Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 34

Water Heater Elements - Nichrome $$$$$$

| Scrap Metal Questions and Answers
  1. #1
    Big Tex started this thread.
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    May 2011
    Posts
    187
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 62 Times in 22 Posts

    Water Heater Elements - Nichrome $$$$$$

    I have been saving the heater elements out of hot water heater's. Getting ready to take my first load in and was wondering if I was going to get paid for Nichrome? Has anyone here ever sold these?

    Last edited by Big Tex; 01-11-2012 at 07:57 PM.


  2. #2
    Hypoman's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    1,268
    Thanks
    2,772
    Thanked 1,331 Times in 512 Posts
    Call first..... Make sure your yard will pay you nichrome prices.....mine will only pay shred for them. I haven't called anywhere else yet because I don't have that many.....but definitely call around to find one!
    Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.
    Thomas Jefferson

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Hypoman for This Post:


  4. #3
    injunjoe's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Central, FL
    Posts
    1,309
    Thanks
    1,249
    Thanked 1,194 Times in 594 Posts
    Those elements are mostly insulation,(electrical). The NiCR is only a thin wire in the center.
    When the white man discovered this country Indians were running it
    no taxes, no debt, women did all the work.
    White man thought he could improve on a system like this. - Old Cherokee saying

    I did not surrender, they took my horse and made him surrender. - Lone Watie

  5. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by injunjoe:


  6. #4
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Hypoman View Post
    Call first..... Make sure your yard will pay you nichrome prices.....mine will only pay shred for them. I haven't called anywhere else yet because I don't have that many.....but definitely call around to find one!
    Same here. I got 5 yards in a 30 mile radius. 1 very large, big time yard. All of them only pay shred price for them. But I've seen others on the forum get better pricing so you gotta give it a shot.
    AMERICAN BORN, AMERICAN BRED! AND I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to skylinejack for This Post:


  8. #5
    injunjoe's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Central, FL
    Posts
    1,309
    Thanks
    1,249
    Thanked 1,194 Times in 594 Posts
    The NiCR wire itself is worth somewhere in the ballpark of $6.00 a pound.
    Elements that that look like wire are NiCR. They are insulated by hanging from ceramic insulators.
    For example the the element from a hair dryer is a bare wire element.

    Water heater elements are like stove top burners. Burners have a heavy insulation on them so you don't get electrocuted when you set the pan on it! You can just picture what the result would be if the water heater element was to contact the water directly.
    I never tried but I'm sure you would have to beat the hell out of it to get to the center wire.
    Last edited by injunjoe; 01-12-2012 at 06:15 AM.

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


  10. #6
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts
    I tried getting the wire out once. Definitely NOT worth it. Not to me anyway.

  11. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by skylinejack:


  12. #7
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Nottingham
    Posts
    181
    Thanks
    26
    Thanked 105 Times in 58 Posts
    Me too -took an age. It was a steel coated element with a densely packed white powder in the middle makin removal of the nichrome very difficult. Got about 80g of nichrome for one element. There are however ceramic covered nichrome in some elements that can just be smashed off with a hammer. Nichrome will also be found uncovered in toasters, heaters, hairdryers and other electrical appliances that are designed to produce heat.

  13. The Following 4 Users say Thank You for This Post by harrisvh:


  14. #8
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    59
    Thanks
    22
    Thanked 35 Times in 18 Posts
    Can anyone take a picture of the Nichrome in toasters and the such. Toaster ovens? I can get a lot of toasters, toaster oven and hot water heater elements. I mean about 100 a week.

  15. #9
    Dumpster-Dee's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Feb 2011
    Location
    SW Georgia
    Posts
    1,775
    Thanks
    2,286
    Thanked 838 Times in 457 Posts
    your kidding copperhead !! You don't know what a heating element looks like ?? Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, but I just think you do, you just had a lapse. It's just a coiled wire in most cases. I don't fool with that covered stuff with the powder in in but I have a nice collection of the coils. Get the toasters, etc, but as someone, joe I think, said, the water heater elements aren't worth it.

  16. #10
    KzScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Denver Metro, CO
    Posts
    4,841
    Thanks
    7,019
    Thanked 5,792 Times in 2,417 Posts
    Stuff that turns red when you put the shingle down.
    Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
    Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
    "Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."

  17. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by KzScrapper:


  18. #11
    injunjoe's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Central, FL
    Posts
    1,309
    Thanks
    1,249
    Thanked 1,194 Times in 594 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by copperhead View Post
    Can anyone take a picture of the Nichrome in toasters and the such. Toaster ovens? I can get a lot of toasters, toaster oven and hot water heater elements. I mean about 100 a week.
    It is the thin wire that as mentioned turns red when hot. You know the wire that electrocutes you when you use a butter knife to get the stuck toast out.

    I am experimenting with new phone and new way to post pictures. As soon as I get things worked out I will be posting helpful pictures.

    They sold me a smart phone and there wasn't even a test!

  19. The Following 6 Users say Thank You for This Post by injunjoe:


  20. #12
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    59
    Thanks
    22
    Thanked 35 Times in 18 Posts
    Ok. I know what it is now.

  21. #13
    wayne's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    319
    Thanks
    117
    Thanked 265 Times in 127 Posts
    copperhead - it's probably not economical to buy the toasters from the yard, remove the element and the mains lead and then sell the rest as shred. I could be wrong though - perhaps it's worth a teardown comparing weights before and after

  22. #14
    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
    On the ceramic coated elements, I wonder if cutting them to size and putting them in a ball mill would get me anywhere. Guess I'll find out when I get to it. Sitting on a tote of various elements from stoves, dryers, some toasters, and a few furnaces. I don't pull water heater elements because I don't have an element socket and I can't get a pipe wrench in there.

  23. #15
    skylinejack's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, La.
    Posts
    827
    Thanks
    1,194
    Thanked 959 Times in 400 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by injunjoe View Post
    It is the thin wire that as mentioned turns red when hot. You know the wire that electrocutes you when you use a butter knife to get the stuck toast out.

    I am experimenting with new phone and new way to post pictures. As soon as I get things worked out I will be posting helpful pictures.

    They sold me a smart phone and there wasn't even a test!
    I bought a "smartphone" too, injunjoe. With the mistakes it makes though I really don't see how they can call the sucker "smart"!

  24. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by skylinejack:


  25. #16
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    59
    Thanks
    22
    Thanked 35 Times in 18 Posts
    I work at the scrapyard so I don't have to buy the toasters.

  26. #17
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2011
    Location
    boise, ID
    Posts
    1,605
    Thanks
    469
    Thanked 1,462 Times in 668 Posts
    IdahoScrapper, Have you checked prices for them in the valley? I mean stove elements and nickel/chrome wire.

  27. #18
    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
    I will seperate elements if others are getting more than steel price for them! Has any one?

  28. #19
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    VA
    Posts
    52
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 19 Times in 17 Posts
    Water Heater Element= 1.5 inch socket.

  29. #20
    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
    Quote Originally Posted by freonjoe View Post
    IdahoScrapper, Have you checked prices for them in the valley? I mean stove elements and nickel/chrome wire.
    I have not checked other than a few sites online awhile back. Of which I can't locate at the moment. Should have book marked them. If I had to guess, the local yards will pay stainless prices at most. IIRC one site I came across was paying $6/lb on nichrome.


  30. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. Just got a water heater
      By GentlemanScrapper in forum Dismantling, Breaking Down & Maximizing Scrap
      Replies: 13
      Last Post: 11-08-2012, 06:42 PM
    2. Here's one way of getting a water heater valve off...
      By IdahoScrapper in forum Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 04-23-2012, 12:05 AM
    3. my parents got their water heater replaced...
      By bluemeate in forum Off Topic Discussions
      Replies: 7
      Last Post: 10-19-2011, 11:02 AM
    4. hot water heater
      By GeorgeB in forum Scrap Metal Questions and Answers
      Replies: 12
      Last Post: 10-18-2011, 01:10 PM
    5. What looked like just a water heater ended up being much more
      By utahscrapper in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 09-29-2011, 09:22 AM

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

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