another day of compressors

Today I broke down a/c compressors. Started out with 726 pounds (11 compressors). 2 of them were aluminum windings. Ended up with 14 pounds of oil, 3 pounds of dirty aluminum, 39 pounds of copper windings and 670 pounds of shred. Took a little over an hour and a half. Worked out to about 23 cents a pound or a little over 15 bucks a compressor at todays prices. They sure don't yield as much per pound as the smaller compressors but do come out better on an hourly rate. Now I need to start tracking which ones have the aluminum windings.

On my next batch I'm going to log both the model number and serial number of each compressor that has the aluminum windings. Will take a little longer but will pay off in the end when I'm buying compressors.

Great idea about keeping track of alum winding model numbers.
Are you using a grinder to cut the tops off.
We have a gas chop saw and may speed up the time. We will save up ten and give her a try.
Also one quick question if I may?
What were the compressors out of?
We usually deal with central air conditioners here.
Scott and Betty

By my math, your only making about 30 bucks for cutting them up. Based on the rate of motor weight in my area at 25c lb and #2 copper at 2.90. Am I wrong or do need to get edumicated on proper math..lol.

I don't know Ozzy, math isn't my strong soot either....spelling is. But we have 2 or 3 mathematical genius's on the forum.

Divapickers, I use a plasma cutter to cut them apart. The compressors were all piston compressors out of condensing units, mostly 3 and 4 ton units.

Tackleberry and Ozzy, here we only get shred price for drained compressors.

Your math is all good unless I missed something (just graded 120 papers, a little bleary eyed)

Only shred price? That's rough, certainly makes the decision to cut 'em up easy.

Do you have a market or use for the waste oil as well?

The oil gets properly disposed of. I also process refrigerants so I have to keep records on that. I cut up somewhere north of 1,000 compressors a year so even adding a dollar or two to each one adds up.

Now makes perfect sense. That is a low and dirty trick to give ya shred for essentially a type of electric motor. Now I understand. Me personally I sit on them. Then if im really hurting for cash they get cut up or turned in for motor weight. Only recently did it hit 25c lb for motor breakage. Last 6 months it was 15c for motors. Now at 25c I may turn them in for motors, but still probaly cut them. If all your compressors were copper Im sure you would have hit 28c lb. So in my case 28c by 726 equals 203.28. Give or take. So 50 or so for a hour work..not bad in my case either. Sorry took perc from a hand injury cutting motors err a stupidity accident, so kinda rambling.

Oh and I use torches. Most of the time I dont even drain them. Put them on a metal sheet. Burn them through, then let the oil burn out, then finish cutting. just tough to find the \"?magic"? way to get them open the first time.

The potbelly ones from the fridges are cake. Cut the top off and itss out. The ac ones seem like you have to cut the top and bottom, then slice in the middle, basically halving the shell....

With tall skinny compressors out of window units does any one find once you cut the top off the motors is still stuck in there? How do you get it out?

First question? Why are you getting shredd price for heavy melt? Second question. Why are you throwing away silicone steel in the shredd pile?

PTS, next time they come get the scrap bin I'll ask them.

MandDMetal, that's a rotary compressor. It takes a lot more than one cut to get the windings out of them.