first time taking apart a ac tank

i took apart my first ac tank i didnt know there was a motor in there and i gave away so many ugh all that money down the drain=( not sure how many pounds of copper is in the motor. funny thing it took me for ever i used a hacksaw went all around the weld line like it said on the internet. getting the top of the tank off was not easy even after going around it. pulled out the motor was suprised to see how big it was. has anyone cut one from a window ac? mine was from a central ac just hope its not a ali one. i think it was a 35lb tank not sure it was heavy and i had trouble lifting it lol. so what is the weight range on the motors for the copper? i assume there are many sizes of tanks.

Originally Posted by mike1

i took apart my first ac tank i didnt know there was a motor in there and i gave away so many ugh all that money down the drain=( not sure how many pounds of copper is in the motor. funny thing it took me for ever i used a hacksaw went all around the weld line like it said on the internet. getting the top of the tank off was not easy even after going around it. pulled out the motor was suprised to see how big it was. has anyone cut one from a window ac? mine was from a central ac just hope its not a ali one. i think it was a 35lb tank not sure it was heavy and i had trouble lifting it lol. so what is the weight range on the motors for the copper? i assume there are many sizes of tanks.

AC Tank? I think it is called a Sealed Unit or Compressor, some people cut out the windings from them but I just sell them as is.

Originally Posted by mike1

i took apart my first ac tank i didnt know there was a motor in there and i gave away so many ugh all that money down the drain=( not sure how many pounds of copper is in the motor. funny thing it took me for ever i used a hacksaw went all around the weld line like it said on the internet. getting the top of the tank off was not easy even after going around it. pulled out the motor was suprised to see how big it was. has anyone cut one from a window ac? mine was from a central ac just hope its not a ali one. i think it was a 35lb tank not sure it was heavy and i had trouble lifting it lol. so what is the weight range on the motors for the copper? i assume there are many sizes of tanks.

Use the search function and look for posts from FreonJoe.

A hacksaw? I give you props for persistence.

Fridge compressors are worth scrapping, IF you cut them open using a angle grinder/plasma cutter etc. 2Lbs of Copper.

If its a Invertor heatpump/chiller compressor, or such. I don't think its worth it. There's a special price for these per Lb. No work involved.
They do not have any more Copper than a fridge compressor from what I have found.

Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

A hacksaw? I give you props for persistence.

hey thanks it only took me 2hr not bad i guess need a new blade mines done for lol.

Originally Posted by mike1

i took apart my first ac tank i didnt know there was a motor in there and i gave away so many ugh all that money down the drain=( not sure how many pounds of copper is in the motor. funny thing it took me for ever i used a hacksaw went all around the weld line like it said on the internet. getting the top of the tank off was not easy even after going around it. pulled out the motor was suprised to see how big it was. has anyone cut one from a window ac? mine was from a central ac just hope its not a ali one. i think it was a 35lb tank not sure it was heavy and i had trouble lifting it lol. so what is the weight range on the motors for the copper? i assume there are many sizes of tanks.

theyre called a 'compressor.' they have tubes running to them to compress whatever refrigerant fluid the ac or refrigerator uses. theyre basically the same thing as a shop-use air compressor.

ive dissected small ones from small-sized window ac units and large ones (about 2 1/2' tall) from commercial building refrigeration (not ac) units. theyre all basically the same with larger internal components and larger quantities of copper for the larger refrigeration/ac units.

when i take them apart i use a 15amp (give or take) grinder with a diamond blade to cut a circle around the whole thing, partially through the metal shell, then use a sharp chisel and hammer to crack it open along the newly created seam like a really sturdy egg.

..........and they're messy and they stink when the oil comes out.