Swiffer vacuum

This is a small project indeed, but it was worth it to me to break down because there wasn't any other money making/maximizing job I could be doing at that particular time.

I took a curbsided Swiffer SweepVac apart by removing the screws and prying the halves apart. In this photo, the plastic is on the right, the wad of NiCd batteries will get dropped off at a free recycling place and the scrap metal components are in the center.

Is there a trick to open the motor to get at the copper wire I can see inside or should I just hit it with a hammer?

Can anyone who has dismantled a Swiffer before recommend a good way to get the long turquoise plastic pieces out of the aluminum handle? They're jammed in there and won't pry out and they'll bring down the price of the aluminum. Thanks!

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps989bed3e.jpg

can you get a close-up of that hockey game? I'd think a hammer for most of your questions, unless you can find some screws or clips on em somewhere.

Stick some sort of rod/stick/ implament through the hollow end on punch out the plastic. Other than the aluminum handle you're waisting time breaking those down, that far.

i would have got the handle and motor out by beating it with a hammer

Like they said. Burly smash!

I get at least a dozen of those and the wet-jet ones a week. Hammer time, all the way. A few choice whacks and you have clean aluminum, a good sharp hit by the motor and you can free it up. A tiny bit of #3 insulated, a tiny bit of shred, and a little pile of plastic/garbage are also to be separated. They aren't worth much, but with some practice, they only take a minute or two to process all the way.

I would clip the wires off that motor and throw the whole motor in with my electric motors. Not worth the time to remove the copper.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by happyscraper

I would clip the wires off that motor and throw the whole motor in with my electric motors. Not worth the time to remove the copper.

---

This is my observation, too. I will usually break down electric motors, but I usually draw the line at those little ones. Plus, I always manage to cut myself somehow when I break the real tiny ones apart.

Sometimes on the wet version, the screws are stainless. I do the same thing on the alum handles.
Every little bit helps.

Bossandy

thinking you might want to take those batteries and that motor and your HAND POWERED screwdriver and see if you can rig something up

;)

Sometimes I just put it in as is in the dirty alum pile. I get .25 a pound for dirty alum. Do the math. If it weighs 3 lbs. (1 lb alum, .25 lb elect motor, 1.75 lb plastic and batteries) Dirty would get me $0.75. Breaking it down (while fun!) would get me $0.57 and plastic and batteries to get rid of!

,nice score, what i really like is finding crutches on the curb, lots of clean aluminum, also love pots and pans