My Cuisinart cwc-600 does not cool. It registers 45 degrees but is not cold enough to make white wine palatable. No matter where it is set, it seems to be a room temperature. We live in a small house so if this does not work, we need to get rid of it. What do you suggest?
Refrigerators - Cuisinart - Private Reserve CWC-600 Wine Cooler
Answers & Comments
I have been all through these, and they are not very repair friendly. If it's under 3 years old Call Cuisinart, they will exchange it.
They are solid state cooled using a peltier chip cooler. There are 2 fans in the back cavity, and 1 inside. Remove everything from inside, and set the temp to cooling. Do all 3 fans run? If the inside fan does not run, no cooling. The fans are common 2 wire 12 volt computer fans, and available at computer parts stores that sell PC cases and components. Next is to check the cooler itself. Remove the inside rear cover. There's heatsink under the inside fan. Does it get cold when the fridge is running? If not, the next step you will need to get the back off. The Torx screws are special, but a quick slotting of the screw heads with a dremel or a hacksaw, and a regular screwdriver will remove them. Once off, note the red/black fan wires. Also see if there is a load of dirt in the heat sink. If it's plugged, no cooling. Back to the red/black wires. The fan wires are thin. The peltier cooler is heavier. Set to cool, Check for 12 volts on all 3 pairs of wires. If there's power, the fans run (inside and out) and the inside heat sink does not cool, the peltier chip is bad. It's major surgery to replace the cip, but it can be done, and there are scads of sellers on E-bay selling 60-90 watt peltier coolers that will work. They are standard millimeter square sizes, just match the thickness, 12-15 volts, and wattage (around 60-90).
If you are not getting power on the peltier cooler chip lines, there is a tiny fuse on the lower left of the circuit board. Check it.
These are not servicable from cuisinart. Even the silly screws to change the light bulb are security torx type. Fans are available at computer parts stores. Fuses at electronic supplies. The peltier chip can be had from E-bay. That circuit board is impossible to get. Any other parts are impossible to get to by the way it's built.
You were on the money writting your article. Thanks for posting it. The only issue I had was my own. I installed the chip upside down. I noticed the temp. rising a few degrees almost instantly. fortunatelty I had an ohm meter with a temp reading. I flipped the module around and am drinking wine down to 45 degrees... Thanks again. It is posts like your that took someone unsure like me and made myself a self repairman. Jack PS It was nice that I had that OHM meter!
where is the peltier chip?