PistolaPete

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What is the difference between a regular chest freezer and the commercial type? I searched through a bunch of posts on here but could not find the answer.

Andrew5329

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The only difference between a "commercial" product and a "consumer" one is typically the size and scale. Your consumer refrigerator freezer at home may hold 40lbs of meat, while the "commercial" freezer at a restaurant holds 400lbs of meat.

Junkster

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Commercial equipment is built to ANSI/NSF Standard 7 which has mostly to do with cleaning & sanitation. Many commercial refrigeration products have higher cooling capacity also so they can pull temperatures down rapidly since their doors are typically opened more often than domestic products. They have a built-in thermometer and are usually elevated above the floor on legs or casters.

I've heard many times where small food service operations try to get by with less expensive, domestic type refrigeration only to have it rejected the first time the health inspector comes around.

mpcluever

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Commercial is probably all stainless inside. If I could afford a commercial freezer I'd jump on it in a second. Too many other brewery items are higher on the list right now though.

onthekeg

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Comercials don't have to have SS interiors, but the units have larger compressors, and my units have internal fans that run all the time. They use 2x the electricity of a comparable sized consumer model as well.
They have much quicker recovery and are built to last, not disposable like the ones you get at best buy or your local appliance shop.

rvklein

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It's notable that typical commercial appliances are much louder then their consumer counterparts.

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John_FL

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Onthekeg hit it on the head. Commercials have awesome bling factor. But they really aren't designed for home use. They are intended to be opened many times a day. They consume crazy amounts of power on top of being more expensive. They do look awesome however...

PistolaPete

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Thnx for the info, everybody. Chest freezers that say "commercial" look the same as the regular ones and come in the same sizes, but cost about double. I will have to assume the only difference seems to be the "commercial" type have certifications that are prob required by food inspectors and the internal components are more suited to constant opening.

dutchoven

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OP: are you referring to "listed household freezer" vs "listed commercial freezer" as noted on the sticker? Usually there's not much difference appearance-wise. The commercial version probably has additional testing or certifications for commercial use (NSF, etc).

I think either are fine for our use.

EDIT: Just saw your post above ... Looks like you got your answer.