How To Remove Freon From Window Air Conditioner

One of the more than mutual scrap items during the warmer months, air conditioners are very easy items to have apart for bit metal within simply crave some piece of work. With a wide multifariousness of materials like copper, electrical motors, aluminum, and wire inside, any scrappers from beginner to advanced ones can do good by taking autonomously an air conditioner for flake.

Triple Your Earnings With Air Conditioner Scrap

If you are debating whether to accept apart your fleck air conditioner earlier going to your scrap m, we recommend taking the time to take it apart if you are looking to make a little extra money at the scales. If you are collecting a few units at a time, learning to take them autonomously can exist very valuable for you in the future.

On average if y'all are scrapping a whole window air conditioning unit of measurement with you scrap yard, you may get paid betwixt $4-six for information technology. However, if you take apart that same window unit of measurement, yous may be tripling your earnings by getting anywhere from $12-18 for the various materials and metals inside, especially the copper tubing.

Don't Be THAT Guy…Know Before.

Before you get started be sure to contact a licensed professional person to remove all freon refrigerants and oils from the unit of measurement. Nearly fleck yards Volition Not accept the air conditioners without the freon removed. Also, information technology is illegal to remove yourself and tin issue in a hefty fine from the EPA. It's always helpful to have a licensed HVAC specialist to piece of work on especially if you are looking to bit refrigerators, AC units, and other items that may contain freon.

When collecting multiple air conditioner units information technology may be a good idea for you to work together with an HVAC contractor and split some of your earnings with him if he is volition to remove the freon and oils. Those types of partnerships are beneficial for everyone involved, he gets paid a niggling fleck every fourth dimension and you accept someone you can rely on to remove the freon.

What You'll Need To Bit An Air Conditioner

Before you become started, it's important to take the right tools and equipment on paw to make it easier and more efficient to take autonomously air conditioners. This is especially true if you accept a few units at a fourth dimension you are taking apart for bit. Something to always think about is the prophylactic equipment y'all will need also as the proper tools. Below is a list of tools and items you will need to scrap an air conditioner:

• Screwdriver – Phillips & Flat Head
• Power Drill
• Wire Snippers
• Cable Cutter
• Gloves
• Eye Protection
• Wrench
• Vice
• Sawzall

Suggested Reading: five Essential Tools All Scrappers Need

Step By Step: Taking Apart An Air Conditioner

1. Bleed Liquids By Professional –Every bit we mentioned earlier, be sure to have the freon and any oils removed by a licensed HVAC professional before y'all cutting any tubing inside. If you try to remove the freon yourself, yous tin be fined by the EPA and it is very dangerous for the surround.
2. Cut The Copper Wires –Using your wire snippers, cutting the stop of the power cord off the back of the unit. This can be placed in your copper wire pile. You can take pliers and also remove the brass plugs from the end and throw them in with your brass pile.
3. Remove Steel – While using your power drill, remove any screws from the frame of the unit of measurement. Yous will be able to pull off the steel side panels of the air conditioner and place them with the screws in your steel pile. Yous may also want to remove whatever plastic covers from the front and within of the unit, those can exist set up bated for plastic recycling. Removing your steel you volition be removing a good corporeality of weight from the unit but you lot are cleaning the higher valued textile like copper and aluminum.
4. Cutting Copper Tubes – Utilize your cable cutters to disconnect any copper tubing running from the sealed unit to the radiators. This copper tubing will go equally a #ii copper cost due to the oil residue within, and so exist certain to separate it correctly to prevent contaminating any clean copper yous may accept from other materials.
5. Remove Sealed Unit – Once you can encounter the inside of the air conditioner, yous should see a few things including one or two radiators, a sealed unit of measurement, an electric motor, a power supply, and some copper tubing. Grab your wrench and brainstorm disconnecting the sealed unit from the base of operations of the unit. The sealed unit will exist able to 20 pounds in weight and can be ready aside. The all-time option is to bit the whole unit. The outer steel casing is difficult to open up and may not be worth the time.
6. Remove Radiators & Motor – You tin then begin to utilise your ability drill or screwdriver to remove the radiators, power supply, and fan with the electrical motor attached. Be sure to put the screws in your steel pile. These items tin can be scrapped separately from each other at the fleck yard.
7. Power Supply – Once you have removed the ability supply, yous can take some of the components inside autonomously. Yous volition ordinarily notice some copper wire that you can remove, a couple of low-class circuit boards, a small transformer, and an aluminum heatsink. These items are also often found in computers so place those aside in separate drove piles. If you do not wish to remove them from the ability supply, you can scrap the whole thing for a lower price.
8. Remove Electrical Motor –Towards the back of the air conditioner, you should meet a fan and electric motor attached that can be removed. The fan will either exist plastic or steel, so put it in the correct pile. Apply your screwdriver to detach the electrical copper motor from the fan and put that in a separate pile. It will probably weigh virtually 5 pounds. You lot can choose to open the electric motor and remove the #2 copper wire from within if you lot wish but it may exist quicker just to scrap the whole affair.
9. Aluminum/Copper Radiators –Too known equally ACR's, the radiators are the breadstuff and butter of the air conditioner. You volition usually see a smaller one in the front and a larger one towards the back. When you first remove these, place them in a vice, and use your sawzall to cut the copper loops off the ends. This will exit you with the steel end on the sides.
10. Clean Up The ACR's –Once yous take placed the copper loop ends with your other copper tubing from earlier, you should be able to utilise a flathead screwdriver to remove the steel plate on the side of the radiator. Throw the piece of steel with the rest you have nerveless and now you have a clean piece of aluminum/copper fin which will get you lot about 15-20% more at the scrap one thousand compared to leaving the steel on.
11. Collect Your Metals –Now that y'all take to accept all the essentials of the air conditioner apart, below is a list of approximately how much weight you will take of all the metals:

• Copper Wire – 2-3lbs.
• #two copper tubing – three-5lbs.
• Steel – 8-12lbs.
• Sealed Unit – 15-20lbs.
• Electric Motor – 3-8lbs.
• Power Supply – two-3lbs.
• Clean ACR'due south – viii-12lbs.

Scout How To Chip An Air Conditioner

How Much Did You Go?

Apparently, depending on the electric current state of the market you should receive between $15-20 full for your air conditioner taken apart for scrap. If you had left the unit as a whole, you would probably simply get around $iii-5. So if you collect a few air conditioners at a time for scrap, y'all could exist tripling your earnings at your local scrap yard when taking them autonomously.

Report Your Prices

Once you have cashed in at your local scrap g, exist sure to return the iScrap App and report your flake prices online. You tin can choose which materials to study specific prices on at the scrap 1000 yous visited. This can help your boyfriend scrappers with the prices in your area.

---

Related Articles:

• Scrapping A Refrigerator
• Pace by Step of How To Flake A Computer Belfry
• Difficult Items To Accept Apart for Flake

Source: https://iscrapapp.com/blog/how-do-you-scrap-an-air-conditioner/

Share this post