What Are the Whirlpool Refrigeration Specifications?

Whirlpool manufactures refrigerators to meet a range of specifications.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

Whirlpool manufactures a range of refrigerators, including side-by-side, French door, top-freezer and bottom-freezer models with stainless steel, black and white finishes. Among the many refrigerator models, refrigeration specifications vary. You might select a model based on your needs for interior volume, energy efficiency, shelf orientation or special features, such as humidity monitoring.

Net Capacity

The interior volume of a refrigerator, most commonly referred to as its net capacity, can vary depending on the overall size of the unit as well as how its orientation divides up the refrigerator and freezer components. The GX5FHTXVQ model, which features a French door orientation with the freezer at the bottom, has a total net capacity, including the freezer, of 24.8 cubic feet. Its refrigerator section alone offers 17.3 cubic feet of space. By comparison, the GX2FHDXVQ French door model offers 22 cubic feet total with 16 devoted to the refrigerator itself. The latter model is slightly shallower, narrower and taller than the former.

Many of Whirlpool's refrigerators bear Energy Star certification, indicating their efficient levels of energy consumption. In 2010 Whirlpool received a Sustained Excellence Award from Energy Star, indicating its products' overall energy efficiency. The GB9FHDXWS model, with a bottom-freezer orientation, uses an average of 392 kW of energy per year. The ED5LHAXWB, a side-by-side model with an Energy Star certification, consumes 577 kW per year. The two French door model mentioned earlier (GX5FHTXVQ and Gold GX2FHDXVQ) use 474 and 459 kW, respectively each year.

Many of Whirlpool's refrigerators feature special functions to improve their convenience or precision. Many models include built-in water filters and water and ice dispensers to avoid the need to buy filtered water or bags of ice. Humidity control monitors and adjusts the amount of condensation in the refrigerator's internal air, improving the shelf life of many of the more delicate foodstuffs, such as produce. If you regularly buy milk or other beverages in gallon-size bottles, several models have adjustable door shelves to accommodate larger items. To easily access items in hard-to-reach corners, some of Whirlpool's freezers include drawers that easily glide out, especially convenient on bottom-freezer models, such as the GB9FHDXWS.

The refrigerator layout most directly affects the shelves' orientation. For example, a French door layout, which offers relatively favorable energy efficiency, will also have a larger number of relatively narrow shelves. If you typically store very broad items in the refrigerator, such as wide platters of food or whole turkeys, it may not be the best model for you. The French door models GX5FHTXVQ and Gold GX2FHDXVQ have four and six shelves each respectively. In the GB9FHDXWS model, with a bottom-freezer, you have five shelves, and ED5LHAXWB has three shelves and also has three slide-out drawers.