Remember Bejam?

Probably not if you are in the U40 team.  Noticing the outside of the big freezer was almost too hot to touch in the hot weather, running continuously and the two smaller freezers being full, thought we'd better do a temperature check.  The freezers were sold by Bejam*, the first UK frozen food retailer who sold out to the much smaller (in the UK) Iceland around 1989.  This freezer must be nearly 40 years old and is probably running on the worst possible gas for the ozone layer; so it behoves us to keep it going as long as possible before entrusting it to the uncertain world of gas 'recovery' and worldwide scrap shipping activity called the recycling industry.  The freezer dumps the extracted heat through a condenser built in to the front and right outside walls of the freezer casing - hence the heat.  It seemed to be working very effectively (-23.3degC and that not in the coldest part inside) but we offered relief by adding a blanket on the lid and a fan to blow away the heat from the front and side.  We even tried sponging the outside to create an evaporating water film.  No difference it just kept going.  Don't build 'em like they used to.  How many of today's freezers will still be working in 40 years time after 4 house moves?

*Bejam is an acronym for Brian, Eric, John And Millie (Apthorp)