There are plenty of scrapping tips and helpful YouTube Channels and personalities that can help you increase your profits at the scrap yard. But sometimes some of the information can be lost in translation and forgotten about important things to note when scrapping.
Like the cliche goes, time is money and we couldn’t agree more when it comes to scrapping. Knowing what items and materials to sort and take apart for additional money at the scale is important and can be the difference between a good scrapper and great scrapper.
When scrapping and taking items apart sometimes we can get carried away and begin to establish scrapping myths and other information about materials that don’t’ actually apply. Below we have 4 common scrapping myths that we hear from our audience and the truth behind them.
4 Scrapping Myths, Debunked!
- Gases in PC Towers – This is crazy but we have heard people tell us before that there are harmful gases that can be released if you open a PC tower to take apart for scrap. Don’t worry there is nothing to worry about. All that you will find inside is a motherboard, hard drive board, Low Grade Boards, and some wiring. No need to worry so be sure to take that computer tower apart for scrap.
- Precious Metals in Hard Drives – Staying on the topic of e-scrap, many people believe they will be able to take apart hard drives and will find pieces of precious metals on the inside they can scrap by themselves. This is not true. With today’s technology, there are far more less precious metals needed to produce hard drive boards like gold and silver. Instead the hard drive boards are the pieces that make it worth your while to take apart.
- Cutting Up Scrap catalytic converters – Many people believe that when they receive a catalytic converter for scrap that they should cut the unit apart so they can get to those precious metals inside like platinum and palladium. This is not going to benefit you at all at the yard. The pieces of precious metals are so small it is almost impossible to recover them unless you are a smelter. Instead keep the unit intact so that they yard can identify the unit.
- Copper Transformers – When scrappers get a few copper transformers in scrap, they immediately want to take them apart for the copper wire wrapped inside. While we do suggest taking them apart if you have a few dozen, it takes too much time to pull the copper wire out from the winding and you won’t be getting the price you think. The copper wire has a shellac on the outside so the price for the wire is going to be less than a #1 copper price.
Be sure to check out the video below with us walking through these scrapping myths so you can see what these materials will look like when scrapping. Be sure to scrap smart and safely.
If you have questions about these myths or have myths of your own, be sure to post a comment below and let us know. These are tips from the iScrap App Team to help you save time and make more money when scrapping. Remember when scrapping to wear safety equipment and also look around for those around you to make sure they are also safe, this includes packing your truck with a secure load and the correct tie downs.
