Glass and Door Construction
A cooled cabinet is a warm room, a cold box and one material in between. Every condensation complaint in this product category comes down to what that material is and how the edge is treated.
Why glass fogs, and what stops it
Condensation forms when the warm face of the glass drops below the dew point of the room air. In a humid kitchen that can happen at a temperature difference of a few degrees.
The fix is not a thicker pane. It is a heated perimeter on the warm side — a low-wattage element in the frame, wired to the room light circuit — plus double glazing with a Low-E coating so the inner pane stays closer to room temperature.
| Construction | Used on | Condensation risk |
|---|---|---|
| Single 6 mm, clear | Uncooled cabinets | None — no differential |
| Double 4 + 9 A + 4, Low-E | Cooled cabinets | Low, with heated perimeter |
| Double, Low-E + heated perimeter | Cooled, humid rooms | Effectively eliminated |
| Fluted or reeded | Feature doors | Higher — more surface, harder to heat |
Fluted, tinted and grey
Fluted glass diffuses what is behind it, so the wall disappears and the bottles read as shapes. It also hides dust, which is why it looks the same after two years.
Tinted and grey glass cut UV and reduce the visual weight of a full wall. On a serious cellar they also protect the wine from light strike, which matters more than most people think.
Where the glass is set
Glass is set into the door frame, not bonded to the front of it. That keeps the sightline at 18 mm and lets the panel be replaced without replacing the door.
The seal is magnetic and runs the full perimeter, which is what gives the soft close and the airtight shut at the same time.
The detail behind the text
From this page to a delivered cabinet
- Made in
- Shunde, Foshan, China — frame, finish and assembly in one workshop
- Frame
- 18 mm stainless sightline, folded to the measured wall
- Materials
- Stainless steel, tempered or low-E glass, felt-lined bottle cradle
- Cooling
- Embraco compressor, 110 V / 60 Hz for the US, 220–240 V elsewhere
- Production
- 30 to 40 days after the 50% production deposit, quoted per project
- Delivery
- Crated, collected by your forwarder, with a numbered setting-out drawing
- Installation
- By your fitter, to our drawing; we dry-fit and inspect before crating
The questions that come up before an order
Can the glass be replaced if it breaks?
Yes. The panel is set into the frame and can be swapped without a new door, which is the reason it is not bonded.
Does Low-E make the glass look different?
Slightly — a faint tint and a softer reflection. On a grey or fluted panel it is invisible.
Is heated glass expensive to run?
It draws a few watts per metre of perimeter and runs only with the room light. It is immaterial next to the compressor.
Can I have a mirror back?
Yes, and on a narrow cabinet it doubles the apparent depth. It also doubles the visible dust, which is the honest trade.
Send the wall and the bottle count
Three photographs and a tape measure is enough for a scheme, a finish direction and a price. The drawing fee covers the CAD and the visuals.