Results 1 to 11 of 11

first time taking apart a ac tank

| Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
  1. #1
    mike1 started this thread.
    mike1's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Rochester indiana
    Posts
    550
    Thanks
    231
    Thanked 93 Times in 76 Posts

    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.



  2. #2
    hobo finds's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    tucson, az
    Posts
    4,746
    Thanks
    6,035
    Thanked 5,906 Times in 2,555 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by mike1 View Post
    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.

  3. #3
    mthomasdev's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2012
    Location
    pittsfield, ma
    Posts
    1,300
    Thanks
    348
    Thanked 1,532 Times in 704 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by mike1 View Post
    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.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to mthomasdev for This Post:


  5. #4
    rca987's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    938
    Thanks
    46
    Thanked 385 Times in 223 Posts
    Central Air compressors are usually about 70 lbs.
    Garbage keyboards > spɹɐoqʎǝʞ ʎɐqǝ

  6. #5
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    2,702
    Thanks
    2,237
    Thanked 2,352 Times in 1,014 Posts
    A hacksaw? I give you props for persistence.

  7. The Following 5 Users say Thank You for This Post by IdahoScrapper:


  8. #6
    eesakiwi's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Dec 2010
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    2,531
    Thanks
    2,909
    Thanked 2,556 Times in 1,227 Posts
    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.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to eesakiwi for This Post:


  10. #7
    mike1 started this thread.
    mike1's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Rochester indiana
    Posts
    550
    Thanks
    231
    Thanked 93 Times in 76 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper View Post
    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.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to mike1 for This Post:


  12. #8
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Oct 2016
    Location
    US
    Posts
    2
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by mike1 View Post
    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.

  13. #9
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Nebraska
    Posts
    511
    Thanks
    521
    Thanked 809 Times in 309 Posts
    ..........and they're messy and they stink when the oil comes out.

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to Yunkman for This Post:


  15. #10
    aph's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    118
    Thanks
    76
    Thanked 119 Times in 51 Posts
    Assuming your yard pays you a decent price for sealed units (Compressors - some yards want them drained of oil - others don't care) it is almost always more cost effieicnt to sell them whole and not bother breaking them down. The little extra $ you make is not worth the pain in the neck extra work.

    One yard locally pays 5 cents undrained and the other 9 cents drained.
    Considering it takes less than a minute to take a fridge compressor off it is worth the extra app. $1.50 you get vs scrap which would be 50 cents.
    I figured the average fridge sealed unit weighs around 22 lbs.
    Time is Money - Crunch the Numbers - It's a Numbers Game!

  16. #11
    Repurposer's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Mesa, Arizona
    Posts
    185
    Thanks
    56
    Thanked 113 Times in 69 Posts
    One would think the effort, risk of personal injury along with the power to cut it open plus all of the expendables like grinders and saws as well as cutters and blades to do it would make it cost prohibitive. Like other members I just scrap them complete. I don't think the amount of number two copper harvested is worth the effort or the time.
    Quote Originally Posted by mike1 View Post
    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.


  17. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. Maryland | Help Wanted - Part time Yard Help Needed in Northwest MD...Full Time if you prove your keep
      By MisScrap in forum Scrappers Classifieds
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 10-25-2016, 04:14 PM
    2. Full time Cable Guy. Part time Scrapper. What got me started
      By faction757 in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 11
      Last Post: 05-24-2014, 11:06 AM
    3. First time taking in steel/tin/shred
      By DWJ in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 14
      Last Post: 07-11-2012, 09:41 PM
    4. Lurker for a while, part time/pass time scrapper
      By 12oclock in forum Introduce yourself
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 01-18-2012, 09:07 PM
    5. Hello! Full time welder part-time scrapper here
      By Patrick in forum Introduce yourself
      Replies: 3
      Last Post: 09-28-2011, 10:35 PM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook