Most commercial fridges and freezers are VERY noisy. I wouldn't go this route unless you can verify the noise level personally, at the least.

A long-ago kitchen/appliance poster (5+ years ago) gor a commercial freezer for his magnificent kitchen and returned it almost immediately because it was terribly noisy.

I saw one at an appliance retailer and thought they looked pretty cool, too...But, looking inside you will find no organizational help...just wire shelves. No produce or meat drawers, no shelves on the door...Just big, empty space...meant for big containers and such used by restaurants. We have a large family and cook big, but even we use smaller containers and jars of things that would get absolutely lost in there.

Here is part of an upcoming FAQ on commercial refrigeration in the home that I am working on.

*****************************
Q. How much power do commercial refrigerators use?
A. Generally, more than domestic units. Commercial refrigeration falls under a different set of Energy Guidelines than domestic models. Current domestic units use one-half of the energy of units made just ten years ago. Since the refrigerator is often the third largest user of electricity in a home (!), this can be quite a lot. One poster in this forum replaced two refrigerators in her house, one commercial and one domestic, in their remodeling. Their electric bill dropped $50 per month with the new units.

New commercial units are more efficient than older commercial units, but they are still more expensive to run than domestic units. It is very difficult to get actual numbers, since commercial units do not have to report their usage on big yellow stickers on the front of the units, as domestic units are required to do.

Q. What is the biggest drawback to putting a commercial refrigerator in a home.
A. Generally, noise. Commercial units are very noisy compared to domestic units. . There is less noise insulation and they have noisier fans, because it is important in pro cooking to be able to cool large quantities of food quickly, which requires large, noisy fans to move lots of cold air around. One person who posted here bought a commercial unit, and after installation, had to have the compressors remotely mounted in the attic, to reduce the noise level. The heat in the attic did not help the efficiency of the unit, to say the least.

Q. Ive never seen inside a commercial refrigerator. WhatÂs it look like?
A. Amenities wise, inside, they are the exact opposite of home units. A typical unit has four to six wire shelves.

Q. Why are there so few shelves in commercial refrigerators?
A. Restaurants that use reach-in refrigerators typically deal with things like mayonnaise, salad dressings, pickles, sauces, and the like in gallon quantities. Therefore, the shelves need to be far enough apart to hold gallon containers. At home, most things are in quart or smaller containers. Many units have no interior lights, though some do. There is never door storage. There are no crispers, no meat storage drawers, no butter shelves, no egg holders, no water dispensers, no ice makers, etc. In short, it is an insulated box with a shelf attachment system, with a blower system located at the top, with several loud fans blowing cold air around.

Q. Commercial refrigerators are generally sitting on legs or wheels, whereas home units seem to go to the floor. Why is this?
A. Commercial equipment always sits on plainly visible legs or wheels, and cannot have a toe-kick shield. A shield makes cleaning under a piece of equipment difficult, and is thus prohibited in a commercial kitchen.

Q. Are commercial refrigerators just refrigerators or are they refrigerators and freezers in one unit.
A. Unlike most domestic units, commercial units are generally refrigerators or freezers, not both. There are some combo units available, but not many.

Q. Do commercial units have ice makers?
A. Never. This is always a separate piece of equipment in commercial kitchens.

Q. Who services commercial refrigerators?
A. This is potentially a large problem. Residential people generally will not, because they cannot access parts, and are unfamiliar with commercial fridges. Most commercial repair shops cannot, because their insurance prohibits them from working in someoneÂs house.

Q. What about the Coldtech ÂResidential unit?
A. The Coldtech Âresidential unit, mentioned occasionally, it is probably the most residential-friendly commercial unit made. However, I want to point out several things you should think about before you purchase this unit. It requires a dedicated 20 Amp outlet (5-20P) and circuit. Not that difficult, but it is a requirement, and indicates that it uses more power than a domestic refrigerator, which only requires 15 Amp service. It is supposed to have a quieter compressor and fans than most commercial units. I have not seen one, so I cannot comment. It has three shelves per compartment, though obviously more can be purchased. This results in roughly 9" vertical space per level (if evenly spaced). The unit is 32.5 inches deep, meaning this unit will stick out at least 7 inches past typical countertops.

There is no ice maker. There is no door storage. There are no crispers, no meat storage drawers, no butter shelves, no egg holders, no water dispensers, ice maker, etc. in this unit. In short, there are no normal amenities, except interior lights.

"We own several restaurants. Some of our units have refrigerators with remote compressors. I can tell you after 30 years of dealing with restaurant equipment, your chances aren't any better with longevity just because they are commercial. This is a common misconception. I've had to replace many a compressor in my time, even with weekly preventive maintenance (cleaning coils,etc) we still have problems. I find in general that commercial equipment is more temperamental than residential equipment (especially with remote compressors). A good installer is essential if you do go commercial with remotes. Also, commercial units are bare bones. Restaurateurs use them because they are cheaper than Sub-Zeros, don't have to be pretty (no one cares if they get wet on the outside or things drip on the inside until cleanup time), the shelving can hold larger items, you can get them in a variety of sizes,etc,etc. "

"You might also consider who is going to do any repair if you need it.
Most Domestic Refrigeration servicers I know won't / can't work on commercial appliances. Most Commercial servicers won't work in non-commercial enviroments - your home.
So you might be stuck trying to find someone with a commercial refrigeration license who will work in a residential home. "

Hope this helps.

Wow, you've done a lot of research. I truly appreciate your comments. Some of the issues you've mentioned are reasons why we want the commercial style. We live in a small town and are building even farther out in the country. My husband grew up on a farm so it is his habit to buy in bulk. We regularly buy (and store) the gallon size containers of things - we need the farther apart shelves. It is the extra bins and butter shelves, crispers , etc that we are trying to avoid. It seems like most refrigerators these days are falling off the other end of the continuum. There are so many bins, wine racks, lights, etc that there is less place to simply put food! We had long past decided not to have an ice maker. I also want to be able to clean under the refrigerator easily.
The repair situation is a non-issue on this one. There is someone to cover this locally. I'm also thinking that if a $1400 refrigerator gives me grief it will be a lot less painful than if a $5200 refrigerator does so. It seems that ALL of them have issues. Your comments about the noise and energy usage certainly give me food for thought, however (excuse the pun).
If anyone has actual experience with this particular brand I would appreciate hearing about it.

I was also told that there would be a problem delivering a commercial unit to a residence, as well as the warranty being void or non-existant in a residential setting. --When I first started investigating things for our new house I knew we needed more fridge space, so I started at a restaurant supply. That was awhile ago, so I can't remember all the exact details. I do remember that the salesman told me that it wasn't unusual, for example, for a commercial fridge to arrive with all the freon leaked out, but it would be our burden to get it fixed...No warranty to cover.

The buying in bulk is the reason we're doing all-fridges, so the food doesn't compete with freezer space. Don't you still have some smaller items?

Sorry...I know this isn't the experience with the Frigidaire you're waiting to hear, so I'll shut up now! ;-)

Is the Frigidaire fridge in question really a commercial model or just a beefed up resi one?? Rhome said he/she saw one at his local appliance dealer. This leads me to think it not really a commercial unit. These are generally not on display, not at your local RETAILER, and I'll bet it's really hard to find any new frestanding commercial appliance that costs 1400 bucks. Mabey a microwave or boat motor blender.

I'm not actually sure. It is listed on the Commercial portion of the Frigidaire website. I've posted the link in case this helps. In checking out the website, I pulled up the manual to see if I could find out anything more. At the end of the manual the logo shown is for Electrolux, not Frigidaire, so now I'm worried about the infamous thermostat problem!

Any insight is welcome!

The one I saw had a sign on it saying it was a commercial unit, and it sure looked like one inside... But, I agree that that is quite a price compared to the ones at the restaurant supply store I went to.

In my experience, that's a fairly typical price for a 32" commercial refrigerator (freezers cost more). Noise will be the biggest issue and it doesn't do much good to listen to one in a warehouse or even an appliance store environment. You won't be able to tell how noisy it is until you get it in your kitchen.

ColdTech has a commercial refrigerator that they classify as "residential." They have added some type of noise abatement.

How loud is it and how much energy does it use. The latter can easily make a cheap stylish ref. more expensive as the years go on.

I purchased this unit with the all glass door. So far, I love the refrigerator. As far as energy consumption, I have not really noticed an increase in the electric bill. With regard to the noise level, there is a low hum of the fan running that is constant but you really do not notice it after a day or so.

I decided to purchase the glass door refrigerator to create a more industrial commercial kitchen along with traditional classic style. I have mahogany cabinetry and hardwood floors in the kitchen and the marrying of the two styles looks great. While the surrounding of the cabinets and lighting(I have a formal Swarovski chandelier above the table) is formal, mixing in the commercial stainless look creates a serious chef look.

The day the refrigerator was delivered (and the pre-delivery call), they kept informing me that this was a glass door commercial refrigerator. I think they were a little surprised that it was for a residential kitchen. Once they entered the kitchen to set it in place, the delivery guys were amazed how it looked in the kitchen. I also have a stainless and glass center island hood that blends in well with the refrigerator. Tying all these elements together gives the kitchen a look all its own. The delivery driver told me he was expecting someone like Rachel Ray to accept the delivery because it is not your everyday refrigerator to a residential home.

I chose not to purchase a sub-zero and spend the money on other elements and appliciances for the kitchen. I am happy today that I made that decision.

Of note, with an all glass door refrigerator, you have to keep the inside organized and neat at all times. I purchased glass containers and bottles to use in the refrigerator to keep the appearance neat and orderly(can you say compulsive?) The wire shelving can be configured to accomodate larger pans or containers of food. I love to cook and entertain so the refrigerator totally works for me. I have never been a fan of the freezer that comes with a residential refrigerator and I have an upright freezer in my pantry area. I purchased and installed an ice maker for the kitchen since there is no way possible with this refrigerator. I do believe that the refrigerator is more on the commercial end since it has a food saftey approval and rating. All in all I love it and I am pleased. Feel free to email me with any questions that you may have.

os1411 - I sent you an email thru your "My Page". Let me know if you don't receive it. Thanks

Hello. We are considering this model as well (with the solid door, not the glass door).

Here's the question, though. Is it bad that we won't have veg table drawers, meat drawers, etc? I always thought these things were simply handy for organizing the fridge. My wife tells me that they are important for humidity and temp control. If this is true, it looks like our commercial fridge (and commerical freezer) idea won't work. Unless there are after-market products that accomplish this same goal...

So, does anyone here have the Frigidaire #FCRS201 (refrigerator) and/or #FCFS201LF (freezer)? Are they noisy? Can you live without the vegtable and meet drawers?

Any thoughts?

I LOVE this Frigidaire commercial refrigerator. Mine is quiet, stays cold, and is in my kitchen in a corner, but I also have a sub zero on the other side.

I think it has to get regulated and then it stays cool without compressor kicking in all the time.

Be sure not to turn on for 24 hours after installing -- the oil has to settle.

But mine comes on intermittently to maintain temperature and we do not hear it at all.

My sub zero is much louder.

I designed the glass door for this refrigerator.....glad you like it.

"I designed the glass door for this refrigerator.....glad you like it."

Hmmmmmm, maybe you out to design one for SZ? They want 15 Grand, well probably closer to 20 grand now, for their fridge with the glass door!!!!!!!

They must be using some really eccentric glass in those succers!

Gary

I also designed the Sub Zero wine cooler doors along with the Viking wine doors. Glass doors are the single most expensive item on the parts list for any unit.