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what is the story on scraping a refrigerator?

Do scrap yards only take fridges that do not have any coolant in them? or will they take any fridge, coolant or not? (or does this just depend upon the individual scrap yard)


I've heard horror stories about 10k fines from the EPA for expelling coolant yourself. (obviously it would be nearly impossible for them to catch you but still!)


also, what is the going price on a fridge these days?

Bite Your Tounge, OBAAT.

ok. there is copper in a fridge if you have a friend who can safely remove the coolant for you. Beyond that, pull all the wire and you'll get 8 cents a pound or so. Depending on your relationship with the yard, they may have someone who can release the coolant for you. Beyond this, you'll have to be enterprising, and that's all I have to say about that.

Sometimes the freon is accidently released. When you accidently discharge your firearm at the compressor or accidently drop something heavy on the coil. If you are fortunate enough for that to occur you can cut it up.

Look for little parts and pieces(knobs, handles, drawers name plates) you can sell on e-bay

Does it still work?

Easy $40 on CL if it does.

Thogey wrote:Sometimes the freon is accidently released. When you accidently discharge your firearm at the compressor or accidently drop something heavy on the coil. If you are fortunate enough for that to occur you can cut it up.

Look for little parts and pieces(knobs, handles, drawers name plates) you can sell on e-bay

Does it still work?

Easy $40 on CL if it does.

This

People want garage fridges, second fridges or fridges for their rentals ALL the time.

Thanks for the help, Thogey, couldn't figure out what I was trying to say . If something fortunate like that happens (or has already happened) in your case.... there should be a goodly amount of aluminum - have your magnet handy. Take a heavy axe (like a log splitter) and hack your way into the compressor - there's a surprising amount of copper in there.

If it's a relatively new model, rob it of it's drawers and throw them on Craigslist - you'd be surprised what husbands will pay for a replacement Crisper Drawer after they fell and smashed it while drinking. And whatever you do, when you take it in - fill the cavity with as much crap as possible... just takes up too much room in the pickup otherwise.... good luck!

OneBiteAtATime wrote:Thanks for the help, Thogey, couldn't figure out what I was trying to say . If something fortunate like that happens (or has already happened) in your case.... there should be a goodly amount of aluminum - have your magnet handy. Take a heavy axe (like a log splitter) and hack your way into the compressor - there's a surprising amount of copper in there.

If it's a relatively new model, rob it of it's drawers and throw them on Craigslist - you'd be surprised what husbands will pay for a replacement Crisper Drawer after they fell and smashed it while drinking. And whatever you do, when you take it in - fill the cavity with as much crap as possible... just takes up too much room in the pickup otherwise.... good luck!

Last time I need to buy a replacement crisper for a newer model fridge was around 80 bucks off one of the appliance parts sites.....

There is plenty of copper in the refrigeration coils, plus a few random wires. I have no idea how you could get the coolant out unless a horrible accident occurred that you did not witness.

Be careful about the oil in the compressor, thats the real danger.

My local power utility (Manitoba Hydro) has a program where they'll send someone to pick
up your old fridge, they'll recycle it properly (freon and all) and give you a $40 credit on
your bill. They are trying to encourage people to get rid of older less efficient fridges
because when they reduce local power consumption they can increase export sales on
which they get a higher price. I'm pretty sure between the copper, aluminum and steel
they are pretty much paying you the value they recover from the metal.

http://www.hydro.mb.ca/your_home/appliances_electronics/retire_fridge.shtml

Only problem is they didn't roll this out until the year _after_ I had to replace my old
fridge.

Mine would have qualified because it was technically "woking", just a bit intermittantly.
(Not reliably enough to keep milk good but good enough to cool down soda for
instance.) I was using UHT processed milk in small sealed containers for about
2 weeks while waiting for my new fridge to come in.



I had to pass it off to a better equiped scrapper that my dad knows who had the gear
to siphon out the freon. I pretty much had to get it out of here because I didn't have
space to store it in my house or shed (no garage) and I knew if I left it outside in my
yard long enough eventually one of the less ethical types would just cut the copper
tubing off and vent the freon anyways. -_-

One more year and I could have gotten $40 without having to dismantle or haul
anything!

cesariojpn wrote:Be careful about the oil in the compressor, thats the real danger.

What's so bad about the oil?

messymessy wrote:

cesariojpn wrote:Be careful about the oil in the compressor, thats the real danger.

What's so bad about the oil?

My yard takes them with the oil still in them...

i scrapped a fridge today and stuffed it full of scrap here is how it went down.
Filled cavaity full of metal used tractor to put in dump trailer
i will post pics tomorrow
Going from experience(i have a contract and i do it as a side job) you are wasteing time doing anything other than filling it full of crap other than MAYBE clipping the power wire. Last time i hauled in i got 12 per 100 pounds so its not worth taking 20 minutes to pull a pump out that i will get 40 cents for. However i do save all the compressor pumps out of the heat pumps and outside ac's that i scrap 5-10 a week(im hvac certified)
If you guys have access to heat pumps or ac's get your hands on those and take them apart as people haul them in ALLTHE TIME!!! without taking them apart