Drilling a Hole In My Wine Cooler

[adsantos13]

Seems like everyday Im in here asking annoying questions about my cooler project. Thanks in advance for being patient and all the great info!

Anyway, I have an Edgestar 28 bottle and need to drill a hole in it for the temp controller thermometer. Anyone know where I can put this hole without destroying it? Never took a drill to anything like this before and am apprehensive.

Secondly, to seal the hole, can I use that foamy stuff that expands then hardens? Dont remember what its called but my father in law and I used it when we reno'ed my apartment and he still has some left over.

THANKS AGAIN!

[jerseynewbie]

Originally Posted by adsantos13

Seems like everyday Im in here asking annoying questions about my cooler project. Thanks in advance for being patient and all the great info!

Anyway, I have an Edgestar 28 bottle and need to drill a hole in it for the temp controller thermometer. Anyone know where I can put this hole without destroying it? Never took a drill to anything like this before and am apprehensive.

Secondly, to seal the hole, can I use that foamy stuff that expands then hardens? Dont remember what its called but my father in law and I used it when we reno'ed my apartment and he still has some left over.

THANKS AGAIN!

I have the same unit. You can drill right through one of the existing holes in the recessed part of the back. It's below all the vital organs, and you're just drilling through plastic, no metal. You'll need a bit at least 3 inches long. If you disconnect the sensor wire from the thermocontroller, and then pass it through from the inside and reconnect, you can make the hole small enough that you don't need foam or anything to seal it. I just put some electrical tape around it, to keep the wire from being pulled in or out, and it holds a seal just fine. You can then mount the controller in the recessed back and everything is hidden and out of the way. Good luck.

[jerseynewbie]

One more thing. I bumped the max temp up to 68 degrees with a 1 degree range, and the rh is holding much better. I even took my beads out yesterday and the boxes alone held the rh spot on. I wouldn't taking them out, I'm just telling you this to let you know how well it's working.

Keep an eye on the back wall of your wine cooler, because there's a good chance that water dripping down the back wall after every cycle. And if you haven't plugged the drain hole, it might be coming out the back into the catch tray too. I prefer to keep the hole unplugged to keep excessed liquid off the back wall, and I just recharge the beads when they become white. Sure, you're losing water out the back into the catch tray, but it's easier to recharge the beads than it is to tackle a mold problem.

If you're able to point a fan at the cooling plate, this will help. Because after the cycle ends and the A419 cuts out, the Edgestar fan stops too, keeping the condensation on the back from evaporating quickly. If you're really advanced, you can wire the A419 into the cooling unit directly, while keeping power to the fan so that it runs constantly. However I haven't tackled this yet, I'll let you know if I ever get around to figuring it out.

[adsantos13]

Jerseynewbie,
As always, thanks for the great advice!