recycling fridges/freezers in Washington state

So, with the local yard i've been working with in Kent WA (binfords) I've been informed that they need to have anything with freon in them stamped and certified that it was removed appropriately before hey will accept it. What have you all been doing to solve this issue? I'm finding my pile of fridges and freezers getting larger without a solution.......



thanks,
Tom

Anyone wanna point out how much the Freon costs per tank. And what the resale value of used & seperated freons is?

I get the impression thats where 1/2 the $$ is in a fridge. Plus you are at the front of the line for used fridges, even if you want THEM to pay YOU for taking the thing in the first place.

Then, if you get some electrical knowledge you can fix the worthwhile fridges & sell them for hundred$.

All in your spare time.

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Anyone wanna point out how much the Freon costs per tank. And what the resale value of used & seperated freons is?

I get the impression thats where 1/2 the $$ is in a fridge. Plus you are at the front of the line for used fridges, even if you want THEM to pay YOU for taking the thing in the first place.

Then, if you get some electrical knowledge you can fix the worthwhile fridges & sell them for hundred$.

All in your spare time.

As for the electrical knowledge i'm actually an electrical apprentice so fixing them in that regard isn't all that tough BUT most of the units that I get from work aren't really worth saving. as they are old and not in that great of shape.

That is true though, based on the tiny bit of info i've found on it so far used freon seems to be worth a pretty fair amount. I would just need to find a place locally that is looking to purchase it from me.

@mechanic: I keep hearing about this class, I MAY just look into it but not sure at this point due to being very busy between work and school. not sure if I would be able to fit in another class.

Thanks, keep em coming!
Tom

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Might be some useful info here in all the older posts.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/lets-...-recovery.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...-recovery.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/disma...on-resale.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/off-t...al-course.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/lets-...n-removal.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...igerators.html

Well clearly I wasn't doing a very good job with the search bar. thanks for all the info!.

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

You might consider taking the freon course and pick up a used reclaimer for your problem, and make money doing it for the other scrappers also.

I am a certified HVAC tech. Mechanic posted the best solution to your problem.

You can go here:

EPA Certification by Mainstream Engineering

And take the test ONLINE to get your EPA certification to handle refrigerants in appliances and small (window) A/C. It should cost you about 20.00 then you can stamp your own fridges.

This license ALSO allows you to buy and sell refrigerant. Many HVAC warehouses won't sell to any homeowners because of liability reasons. With this license you can deal with the warehouses. You can build a relationship with the smaller stores. When a compressor fails you would return it to the warehouse for a warranty replacement. Most of these are not sent back and are just thrown away. I have had very good luck with getting compressors and fan motors from the warehouses.

It's a good old boys network. For 20.00 bucks you can be part of the club.

Without discussing the ethics of this, when you go to the EPA test website there is a practice test program. These are the same questions as the test you take online, just in a different order. You can click for the practice test to show the correct answer. You could be looking at the practice test, keep skipping questions until you find the one you are trying to answer on the REAL test and find the answers.

Let me be more specific for those who need this certification.

When you go to the website you need a EPA 608 type I certification that can be taken online. You can download the training software for free. Go through it once or twice so you know how it works. You will find it will show you the answers and you can skip from question to question. Open the training software, pay 24.95 to take the real test, then you will be able to find the answers to the test on the training software to put on the online test you are taking.

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Anyone wanna point out how much the Freon costs per tank. And what the resale value of used & seperated freons is?

I get the impression thats where 1/2 the $$ is in a fridge. Plus you are at the front of the line for used fridges, even if you want THEM to pay YOU for taking the thing in the first place.

Then, if you get some electrical knowledge you can fix the worthwhile fridges & sell them for hundred$.

All in your spare time.

There is very little money in the refrigerant used in a residential refrigeration. Most used 134 which is very inexpensive and if you got .15-.25 cents a pound you are doing well. In a commercial fridge a lot used r-22 which was about 2.00 a pound last time I sold it. Just like scrap, the price on refrigerant varies widely according to demand and your buyer. Keep in mind that to ship refrigerant is nightmarish. You can't just drop it off with Fedex or UPS. There is a lot involved. A lot of the buyers will provide you with tanks, do all the paperwork, arrange for pickup, and pay for all the cost to buy your refrigerant so it helps quite a bit.

If you had access to central AC systems, it would certainly be worth saving the refrigerant to sell. R-22 production is declining every year until I think it's 2015 when no more will be produced which will keep driving the prices up and up. On things that use 134a you would need to have a BUNCH and it is most likely makes much more sense to just give it to a local recycle facility rather than find a buyer.

Well, I've tried calling around to a few local appliance repair places today. neither wanted anything to do with what i'm trying accomplish. One that was willing to at least talk details claimed people would want $100/fridge to clear them of freon. SO, with that being said its looking like i'll just be giving away these 6 fridges i've gotten and not mess with them unless I can find another option that makes it worth my time.