Help me identify this Philco freezer

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AndrewD

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Just scored this for free today. Last 2 of the serial is 64 and that seems like a possibility on the year. Model number is FH81. Haven't had much luck on google, and have yet to see another Philco freezer with the gold "8" on the front. Are there magical gold bars hidden in this thing?

8663424565_a79d0bdd26.jpg

8664525788_4c197a3773.jpg

8664524984_ca391fb1a0.jpg
 
Ok I can help with this one but you may have to wait until Monday..... Philco is made by Nordyne which btw also makes maytag, fridigaire, broan, airtemp etc etc etc...... I am a Nordyne dealer I can call the factory or my mfg rep on Monday give them your model number and see what he can provide me with I may be able to get the original owners manual as well as specification sheets etc. but, like I said on a Friday night there's not much I can do until Monday.
 
Aschecte said:
Ok I can help with this one but you may have to wait until Monday..... Philco is made by Nordyne which btw also makes maytag, fridigaire, broan, airtemp etc etc etc...... I am a Nordyne dealer I can call the factory or my mfg rep on Monday give them your model number and see what he can provide me with I may be able to get the original owners manual as well as specification sheets etc. but, like I said on a Friday night there's not much I can do until Monday.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Pertinent info sent.
 
DrinkingLounge said:
that's an amazing looking freezer!
Click to expand...

My buddy asked me last week if I wanted a chest freezer from a member of his family. He wasn't sure but thought it was about 20 years old. When we got there and saw it, I almost felt guilty because he is a homebrewer too. I was planning on just using it for food until I saw it. This thing just screams restore/repurpose for dispensing homebrew.
 
AndrewD said:
My buddy asked me last week if I wanted a chest freezer from a member of his family. He wasn't sure but thought it was about 20 years old. When we got there and saw it, I almost felt guilty because he is a homebrewer too. I was planning on just using it for food until I saw it. This thing just screams restore/repurpose for dispensing homebrew.
Click to expand...

looks almost new! I'm on the hunt for one or an old fridge. That one is a true find.
 
Well good news and bad news...... the good news is the advice I received from Nordyne which owns the Philco brand. What I was told is that the freezer division of Philco which went out of business many many years ago made this unit directly before any association with Nordyne. He advised me that you should have a small appliance repair shop or even a vintage restoration company to do a once over on the unit checking the refrigerant charge as well as the general internal cleanliness of the unit. He also said those older units were made to last but were not made to energy savings standards of today so electrically this will not be very efficient. Now the bad news being that Philco does belong to Nordyne but this unit was made long before the purchase of Philco by Nordyne they do not have any I&O manuals or literature on the unit and unfortunately even when the manuals and instructions did exist it was before the advent of scanners or the internet so there was never a electronic back up of these older vintage units. Sorry I couldn't be more help to you but I did make the calls and give it a honest try. I would recommend you do have the unit serviced before actually using it though as if the refrigerant charge is low you could blow the compressor out very fast..... best of luck !!!
 
Aschecte said:
Well good news and bad news...... the good news is the advice I received from Nordyne which owns the Philco brand. What I was told is that the freezer division of Philco which went out of business many many years ago made this unit directly before any association with Nordyne. He advised me that you should have a small appliance repair shop or even a vintage restoration company to do a once over on the unit checking the refrigerant charge as well as the general internal cleanliness of the unit. He also said those older units were made to last but were not made to energy savings standards of today so electrically this will not be very efficient. Now the bad news being that Philco does belong to Nordyne but this unit was made long before the purchase of Philco by Nordyne they do not have any I&O manuals or literature on the unit and unfortunately even when the manuals and instructions did exist it was before the advent of scanners or the internet so there was never a electronic back up of these older vintage units. Sorry I couldn't be more help to you but I did make the calls and give it a honest try. I would recommend you do have the unit serviced before actually using it though as if the refrigerant charge is low you could blow the compressor out very fast..... best of luck !!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, man. I ran it for about an hour last night to see if it cooled and it was starting to form ice on the coils before I turned it off. I will try to locate an appliance repair shop but I have to admit loading and unloading this thing again does not sound like fun.

On a side note, does anyone have a source for gaskets for these things?

And in considering what to with it, I've found a few things out:

5 gallon cornies fit in it with about 4 inches to spare! I could probably fit 3 in there in a "V" pattern.

A 10# CO2 tank will not fit in the smaller compartment.

Building a keezer with an extender collar is not practical due to the curved design of the unit.

It looks like if I was going to use it for beer, I would put three taps in the front of the lid and figure out a way to either minimize the un-refrigerated beer lines or cool the small area where the lines would be in the lid.

Based on these things, I am kind of torn as to what I should do with it.
 
day_trippr said:
So, a tower is out of the question?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

I don't know. I've never been too hot on the idea of having a big fixture mounted on top of these things as it complicates opening them. I absolutely despise "things that make other things difficult", and having to worry about banging up the tower when I opened the lid might drive me nuts.
 
I just looked up our vintage freezer on line and found the photo of your
freezer to be identical to ours. My parents bought it new in the mid 50s to early 60s
I don't remember when. My mother gave it to us in 1988 and we have used it ever since.
I remember it had a battery powered alarm bell that would warn you when the temp
reached a certain point after the power was off. It may not be the most efficient but it
still does tho job.
 
Hi. I have one of these and I love it. The handle just fell off and I'm wondering how to put it back. Any ideas?
 
Honestly, it's such a fabulous looking vintage piece in nice condition that if it just doesn't make sense to use as a freezer, I'd clean up the rust spots and use it as a storage drinks or side table in a den, LR, games or lounge area.
You could wire it up with some colored lights so when you opened it, they would turn on & look pretty snazzy. You could store games or bar glasses, beer glasses and coasters in there, or whatever else.
There are better, more efficient and functional chest freezers out there but few with such pizazz. Too cool not to repurpose.
 
AndrewD said:
Thanks, man. I ran it for about an hour last night to see if it cooled and it was starting to form ice on the coils before I turned it off. I will try to locate an appliance repair shop but I have to admit loading and unloading this thing again does not sound like fun.

On a side note, does anyone have a source for gaskets for these things?

Building a keezer with an extender collar is not practical due to the curved design of the unit.
Click to expand...
1. Do not waste time with an appliance repair shop. they will know nothing of these old units. If it's running and cooling on the original compressor, freon and relay...DON'T MESS WITH IT. I have 3 1940s refrigerators that all still run fine on the original freon. These things never die.

2. Antique Appliance restoration or even just Lowes/Home Depot universal weatherstripping.

3. wrong, wrong, wrong...time for woodshop 101. You can do it. going thru the front is risky and can never be undone.
 
Last edited:
oops....well I guess either he took care of it or has F'ed it up...

but anyone with a similar antique...heed my advice above...
 

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