What does it mean when the section between the freezer and refrigerator on a side by side unit is hot to the touch?

4-5. Is fan in freezer section running? Is fan in rear of unit running? Do the sides of unit feel hot to touch? This unit has a problem. Call for warranty service.

If you mean HOT to the touch, that is normal if the unit is left open, the compessor will run indefinatly and transfer it's heat to the shell.

Fuji

Poor cooling and a hot divider mean that air is not moving effectively over the condenser coils under the fridge. Check to see if the fan is blowing under there while the compressor is running. If not, then the condenser fan has failed and needs to be replaced. If it is, then use a vacuum with a long nozzle to give it a good cleaning under there.

This is typical for frost-free refridgerators/freezers. In order to keep ice from buiding up on the interior walls of the freezer section, the manufacturer installs electric defrosting elements and extra "warming" elements in the outer edges of the cabinet, normally around the door openings to help mitigate any frost/ice build up and surface condensation that typically occurs on the exterior surfaces as the doors are opened and closed frequently.

These edge warmers stay very warm to keep ice and condensation from accumulating and will become VERY very warm (hot) when the fridge/freezer is in the once a day defrost cycle.

Unless you have an energy saver switch (GE trademark) inside the fridge section, which you can turn off, there is no way to disable these added elements. If you find that you're getting ice building up in the freezer, you'll need to turn off the energy saver switch to resolve that issue.

Energy Saver switch "ON" means these elements are off, while having the ES switch "OFF" means those heaters are running all the time and costing you more in energy consumption

THIS link should help you diagnose the problem

Usually is not a fire danger however there is a problem that needs attention. I would recommend that you call a qualified service man for this one as soon as possible.

hi tanks for the question there are heaters at the spots you said were hot and those heaters are there to prevent moist air from hitting cold surface and create warer droplets from forming on those surfaces i would remove the back of the fridge and vacuum it out that should solve your problem thanks the appliance doc

Its normal, the heat is coming from the condenser which is integrated within the freezer cabinet and is completely out of sight.

ED5VHGXMQ10 Whirlpool Fridge
I have the same problem. Too hot to touch between the freezer and refrigerator door. Is
this normal?

If the mullion heater around the doors is hot to the touch the inside temperatures are not being maintained. They should be warm but not hot. This usually indicates a problem in the internal temperatures. Check the back wall of the freezer section for frost buildup. Your defrost system may not be working and it had not gotten to the point of complete failure as far as you noticing the temperature differences yet.