A "built-in" Find!

[cadman]

I'll skip the lengthy story, but figured you guys might want to see the latest find. I hear there might be some Sub-Zero fans on the board. This one was headed to the crusher and was in too good a shape to let go...

Yes, real wood inserts on the front. And I saved the chrome ventilation grille that mounts above the unit.

 

[cadman]

Inside the owner had written the installation date and where it was purchased. Turns out it's a '74. (Shelves are still in the truck)

Can you say '70's or what!

 

[cadman]

Plugged it in today and she got straight to cooling. Only reason I can figure why it was replaced was the freezer fan had come loose and the blade was intermittently contacting the shroud. 5 minute fix. Note the original thumbscrews that allowed practically instant repair access.

Yes, an Ice-O-Matic!

So, can anyone tell me more about this beast? I was surprised to see two independent compressors, coils and fans. Bet this one is hard on the electric bill!

 

[mpatoray]

Great save, it was well taken care of by the looks of the pictures

 

[toggleswitch2]

Lovely toy! Great engineering, annoyingly shallow!

Why two complete cooling systems I'll never know. Just have a thermostaticlly controlled fan pull the "coolth"* in from the freezer to the fridge and all is well.

*Techinally, there is no such thing as cold. "Cold" is the absence of heat, just as darkness is the absence of light.

 

[qsd-dan]

Wow, looks factory new!

 

[moonvalleycacti]

im curious.... whats the model numbe

 

[douglasdc6]

Being I was in the commercial refrigeration business , I appreciate quality when I see it .

What I find interesting is this unit doesn`t appear to have condenser fan motors, Looks like just good ole plain convection.

Interesting placement of the condenser coils, I`ll bet they never need cleaning.

 

[revvinkevin]

Very Nice!

Yes for some reason Sub Zero's have (I believe) always had a separate cooling system for the fridge and freezer sections. The new models are still very nice, but at $5K+ and up... VERY EXPENSIVE!

When we bought this house just over 10 years ago, it had a 20 cu. ft. Sub Zero refrigerator ONLY... no freezer. I believe they may have had a separate freezer of some sort on the "pantry". It was really nice having such a large fridge space, but at the same time not having a freezer in the same room was a pain in the butt!

After replacing the thermostat twice in about 8 years, I replaced the unit with a side-by-side when the thermostat failed again, turning the fridge into a freezer.

 

[swestoyz]

Wow - impressive looking fridge in the photos. But, with the grille it would be spectacular!

Awesome find, congrats again!

Ben

 

[gansky1]

What model??

Two cooling systems is very nearly a necessity once you've experienced it. The separation and constant running of the refrig. section fan makes for a much more humid and "true" feeling of "cool" or "cold". I loved my 550 and still have pangs of fridge envy when I stroll through the NFM built-in department. The built-in look and feel is just without compare. I have a counter-depth KitchenAid SxS now and it's a nice unit, but it ain't no Sub Z.

Congrats on a beautiful find!

 

[a440]

Wow!

What a fantastic find!
Just beautiful!
So from my understanding, it will be in your main kitchen?
I just love the look and the "feel".
Great find you have there. I hope you got it for a steal!
Brent

 

[tlee618]

Wonderful find Cory. I have never had a SubZero but when Greg had his and also our friend Fred N. has one, being around those, I have to agree with Greg, there just is nothing else like it. Well maybe one day if I win the lottery I will have one.LOL

 

[cadman]

Data Plate

Thanks for the comments guys- Yes, there is a condenser fan on top, with the slight hum that reminds me very much of a commercial upright. Looks a lot nicer inside with the 3 wire shelves installed too.

I jotted down the model number last night:

1379RFD, installed Feb 4, 1974. Fridge section pulls 11.6A (total). Freezer: 4.2A (w/defrost).

Brent, no idea where to put it. If I can get my '61 Frigidaire re-charged it'll be the main kitchen fridge. This S-Z would be swank in a wall of mahogony with built in bar and (b&w, of course) television. Just has that late 60's sharp-edged feel to it!

-Cory

 

[gansky1]

It's interesting that there are two condenser units on these older models, later they changed to sharing one condenser between the two systems.