One of the more common scrap items during the warmer months, air conditioners are very easy items to take apart for scrap metal inside. With a wide variety of materials like, copper, electric motors, aluminum, and wire inside, any scrappers from beginner to advanced ones can benefit by taking apart an air conditioner for scrap. If you are debating whether to take apart your scrap air conditioner before going to your scrap yard, 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 apart can be very valuable for you in the future. On average if you are scrapping a whole window air conditioning unit with you scrap yard, you may get paid between $4-6 for it. However, if you take apart that same window unit, you may be tripling your earnings by getting anywhere from $12-18 for the various materials and metals inside. Before you get started be sure to contact a licensed professional to remove all freon refrigerant and oils from the unit.

Most scrap yards WILL NOT accept the air conditioners without the freon removed. Also it is illegal to remove yourself and can result in a hefty fine from the EPA. It’s always helpful to have a licensed HVAC specialist to work on especially if you are looking to scrap refrigerators, AC units, and other items that may contain freon. Before you get started, it’s important to have the right tools and equipment on hand to make it easier and more efficient taking apart air conditioners. This is especially true if you have a few units at a time you are taking apart for scrap. Below is a list of tools and items you will need to scrap an air conditioner: Watch Moose Scrapper’s Video on Scrapping An Air Conditioner Step-by-Step Obviously, depending on the current state of the market this can all fluctuate but you should receive between $15-20 total for your air conditioner taken apart for scrap. If you had left the unit as a whole, you would probably only get around $3-5. So if you are collecting a few air conditioners at a time for scrap and you have efficiently mastered taking them apart, you could be tripling your earnings at your local scrap yard.

Once you have cashed in at your local scrap yard, be sure to return the iScrap App and report your scrap prices online. You can choose which materials to report specific prices on at the scrap yard you visited. This can help your fellow scrappers with the prices in your area.Room air conditioners contain refrigerants, oils, and other compounds that, by federal law, must be removed and recovered. Then the steel, other metals, and selected parts can be recycled. Some utilities and other partners offer incentives or run room air conditioner turn in events to recycle older, inefficient room air conditioners. Check with the Partner Database for Incentives and Joint Marketing Exchange (DIME) or enter your zip code, select the "Room Air Conditioner" box, and click the "locate special offers/rebates" button to find a room air conditioner recycling program in your area. Room Air Conditioner Turn-In Event Tips (PDF, 19 KB) While some utility and state-sponsored programs may not specifically target these appliances for recycling, water heating as well as heating and cooling products may contain copper, steel, and other recyclable elements.

The installing contractor is often responsible for hauling away and properly disposing or recycling the used equipment. If your installing contractor does not remove your used HVAC appliance, check with your local recycling or solid waste providers. While utilities may not target other appliances for special collection, it's important that you contact your local waste management division to learn how to properly recycle those aging machines. home air conditioning repair toolsYour municipality may collect an old water heater, oven or dishwasher on request — or they may give you the location of your nearest recycling facility for drop-off.york ac service manualHow to recycle an old air conditioner? financing new ac unitWhen recycling an old air conditioner, it is best to carefully take it apart.

Air conditioner scrap is valuable to scrap collectors. Many copper aluminum coils can be collected from old air conditioners and are very valuable. Scrap yards are a great place to sell the air conditioner scrap as well. When it comes to a scrap air conditioner, the parts can be a gold mine to many collectors. A scrap air conditioner is a great source of materials. Within the information below on how to recycle an old air conditioner, you’ll learn a few common things as well as some additional tips that you likely did not know about. Large units are very flimsy and have huge generators and condensers. It is important to remember that when taking apart a large unit, once the screws are removed, most models of larger air conditioners will just fall apart so it is important to disassemble the unit on a flat surface. It’s no secret that because of their size, large air conditioners are most sought after by scrappers. The bigger the air conditioning unit, the more money, that you can make selling it as scrap metal.

Determining how to recycle an old air conditioner is not that difficult. When it comes to scrapping sealed units and compressors it is best to cut the unit open using an angle grinder while simultaneously holding the unit down. If the old ac unit still blows cold air, it still has Freon within it that needs to properly be disposed of before you attempt any cutting procedure. The motor can than be sold to a scrap yard. Some people choose to remove the wire from the motor, and others leave it in. When removing the scrap radiator from the ac unit, keep in mind that the value of the radiator depends on its size. Most radiators in air conditioners are made of copper and aluminum. After the radiator is removed, it needs to be cleaned before it can be sold or recycled. The steel contamination must be removed from the copper and aluminum and this can be done by simply cutting the steel off using a circular saw. Taking apart an air conditioner involves a little work but for the money that you can make selling the parts as scrap, the task is well worth the time.

The shell, grill, screws and the fan on the scrap air conditioner are all worth money as well. Many ac units have a lot of aluminum within them as well, so make sure that you have your magnet handy so that you can test various metals. Additionally many of the modern window and central air units have digital displays, which means that they have a motherboard within them that contains a small amount of gold that you can scrap. There are scrap companies that will buy the motherboard for top dollar. You can also remove the gold, save it and scrap it yourself once you have collected enough of it. Separate all of the metal components that you have removed from the air conditioner and cut away all copper lines using a bolt cutter or copper wire cutters. The soldered joints also need to be removed from your pure copper. If you want to get more involved with air conditioner scrap there are two good sources that you can start with. One source is apartment and condo complexes.