Experienced Scrapper
Anyone know if there is anything worthwhile to take out of a window air conditioner before scrapping? This is kind of a belated question since I just scrapped two last week, but I hope to run across a few more. Just found out my yard will take them with the freon still inside.
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Copper and aluminum. HOWEVER, to do that, you will need to remove the freon. Your scrapyard takes stuff with freon AND pays you for them?
People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.
Experienced Scrapper
Yep, I had been passing on refrigerators because I assumed I would need to remove the freon. But I decided to call them anyway to make sure. To my surprise they said I don't need to remove the freon, just remove the glass shelves inside. I still haven't taken a refrigerator yet because I haven't come across any since I called. But I have the taken air conditioners and a few dehumidifiers. Right now they're paying $185/gross ton.
Experienced Scrapper
Thanks for the answer. I guess I won't be getting to that copper or aluminum since I don't have the license (or know how) to rid the freon.But I'm not complaining since they're paying for them as is.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
a lot of people just cut the copper lines inside the air conditioners and let the freon out. Which is illegal and can nab you a fin upwards of $10,000 if I'm not mistaken. You also need to be EPA certified to be "playing" with freon. Most of them are R-22 and the older ones are R-12. Luckily I'm an HVAC mechanic so I can recover the freon safely.
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Is freon toxic or something? It seems like it would be if you can get fined for releasing it
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Here's the simple answer...Originally Posted by Scrap man
Freon itself isn't toxic. However, it destroys the "Ozone layer" which is the part of the Earth's atmosphere that filters out a lot of the Sun's Ultraviolet Radiation. Freon won't make you sick by being exposed to it today--it'll allow everybody to get skin cancer 20 years from now.
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Freon is actually a trade name or brand of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) which is very nasty stuff. It eats holes in the ozone and takes a hundred years to dissipate. Anyone releasing this stuff by cutting lines be very careful. Not only is it illegal, but is dangerous and can kill you by getting in your lungs and suffocating you.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Man, Mick must"ve followed me by half a second, cause his reply showed up at the same time mine did.
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I should note the "dangerous" part is if in highly sustained concentration. CFCs are heavy and settle in the lungs, initially. If you do get a good dose, move away from the area and continue breathing and the CFC will be expelled.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I concur with Mick's further explanation.
When I was a kid, building model airplanes, I painted some of them with an Airbrush. The Airbrush propellant they sold at the hobby shops was essentially the same stuff as Freon. They couldn't have done that if it were a "toxic" substance...
On edit: As a matter of fact, most aerosol cans of that day and age used the same stuff. From spray paint to shaving cream, they all had some variety of CFC as the propellant.
Last edited by Ditchdigger; 11-21-2010 at 09:05 PM.
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