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  1. #1
    nshackt started this thread.
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    Question Refigerant Recovery. How much is it worth?

    I have more of a hypothetical question: How much do you think yards would have to pay for freon and refrigerant to make it worth it for everyone to get in on the business? I have hunch yards don't really remove it, and I know it's not worth the expense for a lot of guys to get certified and get the equipment, tanks, etc. What would be the going rate to make it worth it?


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    I was talking with a HVAC guy last month. I mentioned that there was a business opportunity in draining old AC's, fridges, freezers and so on. He had no interest in getting into recycling refrigerant. He explained why. Most appliances have a label somewhere that tells what kind of refrigerant was used in the system. ( There are different kinds. ) The problem was that he had no way of knowing if the system had been recharged or topped up with a different refrigerant somewhere along the line. That makes it all but useless for re-use.

    Apparently, there's no value in potentially mixed refrigerants ?

    Maybe it's something you have to pay to get rid of ?

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  4. #3
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    It’s illegal in some states to re-use the refrigerant unless it’s being used on property with the same owner it came from, and his permission. Wrong Refrigerant will ruin a system. There are sniffers to determine the type of refrigerant, but the reliable ones cost a few thousand. You never want to buy refrigerant from someone unless it’s sealed from a trusted source.

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    Yards would have to CHARGE money for it to be worth it for them to take it. My local landfills/recycling centers (not scrapyards) charge $15-25/unit to take an item with refrigerant IF you are a county resident. So that is tax subsidized, and they still have to charge to take it.

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    You would need them to pay you to take care of their refrigerant problem....





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