Fresh Ideas on Where to Find Scrap Metal

Gotta be careful with construction refuse. A few scrap yards around here wont even take it due to the high theft rate

I check out just one complex last night. Found 2 monitors and a about a 10' heavy duty extention cord. Plus two sweepers. I know the monitors and sweeper will take some work, but found money is found money. Also took in some copper, sheet aluminum, and aluminum cans. $161.00

If you score some scrap from a construction site it does'nt hurt to get a bill of sale for the material. Even if you don't buy it, it may save you some grief if the police are investigating a thief ring.

If your out and about swing buy plumbing and hvac supply houses, talk to the manager and see if you can pick up the water heaters,furnaces,disposals,condensers and etc. Most supply houses allow plumbers and hvac techs to dump there since they purchase from them.

Originally Posted by Phithy McNasty

If you score some scrap from a construction site it does'nt hurt to get a bill of sale for the material. Even if you don't buy it, it may save you some grief if the police are investigating a thief ring.

If your out and about swing buy plumbing and hvac supply houses, talk to the manager and see if you can pick up the water heaters,furnaces,disposals,condensers and etc. Most supply houses allow plumbers and hvac techs to dump there since they purchase from them.

Do repair techs really drag stuff back to the shop/supply warehouse? Figured most would set them out at the customers trash for pickup.

Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

Do repair techs really drag stuff back to the shop/supply warehouse? Figured most would set them out at the customers trash for pickup.

Alot of customers don't want a furnace or water heater setting in their yard for a week if the trash just ran. We haul everything off and actuallt charge 10 dollars to do it. I have all the guys dropping everything off a the shop when they finish a job or clean their trucks out. All of my suppliers allow us to dump old water heaters and hvac equipment at there location.

I would be rich if I could find someone that bought porcelain and china. Lots of sinks and toilets go in the dumpster. I was on my way home tonight and spotted a old furnace by the dumpster of one of my supply houses. It's not worth much. A little wire and about 100 or so pounds of tin. It's free money.

Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

Do repair techs really drag stuff back to the shop/supply warehouse? Figured most would set them out at the customers trash for pickup.

Got a friend who owns an oil and HVAC company. They bring back almost all of their old stuff. Some of it sits out back for a few years and then someone throws it in the scrap yard for a few bucks. It's really disorganized, but I have a feeling that one of the guys is making loot on the copper out of the old units.

Originally Posted by HGWells

Got a friend who owns an oil and HVAC company. They bring back almost all of their old stuff. Some of it sits out back for a few years and then someone throws it in the scrap yard for a few bucks. It's really disorganized, but I have a feeling that one of the guys is making loot on the copper out of the old units.

I Do HVAC with a friend. He gets the job we do the change out and I get all the scrap.
At first I sold the compressors as is for $3.00 each. Then I cut one open removed the core as I do with motors.
The windings came out to about 5 lbs. @ 3.45 for # 2 copper here. And the steel left over was about 75 lbs. @ $.08.
So for about 45 minutes of labor I am able to convert $3.00 into $23.25 less the two beers it takes to do the job.

Originally Posted by injunjoe

I Do HVAC with a friend. He gets the job we do the change out and I get all the scrap.
At first I sold the compressors as is for $3.00 each. Then I cut one open removed the core as I do with motors.
The windings came out to about 5 lbs. @ 3.45 for # 2 copper here. And the steel left over was about 75 lbs. @ $.08.
So for about 45 minutes of labor I am able to convert $3.00 into $23.25 less the two beers it takes to do the job.

Are you talking about compressors in AC units? I have cut a couple of them open and found that the windings and the string holding the windings have some sort of heavy varnish coating, which makes them a royal pain to remove. Do you remove the coating, and if not, how do you go about removing the windings? I remove the windings off of the motors inside compressors from refrigerators easily because they do not have the heavy varnish coating, but have found the AC units to be difficult.

Storage Companies
I've contacted probably 30 or so storage places and have got a response from approximately half of them wanting me to come get stuff. Mainly its customers who haven't paid their bill and when they had an auction and didn't sell the storage units at auction they just want to get rid of the items. Just contact the manager at the facility and see what they say. A lot of them don't have dumpsters on site so the customers cant use them. So to save them money on dumpsters and keep recyclable stuff out of landfills call them.

Originally Posted by ScrapperNJ26

Storage Companies
I've contacted probably 30 or so storage places and have got a response from approximately half of them wanting me to come get stuff. Mainly its customers who haven't paid their bill and when they had an auction and didn't sell the storage units at auction they just want to get rid of the items. Just contact the manager at the facility and see what they say. A lot of them don't have dumpsters on site so the customers cant use them. So to save them money on dumpsters and keep recyclable stuff out of landfills call them.

This is very good advice. I contacted my local storage company and got a reply within a few hours asking if they could take my name and phone number so they can call me if they have any electronics that people left there. Both parties benefit; they don't have to pay to dispose of it. Yet, you make money.

Very solid advice. Great idea.