Is learning to remove freon worth it?

And another option could be to have other scrappers pay you to evac their units. Maybe either a percentage of the total scrap if their load is all fridges, or just a set price for each unit.

Originally Posted by wayne1956

And another option could be to have other scrappers pay you to evac their units. Maybe either a percentage of the total scrap if their load is all fridges, or just a set price for each unit.

Most guys just cut the charge loose. If asked they just say the unit had a leak in the coil!
Not good for the planet but that is what happens most of the time. Even people with recovery equipment don't bother, they just say they do the right thing.
One guy I talked to said it takes to much time and is a pain in the a$$ to filter and reuse it.

Originally Posted by injunjoe

Most guys just cut the charge loose. If asked they just say the unit had a leak in the coil!
Not good for the planet but that is what happens most of the time. Even people with recovery equipment don't bother, they just say they do the right thing.
One guy I talked to said it takes to much time and is a pain in the a$$ to filter and reuse it.

But, if you recover it, you can sell it to someone else who will filter it, clean it, and sell it again to be reused. Lots of places will pay for recovered refrigerant. Especially if it's the right kind of refrigerant. R-22 is hot right now.

Originally Posted by Saroro

But, if you recover it, you can sell it to someone else who will filter it, clean it, and sell it again to be reused. Lots of places will pay for recovered refrigerant. Especially if it's the right kind of refrigerant. R-22 is hot right now.

Not the case here in Florida. There are tons of R-22 units left. And a good part of them leak, getting R-22 is not as hard as the chemical giants made out to be.
It was just marketing to sell the new 410-A.

I don't know of any AC companies around here that will pay a dime for unfiltered used, perhaps burnt freon. There are hundreds of AC companies in my county.
When you warranty your work it is much easier to just use new freon. With used you would want to add a dryer, to much added cost!

When you think about our scrap trucks are much worse for the atmosphere then 118 oz. of freon!
How about rubber mulch? What is the thought on that. "GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT" ? I don't get it!
Grind up petroleum products and spread over your garden. It is a fact that they leach out over time into the soil.

So save the freon, feel good about yourself and have a salad from the garden and perhaps some seafood from the Gulf Of Mexico.
Don't worry "They" said the oil is all gone.

Oil rigs all leak a little oil all the time, not to mention the fumes they burn off 24/7. So spend hundreds of dollars on recovery and save the earth!

Originally Posted by injunjoe

Most guys just cut the charge loose. If asked they just say the unit had a leak in the coil!
Not good for the planet but that is what happens most of the time. Even people with recovery equipment don't bother, they just say they do the right thing.
One guy I talked to said it takes to much time and is a pain in the a$$ to filter and reuse it.

Ditto - Cut the copper and run!

Originally Posted by chaseonthego

Ditto - Cut the copper and run!

"From what I hear" If you crack open the schrader valve on the suction line just a little, it will leak out without making a mess.
Rumor has it if you do that and start to disassemble the rest of the unit, it will be empty of freon and the oil stays in the compressor.
Also if you are carefull and not tip the compressor when you cut it open it will be a much cleaner job then getting that oil all over.
And a lot of the oils used are vegetable base.