. This would leave my sizable investment at risk of being ruined. 

Thanks to Brad's effort and the rest of the team I was able to get a replacement unit during my trip to Sonoma. This not only saved my wine, but my peace of mind. Brad did not have to hear my tale of woe, but did and the IWA team proved they could come through for me in record time. 

I am installing the cooling unit tomorrow and have every belief that I will be completely satisfied. 

btw - I had earlier asked for some technical answers when I first suspected that I might be losing my unit and although I do not know who replied, but they are the reason i called CellarPro first. 

Thanks for going the extra yard on all counts.

It replaces a BreezeAire 2200. It was so quiet, I could not be sure it was on. I find the 3 minute delay to start when plugged in a little unsettling. I find it hard to set the temperature, but once set, it does not have to be done again. Read the directions!
And buy the clips and the filter.

Replaced and old winemate 2500, this unit looks better, is much quieter, and has a significantly better control panel. If cellarpro didn't gouge carging $10 for the mounting clips rating would have been 5 stars.

My first 1800XT lasted 18 months and now I'm having to spend $100 in freight to get a replacement. The unit is installed in a cellar built exactly to the design done by Sonoma Wine Accessories where I bought the 1800XT. The unit has worked perfectly up until now when it suddenly stopped cooling. I hope that the second one lasts longer. Luckily it's winter and the weather is cool.

Well designed unit that has transformed my wine cellar temperature holding ability. Pretty much a plug and go unit. Installed through the wall with the sound hood mounted to the wall. Substanital sound reduction with the hood,

I had to replace a failed cooling unit on my wine cellar and switched to the Cellar Pro 1800XT. I have two glass walls on my wine cellar and the old unit always struggled to keep up with the heat. The 1800XT was a breeze to install and does a great job. What was really impressive was how fast it cooled the cellar down. I am very pleased.

I've had my wine cabinet for 15 years, so this was the second time I had to replace the cooling unit and this was a drop-in replacement. Easy to install and it's up and running!

The customer service was great. My 1800xt arrived on time and runs great. It is more quiet then I expected. I would recommend this product.

I have had my 750 bottle Wine cabinet for 12 years. I just replaced the cooling unit (Breeazaire) with CellarPro's own brand. It's by far superior. The employees were very helpful and professional. I highly recommend their product and service!

The folks at CellarPro were great to deal with.... Unit arrived on time and was quite simple to install. And it's performing Great!

Installing the unit was a breeze. I was worried that this would be a big project, but honestly, removing all the bottles of wine off the top rack to perform the changeout was the hardest part! It was very easy. The cooling unit had the cabinet at a perfect 59 degrees within a matter of hours. Great product and I'm very happy with it.

The unit is certainly better than the Breezaire I had. However, I have never been able to get it down to 55 degrees. It clicks on and off every few minutes, and temp. stays around 60-62. It would be nice to be able adjust the temp. to whatever temp you want.

The new unit arrived just before record breaking high temperatures came. So the installation in my garage was a real test. So far it has performed well. The installation was a bit tricky. The new grill on the front and the screws instead of rivits made the unit impossible to install from the back. I called service and they said that the front installation was easier anyway. With a bit of vasoline and some pushing, the new unit slowly moved into place. Even at 95 degrees, the unit is holding temperatures in a tight range, and is cycling "on" for a surprisingly short time.

Just recieved my new 1800xt unit and went thru the simple startup procedure, installed the unit and it cooled my cellar down in 8 hours. I highly recommend this unit as a replacement or for a new cellar, it may cost you a few more buck up front but it is well worth it in the long run. I replaced the previous brand twice in four years before I learned my lesson. Thanks CellarPro its cool in Dallas.

This unit is very quiet. Installation was easy, Great customer support answering questions before the order.

I replaced my existing Breezaire with the 1800XT. The lack of expected noise was a pleasant surprise and the airtemp stability is better than new. Easy to adjust to personal preference temp and humidity settings (really not necessary as the system is very adquate and ready to go right from the carton), this unit was just as advertised as a direct replacement for my Breezaire unit. I upsized by 40% as my cellar is in a very warm Southern California garage (where two daily driven automobiles share space). I followed directions to the letter, letting the unit sit for 24 hours and then bench running it for 1 hour to test the unit. Warning, the directions do not say to raise the unit when bench testing. Very necessary as otherwise one would block the return air.

I replaced a 5-1/2 yo Breezair 1060 that never really performed well. It is was spec'd to work for my 5200, especially in-doors. It struggled in hot humid weather and resulted in my having to raise the cellar's temperature to 62+, every summer. Then, it started failing even in cooler weather. I'm glad that I never upgraded to the noisy 2200, since they apparently had issues too. The 1800XT was an easy installation and I was done in about an hour. It hasn't been hot around here yet, but I can already tell that it will have no problem holding the temperature. The real test will come soon enough when our 6 months of 90+ weather and high humidity begins in a couple weeks.

Just bought this unit. Initially, it kept on giving me an error message that the condensing coils were over heating. I realized that the exhaust of extremely hot air from the unit was coming out right next to the intake!. So, I installed a piece of cardboard to re-direct the air away from the intake, and now the unit is working quite well, keeping my 900 bottle walk-in wine cellar at 56 degrees.

Recently purchased 2 1800 XT units as replacements for seven year old Breezaire 2200's
in a free-standing 2500 bottle cellar. The units are much quieter than the Breezaires and do
not run nearly as much to maintain the set 60 degrees. While more expensive than the
Breezaire, these are definitely an up-grade and should result in energy savings as well.

I bought this to replace the cooling unit that came with my Vinotemp which died after 3 years. What an improvement! This keeps the cabinet much cooler, and was SO easy to install. My only regret is that I didn't buy this in the first place.