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Hirbonzig
Penny Collector Member
USA
451 Posts |
 Posted - 05/24/2008 : 08:51:14
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I've been picking up old window air conditioners at yard sales for around a buck each and was wondering about the freon inside. Is there a safe way to vent it out or dose a professional A/C guy need to take the freon out?
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2008 : 10:25:56
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There is no "legal" way to release refrigerant. It is supposed to be reclaimed. Once it is out, remove the coil and cut the ends off. Should make more than a buck on just the coil.
Deal
p.s. Just for info: Freon is actually DuPont's trademarked name for it's refrigerants. |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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Flbandit
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2008 : 13:17:09
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| AC units have a good bit of value. Do you know anyone in the trade? They might remove the gas for cheap.Other than that you might talk to a repair shop to see what they want to remove it. |
Are you throwing that out? |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2008 : 13:45:05
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If you were close to me, I would remove it for you as I'm in the HVAC/R industry.
Deal |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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JerrySpringer
Penny Hoarding Member
669 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 13:25:21
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| I saw the other day on a bike ride that someone left an air conditioner on the side of the road behind the guard rails. I'll make note if it is there next week. Too heavy for me to carry on the bike and not worth the trouble to gut it for some copper. Maybe I'll leave a sign on the guard rail saying "free copper". A local would snatch it up right away I bet. |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 15:56:53
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| Trichloratriflorethane isn't it? They used to sell the same stuff to clean coins with before it was banned. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that there was a decent amount of copper in those old dead A/C units. |
If your percentages are low.. just sort more. If your percentages are high.. just sort more.
Now selling Copper pennies. 1.6x plus shipping. Limited amounts available. |
Edited by - HoardCopperByTheTon on 05/27/2008 17:38:59 |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 17:33:05
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Definitely get the A/C. Plenty to get. Just the coil alone is worth it. Remove the coil, cut the ends off. There you go. Will pay for the gas to get to the scrap yard, and probably dinner as well, depending on the coil size. The rest you can do whatever with.
Deal |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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Hirbonzig
Penny Collector Member
USA
451 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 21:02:45
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I picked up 3 more A/C units for free!! The lady had a $30 price tag on a newer unit and no tag on 3 others. I got an odd look from her when I asked about the 3 old ones, as she was going to throw them out. She tried to sell me the $20 one saying, "those old ones are noisy, buy the nice one." I just gave a little BS line saying they were for cooling dog kennels,and I got them for free. Those A/C units are heavy!! One was about 60lbs and the 2 others were around 125lbs. Must be the compressor that has all the weight.
I found an A/C guy to take the refrigerant out, so I soon hope to cash these babies in! |
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moboman
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2555 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 23:42:03
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quote:
Originally posted by NotABigDeal
If you were close to me, I would remove it for you as I'm in the HVAC/R industry.
Deal
do you have special equipment to remove it and then you reuse it in a new ac?
Good thing we are all worried about the law here on realcent. |
"99% of all lawyers give the rest of them a bad name" 
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 06:48:55
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We have machines to recover it into larger storage tanks. It can only be reused in the same system. Can't be put into another, or a new system. Most home A/C systems that are over five years old contain R22, while most new ones contain R410a. R410a is more environmentally friendly, (although you still can't release it into the environment). In 2010, R22 can no longer be imported or manufactured for use in new A/C systems. R22 is also going up in price exponentially.
Hirbonzig, don't forget to cut the coils up. Yes, most of the weight is in the compressors. Sorry for such a long post....
Deal
p.s. Oh yeah, no mixing the refrigerants. Different opperating pressures. |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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n/a
deleted
91 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2008 : 23:02:52
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when you refer to the coil are you talking about the radiators or is there a seperate coil you are talking about.
has anyone ever tried melting or removing the aluminum on these copper aluminum radiators in the ac units? |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2008 : 00:41:01
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Air conditioners have a coil, as there is a coil above or below your furnace depending on your set up, if you have central air. Usually they are copper with aluminum fins. Cutting the ends off "cleans" them. The scrap yard classifies them as radiators. I got $1.35 per pound last time, I think, for clean ACR's (Aluminum, Copper, Radiators). In the HVAC/R industry they are known as the condensing coil (outdoor unit), and the evaporator coil (indoor coil). I don't think it would be feasible to meat the aluminum off. Just an opinion. Hope I helped.
Deal |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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n/a
deleted
91 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2008 : 21:31:57
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| i see, i have always referred to as just radiators. My yard pays the 1.35 with ends on so i have never bothered to take them off. It seems my yard is rather relaxed on their policies compared to some other yards. |
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Hirbonzig
Penny Collector Member
USA
451 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2008 : 21:40:19
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quote:
Originally posted by NotABigDeal
Air conditioners have a coil, as there is a coil above or below your furnace depending on your set up, if you have central air. Usually they are copper with aluminum fins. Cutting the ends off "cleans" them. The scrap yard classifies them as radiators. I got $1.35 per pound last time, I think, for clean ACR's (Aluminum, Copper, Radiators). In the HVAC/R industry they are known as the condensing coil (outdoor unit), and the evaporator coil (indoor coil). I don't think it would be feasible to meat the aluminum off. Just an opinion. Hope I helped.
Deal
I've wondering about this also. I tried to start scraping the aluminum off the copper tubes, but it was not worth it. If one was able to melt off the aluminum would the copper be brittle and worth less-like burning the insulation off of copper wire in a fire?
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Kurr
1000+ Penny Miser Member
2906 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 07:31:32
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Brittle is a state that can be dealt with, for non ferrous metals like silver and copper it can be work hardened and become brittle.
To relieve this heat it to a good red heat and quench in water. This process would harden and make brittle ferrous alloys, but with non ferrous, it anneals and softens.
Al is MUCH easier to melt than Cu, due to copper thermo conductivity and melt temps of Cu, you have to heat it quite a bit above the melt temp to pour fluidly and it gives off heat so fast it thickens quick
I havent looked at a coil in a while, maybe a razor knife/scraper rather than fire? |
The silver [is] mine, and the gold [is] mine, saith the LORD of hosts. Hag 2:8 [/b]
He created it. He controls it. He gave it to us for His use. Why did we turn from sound scriptural currency that PROTECTS us?
KJV Bible w/ Strong's Concordance: http://www.blueletterbible.org/
The book of The Hundreds: http://www.land.netonecom.net/tlp/ref/boh/bookOfTheHundreds_v4.1.pdf
The Two Republics: http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/docs/THE_TWO_REPUBLICS.pdf
Good reading: http://ecclesia.org/truth/government.html
A number of people are educated beyond, sometimes way beyond, their intelligence. - Tenbears
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Edited by - Kurr on 06/01/2008 07:33:01 |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 13:31:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Kurr
Brittle is a state that can be dealt with, for non ferrous metals like silver and copper it can be work hardened and become brittle.
To relieve this heat it to a good red heat and quench in water. This process would harden and make brittle ferrous alloys, but with non ferrous, it anneals and softens.
Al is MUCH easier to melt than Cu, due to copper thermo conductivity and melt temps of Cu, you have to heat it quite a bit above the melt temp to pour fluidly and it gives off heat so fast it thickens quick
I havent looked at a coil in a while, maybe a razor knife/scraper rather than fire?
Not a chance. Neither are feasible, I'm telling you. I do this all the time. Cut the ends and call it a day. Or you can melt, cut, hack, smash, whatever all day long....
Deal
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Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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Flbandit
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 17:51:24
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| I agree with Deal. I've seperated the copper tubing out of the coils once. It's a PITA, but it can be done. However, when you factor in the time it takes, you're WAY ahead to just cut the copper ends off, then turn it in. Last ones I took in got $1.50 per lb. |
Are you throwing that out? |
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JerrySpringer
Penny Hoarding Member
669 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 13:24:30
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| Air conditioner still on side of road behind the guard rail as of Thursday. What is the scrap value of an air conditioner? I may drive by there this week (it is maybe 5 miles from my house) and pick it up finally. It may pay for a gallon of gas or two? |
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Flbandit
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2008 : 18:27:26
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| $20.00 or better, depending on size. Don't forget the copper windings in the motor, and turn the carcass in as steel. I find partially stripped chassis all the time, people will strip the coils and leave the motor and the rest out by the road. |
Are you throwing that out? |
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JerrySpringer
Penny Hoarding Member
669 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2008 : 14:24:43
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quote:
$20.00 or better, depending on size. Don't forget the copper windings in the motor, and turn the carcass in as steel. I find partially stripped chassis all the time, people will strip the coils and leave the motor and the rest out by the road.
That is more than I figured. Now that you mention that, I bet I take a closer look at the thing and see it has been stripped already, lol.
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kavajava
Penny Collector Member
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2008 : 12:29:06
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| How much did you have to pay someone to get the refrigerant out? This could become a good hobby. |
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Air conditioners
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