A strange question about refrigerators

[volvoman]

So, a number of years ago when I was living in another apartment building in another town, a neighbor of mine had a side-by-side refrigerator. I remember that it wasn't terribly big (it couldn't have been, with the space allotted for appliances in those kitchens) - maybe 28 inches? And it was a GE. Possibly from the mid 1980s. I do not believe that it had a water or ice dispenser, either.

When they moved, they left it behind. I was going to take it...but maintenance took it, and did god knows what with it.

The apartment that we're in now, pretty much lets us do whatever we want, in regards to painting, appliances, etc. And we'd really love to find a 28" side-by-side fridge...if they exist. Can't do a water line or ice maker, due to the way the kitchen is set up.

My questions are as follows...

1: Was there ever a side-by-side offered in that size back in the day, without ice or water? And if so, how hard are the vintage ones to find?

2: Are there any NEW ones offered in that size, that are NOT stainless steel?

We've got a couple of inches to play with, before it spills into the dining room - which we don't want to do.

Any thoughts on this would be awesome.

 

[circlew]

Many SxS refrigerators didn't have ice and water dispensers, especially in the smaller sizes. I think it was around 1966 when GE introduced a SxS model, and none had dispensers until the 1969 "Custom Dispenser" model, as seen in the "Brady Bunch" kitchen. That model was 36" wide. A smaller version followed shortly thereafter, which was ice only if I remember correctly. One of my neighbors had a GE SxS from around 1972 that I think was 30" wide.

 

[combo52]

Smallest American side-by-side refrigerators

Yes, reply number one is spot on the smallest side-by-side I ever saw was the GE’s. They were 30 1/2 inches wide, the smallest one whirlpool ever had was 32 3/4 inches wide and they didn’t make those long either.

While you might find one of these today, they’re pretty old. The world pools were made in the late 60s, and unless you have a free source of electricity you’re gonna spend $30 or more a month to run these they weren’t very energy efficient due to very thin walls. And just old technology in general.

I do agree that I like a side-by-side for convenience you can keep most often use things at a convenient height, they do have the obvious limitation of not being able to hold large items however so you really need a separate refrigerator or a separate freezer somewhere if you do a lot of cooking, etc.

John L

 

[goatfarmer]

size matters

I have a 60's Westinghouse, pretty wide, but only 5' tall.

 

[repairguy]

Good looking refrigerator Kenny.