Why not get a wine storage unit then as they go up to that temperature if you are just using it for storage and not to drink directly from it?

I do want to drink directly from it, that's why I want it at cellar temp. I'd like to be able to take a bottle out of the fridge, pour it, and drink, rather than waiting for it to warm up.

A wine storage unit is designed for bottles of wine stored horizontally. I'm looking to keep mostly 12oz bottles vertically. I really liked the glide out shelves on the refrigerator units. I guess I should contact the company to see if I could get the shelves separately and if they could be put in the wine unit instead of the wine shelves.

I think it will be hard to find a unit pre-configured like you want. Most people tend to drink most beer much colder than at wine cellar temps. I know different beers different temps, just like wine, but most people don't do that. And, therefore, I think most units won't be designed that way.

You can always email and ask Perlick about that, they might be able to swap out shelves, would probably work best for you.

Best of luck, and maybe someone else knows of another solution.

I have a perlick C-series wine fridge, got it from their factory seconds, which you can find a link for on their web site, and love it, but i only use it for wine.

Phil

First, let me note that Perlick can supply (and did to me) both kinds of shelves for their different units. In my case I ordered a wine rack after the fact for a refrigerator. I have the Signature refrigerator as well as Signature wine reserve unit. The refrigerator is operated at maximum, about 42 - 44 F. Some wines are stored in there on a wine rack, some other wines along with sodas are lying down on a shelf, and the ales, mostly Belgians and their NA simulations, stand on the bottom. The Cabernet's are in the wine reserve at 55F.

Do not mix shelves and glides; you will have a bad day. Keep track of which shipped with which.

It is certainly theoretically possible to have a power controller that disconnects a refrigerator's power below some temperature and reconnects it above that temperature (given some hysteresis). The compressor and other parts of the unit may not be expecting that type of control and without some approval from Perlick, might be expected to be at best inefficient, and at worst functionally disruptive or damaging. This may depend on which type of motor they are using. It is even possible (but not likely for residential systems) to have different refrigerant for different temperature ranges.

There is an intermediate temperature range unit between wine reserve and refrigerator, called I think a beverage center. Perhaps it has the temperature range you seek.

kas

Right, the fridge is limited to 42F, the beverage center to 48F, and the wine reserve goes up to 68F. My ideal would be combining the two gliding shelves of the fridge with the temperature range of the wine reserve.

Kas, what do you mean not to mix shelves and glides? Someone told me that the racks / shelves / glides are interchangeable between the units. Are you saying they're not?

Also, how quiet is the Signature fridge? Is it worth the $1k price upgrade over the C Series?

Phil, how are you liking the C Series? Is it quiet enough, or do you ever wish you spent the extra to upgrade to the Signature?

I'm just trying to figure out which line I should be looking at, since the fridge will go in our kitchen which opens directly onto the family room.

Love the C-series, it is working out great for us. Is it quiet as a mouse, no, but for us it isn't a bother. I only hear it at night when there are no other sounds and it first kicks the compressor on, then after about 10-20 seconds I don't even hear it any more. During the day, during normal things happening, we don't ever hear it at all.

We got it from the seconds section, huge dent in the upper rear corner, but it was almost 50% off the listed price, so for us it was a steal and since it is an under cabinet unit you never see that back corner ever. I don't think we need the signature series based on what we use it for. But I have never heard anyone complain about going with the signature series either!

Phil

Each shelf has a pair of glides that it fits into. Both shelves and glides are removable. It is possible to disassemble the interior into a pile of shelves and a pile of glides. I found the glides for shelves and wine racks to be nearly indistinguishable, but not fully substitutable between shelves and wine racks.

So keep the racks with their glides, shelves with their glides. Otherwise, either set of the correct dimension will work in a given unit.

The Signature unit is quieter than the computer I'm typing this on in the same room. (The computer case has several fans, but most run at reduced speed.) In the dead of night if distant from both I can usually barely detect whether the refrigerator or wine reserve is on. Neither would likely interfere with someone falling asleep in the same room in a comfortable chair (I attest).

The Signature is quieter than my SZ 632 48-inch refrigerator/freezer, which I can just hear at night when near it. Then again, the SZ is more than four times the volume.

I'm not sure I can think of a good argument for paying the cost of most anything. In this case, one gets a lot of stainless steel, apparent high reliability, good control of temperature, US made (not sure about the electronics parts or motor), and, if needed, a telephone answered by someone trying to be helpful.

I guess if an aphorism is called for, then I would submit that one may get less than he pays for, but almost never more than he pays for.

If an economics view is called for, then I would submit that most of what we call money is actually credit, created mostly by the Federal Reserve System out of thin air, and subject to embezzlement (inflation), extortion (taxes), and now in vogue, confiscation (bail-ins). So if you don't want a pile of gold decorating your room, why not buy a Perlick and have your own Ale Reserve System? :)

kas

Phil & Kas, thanks so much for clearing that up and explaining it. I feel I now understand the difference between C Series and Signature pretty well.

Kas, thanks for explaining what you meant. It sounds like I can get a Wine Reserve + gliding shelves and make an Ale Reserve, which would be awesome.

Also, Kas, I got a good laugh out of the last part of your post. I read it to my wife, and her response was "Wow, that guy is kind of awesome. He is our kind of people." :)

You are welcome.

The critical relevant fact that I don't specifically know is whether the units can be ordered with the desired configuration, or the owner has to ex post facto order the replacement shelves at added cost..

kas