The beam in middle of refridgerator where both doors rest against while closed is too hot to touch

First, I'm not a WOODS tech.
Check your warranty and call for service.
*** Following is for information only.***
* Your circulation fan (usually on the freezer side) has ice building up near fan. OR there is a paper or plastic caught in the fan. Check and clear debris.
* Check for air movement while fan is running. Many have plastic ducting that pulls air from the bottom that is usually covered by the lower drawer. Pull out the lowest tray and check the back for ice or food that fell in back to block the air vent. If it's iced up, DON'T hit it as you will crack the plastic. Leave the door open, Turn off and let the freezer defrost. (remove food).
* Check the upper fan vent for ice blockage. Defrost as needed.
* Unplug refrigerator to defrost. (Get help to move as the fridge is heavy and may tip over on you.)
* Once completely free of ice (it takes a while. A fan blowing into the freezer helps. ***DONOT use a heater!*** Warps panels and may over pressurize refrigerant.)
* Allow a completed defrosting of the freezer. (Place frozen foods in refrigerator side to keep it cold while the refrigerator is off. Better to transfer everything to another refrigerator.)
* Keep checking and dumping the drain tray as the ice melts. If no water drains then the line may be clogged. Call for service.?
* Plug in refrigerator but leave out where you still can unplug it if you need to continue to defrost. Move it back only if everything is working (so far).
* Set the temperature to middle of dial and the freezer diverter to normal (middle). Leave fridge empty to allow it to cool down without a load. Check for icing (there shouldn't be any as there is no moisture in box to ice up.) If there is ice then it did not defrost enough. Turn off and repeat manual defrost (open door)
* Once your sure all the ice is gone and the freezer is cold. Move refrigerator back into the counter/wall. (it's lighter but get help anyway.) Start putting back the frozen goods. Try not to cram in everything. Keep enough space on racks to allow air flow AROUND the whole shelf. Keep away from leaning food against the walls and back.
?* Leave the temperature setting at mid range. Your refrigerator should be able to keep food frozen at this setting.
* Check your door seals for cracks
* Check your door perimeter for warmth. It should not be sweating or ice cold. Cool or slightly warm to the touch is normal.
* Check your side panels (not doors). It should be cool but not iced or sweating.
* Final, with the Temperature set at mid range. If your still getting ice then you have a vapor leak. (Moist air getting into the freezer) Note that this moisture can also come from hot moist food placed in freezer without pre-chilling it. If you must put hot food In the freezer. Then place it in the refrigerator section for at least an hour prior to the freezer. The refrigerator can handle the moisture load better than the freezer. The refrigerator just collects the water and drains it to the bottom pan.
* Again, check your warranty and call for service. Have them perform yearly maintenance to check everything.
Aloha, ukeboy57

PS; If everything is okay (so far) then only gradually adjust the temperature SLOWLY. You will find that maxing to the coldest setting will only build up the ice quicker. Normal freezer operation can take care of the occasional (daily) opening of the freezer door. It will 'dry' out the frost and ice build up (If given the chance). But if you find that Ice keeps building then you need a bigger new ice box.

First, I'm not a Vissani tech.
*Check your warranty and call for service.
*** Following is for information only.***
* I see that you have done most of the following. I'll post the full answer for others to review. You probably need a complete defrost and return the settings to the middle.
*** Complete answer as follows ***
* Check for air movement while fan is running. Many have plastic ducting that pulls air from the bottom that is usually covered by the lower drawer. Pull out the lowest tray and check the back for ice or food that fell in back to block the air vent. If it's iced up, DON'T hit it as you will crack the plastic. Leave the door open, Turn off and let the freezer defrost. (remove food).
* Check the upper fan vent for ice blockage. Defrost as needed.
* Unplug refrigerator to defrost. (Get help to move as the fridge is heavy and may tip over on you.)
* Once completely free of ice (it takes a while. A fan blowing into the freezer helps. ***DONOT use a heater!*** Warps panels and may over pressurize refrigerant.)
* Allow a completed defrosting of the freezer. (Place frozen foods in refrigerator side to keep it cold while the refrigerator is off. Better to transfer everything to another refrigerator.)
* Keep checking and dumping the drain tray as the ice melts. If no water drains then the line may be clogged. Call for service.?
* Plug in refrigerator but leave out where you still can unplug it if you need to continue to defrost. Move it back only if everything is working (so far).
* Set the temperature to middle of dial and the freezer diverter to normal (middle). Leave fridge empty to allow it to cool down without a load. Check for icing (there shouldn't be any as there is no moisture in box to ice up.) If there is ice then it did not defrost enough. Turn off and repeat manual defrost (open door)
* Once your sure all the ice is gone and the freezer is cold. Move refrigerator back into the counter/wall. (it's lighter but get help anyway.) Start putting back the frozen goods. Try not to cram in everything. Keep enough space on racks to allow air flow AROUND the whole shelf. Keep away from leaning food against the walls and back.
* Leave the temperature setting at mid range. Your refrigerator should be able to keep food frozen at this setting.
* Check your door seals for cracks
* Check your door perimeter for warmth. It should not be sweating or ice cold. Cool or slightly warm to the touch is normal.
* Check your side panels (not doors). It should be cool but not iced or sweating.
* Final, with the Temperature set at mid range. If your still getting ice then you have a vapor leak. (Moist air getting into the freezer) Note that this moisture can also come from hot moist food placed in freezer without pre-chilling it. If you must put hot food In the freezer. Then place it in the refrigerator section for at least an hour prior to the freezer. The refrigerator can handle the moisture load better than the freezer. The refrigerator just collects the water and drains it to the bottom pan.
* Again, check your warranty and call for service. Have them perform yearly maintenance to check everything.
Aloha, ukeboy57

PS; If everything is okay (so far) then only gradually adjust the temperature SLOWLY. You will find that maxing to the coldest setting will only build up the ice quicker. Normal freezer operation can take care of the occasional (daily) opening of the freezer door. It will 'dry' out the frost and ice build up (If given the chance). But if you find that Ice keeps building then you need a bigger new ice box.

I have seen a programme on TV which showed a cable between the doors which over time with constant opening and closing became worn. I should contact the manufacturer.

check the damper vent door between the refrige and freezer and make sure its opening up to let cold air from freezer into the refrige,sometimes they freeze up and cant open and close when called upon to do so,if so deice it with a hair dryer,the side being hot is good telling you the compressor is operating correctly

Hello,
Not cooling is a fridge repair job that you can do without the help of a professional. Often the fridge has a frost-free failure, or the compressor is faulty but there are many other reasons for a fridge not cooling properly.
Step 1 – Find the Problem

Your first job is to locate the source of the problem. Consider each of the following:

* Gaskets - Make sure the gaskets/seals are not torn and are sealing properly.
* Evaporator fan – Make sure it is working. If it is now working you may have a problem with the fan motor. Check for power to the motor and also examine the fan switches around the door (not all fridges have these switches).
* Air damper – Sometimes the air damper will not open up to allow the cold air from the freezer part to blow into the fridge section.
* Condenser coils – Check to see that the condenser coils don’t have a dust build-up and that the condenser motor is working.
* Compressor – Make sure your compressor is working with on and off clicking noises.

Step 2 – Frost-Free Failure

This is the most common cooling problem in fridges. Expose the evaporator coils by accessing the panel in the freezer section. The coils in the freezer section can sometimes get clogged up with frost. This can stop the evaporator fan motor from blowing cold air around, or cause the fan to hit it and stop, or become noisy. The defrost timer can be a bit tricky to find but it is usually located behind the back bottom corners of the fridge, although they can sometimes be found in the ceiling of the fresh food section, or behind the cold control cover.
Step 3 – Find the Timer

When you find the timer, turn the wheel-like screw slowly with a screwdriver until the fridge shuts off. The refrigerator is now defrosting. If you find that the fridge starts now, you will need to replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer.
Step 4 – Volt Test

If the heaters do not come on, use a volt meter to ohm test the defrost heater or volt test for 120 volts to the heater. You can bypass the defrost thermostat if you haven’t got power to the defrost heater to check if the defrost heater will come on. To bypass the thermostat, join the two wires together. Replace the defrost thermostat and the defrost timer if the heater comes on now.

If there is a ticking or squealing noise in the defrost timer, or it seems hot to touch, replace it.

Many fridges have and inline fuse on both sides of the defrost heater. You will need to replace the whole heater if one of those fuses blows. Check these fuses with a volt meter if the defrost heater doesn’t work.

A quick check if you have a cooling problem is to inspect the evaporator coils. If there is a build up of white snow on the coils, this indicates a frost free problem; if there is balled ice on part of the coils with the rest bare, this indicates a system problem, like a problem with the pumping compressor.

Good luck.....

I had the same problem. I had just brush cleaned my coils and then it began. When I took the back off the fridge, I saw the fan was not spinning. I unplugged the fridge and then tried to spin the fan blades. I had inadvertantly bent a blade so it would not spin. I bent the blade back into shape and turned it on. The fan worked and very quickly the middle was no longer hot.

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

it sounds like either a defrost problem or damper door problem it is very well worth fixxing

Hi. thanks for the question. the heat between the doors is normal . to solve . pull the fridge away from wall .remove back panel. clean all lint in coils .Dust in the coils causes the heat between the doors to get warmer . so cleaning of coils. will solve the problem thanks the appliance doc

time for a new fridge