The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW is a budget-friendly 30" standard-depth refrigerator with a top-freezer design. It's a narrower variant of the 33" Whirlpool WRT311FZDW, and shares a similar layout, with full-width glass shelves and a pair of produce drawers. Its cooling system is fairly rudimentary, with a fixed-speed compressor and a single evaporator in the freezer. There's also an optional ejector-style ice maker that you can install separately.
We've tested over 35 refrigerators. We purchase ourselves each unit independently from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews free of brand influence. Each refrigerator undergoes the same tests to measure objective metrics such as temperature uniformity, ice making, produce preservation, parts availability, and actual storage capacity, so you can easily compare results.
Our Verdict
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW is decent for everyday use. It isn't the best choice for bigger families due to its somewhat narrow fridge and freezer cabinets, but it does make the most of its footprint. While fridge and freezer temperatures are pretty uniform overall, except for the somewhat warm upper shelves and door bins, they tend to sit higher than the desired setpoint. As a result, you'll want to lower the temperature in each cabinet for optimal food preservation. Produce preservation performance is mediocre due to its single-evaporator design.
Decent fridge capacity.
Freezer has a good amount of space.
Temperatures are mostly consistent across fridge shelves.
Higher-than-desired average temperatures across fridge and freezer cabinets.
Limited door bin space.
No split shelving.
Ice maker can occupy a fair amount of freezer space.
Single evaporator design results in a dry fridge environment.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW's produce preservation performance is mediocre. This is a single-evaporator refrigerator, which, in real-world terms, means that cold, dry air is shared across the freezer and fridge compartments, promoting premature wilting in items with a high water content, like celery, lettuce, or cucumbers. The produce drawers don't seal in moisture very effectively either, and they do little to help keep fresh fruit or veggies crisp.
Single evaporator design results in a dry fridge environment.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW has decent capacity in its fridge cabinet. The cabinet is narrow but deep and unadorned, so there's little to get in the way when stacking items or placing them side by side. The shelves are full-width, so the cabinet isn't as reconfigurable as a unit with split shelving, but the glass shelves can at least be moved up and down. There's also its adjustable deli drawer, which can keep cheese, meat, or any other small packages out of the way. On the downside, the door bins are a little small, with only the middle and lower sections of the door being suitable for bigger cartons or jugs.
Decent fridge capacity.
Limited door bin space.
No split shelving.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW's freezer capacity is good. The space is small but simple, with nothing to get in the way if you don't install the optional ice maker. You won't have the room to fit larger boxes upright, but there's just enough room to lay things like pizza boxes or family-sized lasagna trays flat.
Freezer has a good amount of space.
Ice maker can occupy a fair amount of freezer space.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW's overall temperature uniformity performance is impressive, but with a few caveats. Freezer temperatures are effectively identical in every section of the cabinet, but this unit's simple cooling system results in poor temperature control, with frequent temperature oscillations that can have a negative impact on long-term food storage. Fridge temperatures are very consistent across the middle and bottom shelves, but are noticeably higher along the top shelf and door bins. Temperatures in both cabinets also trend higher than the desired setpoint, even at their coldest, so you should lower the temperature if you notice premature spoilage.
Temperatures remain very consistent across every point in the freezer.
Temperatures are mostly consistent across fridge shelves.
Higher-than-desired average temperatures across fridge and freezer cabinets.
Frequent freezer temperature oscillations due to simple cooling system
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW is alright for making ice. Its ice production rate is too slow for anything but smaller gatherings, but its ice tray can hold enough ice for drinks at a five- or six-person gathering. Any more than that, you should consider either filling a separate container with ice or buying bags of ice.
Ice tray capacity is sufficient for medium-sized gatherings.
Slow ice production rate.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are three variants of this refrigerator, which vary only in surface finish and color. We tested the white model; here's the product label.
| Model | Surface Finish / Color |
|---|---|
| WRT318FZDW | White |
| WRT318FZDB | Black |
| WRT318FZDM | Monochromatic Stainless Steel |
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW is a basic 30" standard-depth refrigerator. It offers a good amount of overall room for a unit in this size class, outclassing alternatives like the LG LTCS20020S and getting close to the refrigeration capacity of the larger 33" Whirlpool WRT311FZDW. Its well-established design and extensive network of authorized service providers also make it fairly painless to fix if something goes wrong. That said, overall refrigeration performance falls somewhat short in many areas. Its basic mechanical thermostat results in poor temperature control, and it does a mediocre job of keeping fresh produce crisp versus the Frigidaire FFTR1835VW.
If you're shopping for alternatives, see our recommendations for the best refrigerator brands and the best refrigerators overall, or, if you don't mind switching styles, the best French door refrigerators.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW and Whirlpool WRT311FZDW are almost identical fridges in different sizes. In exchange for the extra 3" of width, the 33" WRT311FZDW offers only a modest 5% jump in usable fridge capacity but a far more noticeable 18% jump in freezer space, making it the better option for bulk shopping if you've got the room for it. The WRT311FZDW also uses a slightly different ice maker with a faster production rate and a higher-capacity tray. However, the smaller WRT318FZDW does run a little more quietly.
The Frigidaire FFTR1835VW is a better performer than the Whirlpool WRT318FZDW. The Frigidaire provides more consistent fridge temperatures that are closer to the desired setpoint, along with less severe temperature oscillations in the freezer. Its crisper drawer also seals tighter, helping to lock in moisture and extend the lifespan of any produce stored inside. The Frigidaire's ice maker also produces ice faster and has a higher max capacity. That being said, the Whirlpool ice maker does use a more robust ejector-style design. It's also noticeably quieter than the Frigidaire.
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDW and LG LTCS20020S each have their own advantages. The Whirlpool has a little more freezer space with its ice maker installed, and it has a more dependable supply of spare parts, along with a farther-reaching service network. However, the LG's inverter-style compressor gives it an edge in some performance parameters: while temperatures aren't quite as uniform across every point in the freezer as they are in the Whirlpool, the LG does a much better job of keeping temperatures closer to the setpoint, all the while running more quietly. Fresh produce will also stay crisper for considerably longer in the LG. Lastly, the LG's ice maker produces ice much faster, and it has a higher-capacity tray.
Test Results
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