Heating Elements - How do you sell them?

[Big Tex]

I have 2 trash cans full of heating elements that have been removed from stoves & dishwashers. I understand they are made of nickel alloy. My question is do you sell them as is or do you break them down ( Don't know if Im suppose to remove the white powder and outer shell)? I hope the yards buy them as is ,seems like it would be alot of work just to get the nickel wire out. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.......

[PartTimeScrapper]

My yard buys them whole as stainless.

[newattitude]

So does mine. I asked if they were something else and they told me stainless too. I've never broken them down, way too much involved for that.

[Big Tex]

Thanks, that's what I thought, but I also read somewhere that nickel may bring $8.00-$9.00 a pound. Just wondering if that might make it worth the time.

[GeorgeB]

Again, it just depends on what you wanting to do really. Some stuff that is way to much work for little money, I just cash it in as sis.

[newattitude]

^^Yeah, I wouldn't even know how to remove that inner strand as I've tried cutting the outer part before and couldn't do it.

[gustavus]

^^Yeah, I wouldn't even know how to remove that inner strand as I've tried cutting the outer part before and couldn't do it.

newattitude oven and stove top elements, those that specialize in his type of scrap have shredders with separators to sort the various metals by their specific gravity. The inside wire is chromalox with a very high nickel content, for us small types its not practical to shred to get he high dollar nickel out.

If you can get SS price grab it and run.

The heating elements from electric hot water tanks, dryers, heaters and large resisters have the same wire already exposed, just clip it off and save it until you have enough to sell (100) lbs, plenty of companies online offering to purchase nickel scrap.

That 100 lb lot would net you around $700.00

The newer glass top ranges the wire is easy to remove from the refractory it's embedded in.

End of life auto shredder, separating copper from ferrous metal

[HaulinHeiny]

How to take the inner wire out? I would tap the outer tube lightly and shake out the white ceramic stuff. Eventually you'd be able to pull out the wire from on end. I cannot imagine that would ever be worth your time to do. Also that ceramic stuff is weight! If a yard will pay you SS price, that would be good enough for me. Let them deal with 'cleaning' it up - or not.
All that being said, I would think having 2 garbage cans of the stuff will help you too. The yard might give a little more for the volume, especially if you sell it as being high nickel metal.

[submarinepainter]

is the heating element is a toaster oven the same deal?

[harrisvh]

I actually removed the wire from a boiler heating element by straightening out the whole element and cut it into around 2 foot sections. Then by pulling and twisting the wire inside and shaking out the powder, This took a long time and yielded 80g ($1.23) of wire. Unless I find a faster way this is not something I will be doing again.

[freonjoe]

Would electric dryer heating elements be made of the same material?

[harrisvh]

both toasters and hairdryers I believe use Nichrome wire

[Filthy]

what about the copper ones from electric baseboard heaters? anyone know about those?

[CMHN]

Now this is a useful thread, I have been wondering about heating elements. Getting all my questions answered. Thanks for the advice all.

[eesakiwi]

Leaving the elements in cast Ali devalues the Ali. (nightstore heaters etc)
Sometimes the scrappers have taken my copper outer elements as 'Pryro'. Pyro has its own $ value per Kg (Lb)

(Pryrotechnical copper cable, its the think copper cable with the copper outer casing & a thick copper wire up the center, with a white powder in between them, I have only seen this in street lamp posts)

Most electric stove elements have a stainless steel outer coating with a very thin Ni-chrome wire up the center, as well as the white powder insulator in between them, same with most similar elements, wall heaters, ovens, nightstore heaters etc.
They don't seem to be worth anything & I have never saved up enough to find out anyway.
Every time I have tried to pull the wire out, I ended up with the unknown white powered everywhere & the wire broke by the time I got the first 1/4 of the wire out, & it took ages to do.

Ni-chrome has its own $ value, A common Ni-chrome alloy is 80% nickel and 20% chromium.
This could be sold if you have enough of it, it'd be worth selling, I can't find a price for it.
It would have to be bare Ni-Chrome, like from toasters, hair driers heaters etc etc.

This place buys it in USA http://www.vossmetals.com/

[injunjoe]

Here is a good site to give you a guideline of Nickel alloy values. http://nialloys.com/nickel_alloy/scr...kel_alloy.aspx

I have a nice collection of element from Central heat/air systems. These are the bare wire type, 80% Ni-20% CR $6.11/ $5.86.

[Big Tex]

To EVERYONE - Thanks for all the helpful advice!

[bingersrecycling]

is it the wire inside or the heating element itself that companies buy. I tried searching for online buyers but only found one. Would you be kind enough to send me some links. Thank you

[AmericanscrapmetalCom]

Those aint the heating elements people talk about FYI