i got my first scrap call

so yeah i have been posting papers on peoples doors and after about 20 doors lol finally one called and boom i got 4 window a/c's yay for me=)

she said she would tell her friends around town since thats my radius since i dolly cart things back to the house its oh about 1.8 miles give or take haha.

3 or the a/c's had regular radiators and the other one had this strange one that has ali fin wound around the copper tube anyone know what that is called couldn't find a pic on google=(

it was pretty easy to get the copper off of that one i just wound the ali around nice workout for the arms=) and i thought it was going to be the harder one to strip. i was wandering how often any of you come across this type of radiator and do they still use this?

maybe my next call i will get some romex or pipes=) oh and to top it off the day before i got the ac's i found a rope ratchet on the side of the road boy what a day and without that i could have never got the a/c's back.

i took two on a dolly had to make 2 trips i should have made 4 and took 1 at a time would have been easier on my legs=) oh and not to mention the first dolly i used had a flat i steped on the tire to see if they were good guess im not good at that lol lucky for me a guy said he would run me to the house and i didnt even ask for help!

i guess there are nice people still in this world=) my second trip i used a different dolly it had solid tires instead of air=) and again a lady stopped and asked me if i needed help i must have a sign above me that says help me lol. its nice that people want to help me but i used a dolly for a reason so i would not have to lift things into a car or whatever to save my back=)

See your work getting the cards and putting them out has paid off! A few more dolly loads and get a bike with a cart to haul your stuff, better for your body and quicker as well. One step at a time just make sure you reinvest your scrap $ into what you need not what you want!

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Originally Posted by mike1

so yeah i have been posting papers on peoples doors and after about 20 doors lol finally one called and boom i got 4 window a/c's yay for me=)

she said she would tell her friends around town since thats my radius since i dolly cart things back to the house its oh about 1.8 miles give or take haha.

3 or the a/c's had regular radiators and the other one had this strange one that has ali fin wound around the copper tube anyone know what that is called couldn't find a pic on google=(

it was pretty easy to get the copper off of that one i just wound the ali around nice workout for the arms=) and i thought it was going to be the harder one to strip. i was wandering how often any of you come across this type of radiator and do they still use this?

maybe my next call i will get some romex or pipes=) oh and to top it off the day before i got the ac's i found a rope ratchet on the side of the road boy what a day and without that i could have never got the a/c's back.

i took two on a dolly had to make 2 trips i should have made 4 and took 1 at a time would have been easier on my legs=) oh and not to mention the first dolly i used had a flat i steped on the tire to see if they were good guess im not good at that lol lucky for me a guy said he would run me to the house and i didnt even ask for help!

i guess there are nice people still in this world=) my second trip i used a different dolly it had solid tires instead of air=) and again a lady stopped and asked me if i needed help i must have a sign above me that says help me lol. its nice that people want to help me but i used a dolly for a reason so i would not have to lift things into a car or whatever to save my back=)

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Should I even ask about refrigerant recovery?

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Originally Posted by mthomasdev

Should I even ask about refrigerant recovery?

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no sweat i got a a/c guy that does that for me these things were old had r22 he gives me home a/c's thats a plus=)

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

See your work getting the cards and putting them out has paid off! A few more dolly loads and get a bike with a cart to haul your stuff, better for your body and quicker as well. One step at a time just make sure you reinvest your scrap $ into what you need not what you want!

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yeah i know lol i do need a angle grinder for the freon tanks it beats a hacksaw lol. what kind of angle grinder blade will cut the best and most tanks? i dont want a something that wont cut them=)

There are a lot of posts and other social media that describe/ show how to do what you want to do. My advice: don't bother. Risk and value not worth it.

If you do, use proper PPE. Ferrous cutting thin blade works on a 4.5 grinder. An angle grinder is a wise investment. Don't buy a cheapl one, it won't last to long.

Sweet! I love cutting up old a/c's after all the old refrigerant has been reclaimed. It seems the older units have heavier copper radiators then today's units. Keep it up

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Originally Posted by mike1

yeah i know lol i do need a angle grinder for the freon tanks it beats a hacksaw lol. what kind of angle grinder blade will cut the best and most tanks? i dont want a something that wont cut them=)

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They are called compressors or sealed units.

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Originally Posted by btkr

There are a lot of posts and other social media that describe/ show how to do what you want to do. My advice: don't bother. Risk and value not worth it.

If you do, use proper PPE. Ferrous cutting thin blade works on a 4.5 grinder. An angle grinder is a wise investment. Don't buy a cheapl one, it won't last to long.

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Really? Not worth it? You must be doing it wrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by btkr

There are a lot of posts and other social media that describe/ show how to do what you want to do. My advice: don't bother. Risk and value not worth it.

If you do, use proper PPE. Ferrous cutting thin blade works on a 4.5 grinder. An angle grinder is a wise investment. Don't buy a cheapl one, it won't last to long.

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what price should i go for?

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Originally Posted by mike1

what price should i go for?

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Opinion:
HF is probably cheapest and Metabo probably the (best) most expensive. It really depends on what you can afford , which one feels good in your hands, and how much will you hammer it/take care/maintain it.

I use and abuse a Metabo daily at work. My Personal grinder is a dewalt, doing well. I've smoked a craftsman and ryobi, both pretty well used, and 5-6 yrs old.

Generally speaking, the higher the amperage, the better the unit. Some warranties are better than others. Box stores offer choices and you can hold/feel/touch them.

Whichever one you choose will be the quickest to open a sealed unit, other than a plasma cutter.

Tips: blow the dust and crap out of the grinder ports periodically with compressed air and let the cutting wheel cut. You'll use less wheels , and not a whole lot quicker, if you use moderate force when cutting. Leave the guard on and learn to deal with it. The first time you get cut by the wheel, you'll know why. PPE!!!!!

For scrapping, you need a 4.5 grinder. Time saver and very versatile.

Cheep or expensive ones can still be scrapped once you have used the life out of them or the warranty...

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Originally Posted by junkfreak

Really? Not worth it? You must be doing it wrong.

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I am basically curb co, luck, or come get it. The one unit I cut was from a 40's fridge with unit mounting on top. It was big, heavy, and used ammonia (If I recall correctly) for refrigerant.

So... Procure, harvest sealed unit, drain, cut open, drain again, harvest copper, dispose of remnants and oil, put 1-2 lbs copper in bucket, clean up, etc. This all took about an hour or so all together. Just not worth it, in my opinion.

Situations are different, I get it. Units and quantity are different. Not saying it can't be profitable. Not for me.

As far as not doing it right, I believe my method using 4.5 grinder, was correct. Maybe just doing 1 piece as an experiment swayed my opinion. Some day I'll try another. Just did not seem like fun.

When it came to an angle grinder, I opted for a cheap with the intention that it would fail. Boy was I wrong, HF cheap grinder, 7 years and running strong, but I don't use it every day.

You really should look at that first, how often are you really going to use it. If it will be every day, then buy a great one, if it will be as needed then buy the cheap one.

Just my .02 cents