Some of the most difficult things to take apart while scrapping can be worth your time and money if you do it the right way. But knowing how to take them apart and what goes into it, can be the most difficult challenge. The iScrap App Team has ranked some of the most common scrap items to take apart based on their difficulty. Ratings are based on a 5-star system, with 5 being the most difficult.
Computer Tower – ★★☆☆☆
They are very common to find in residential areas or even in your own basement. Desktop computer towers are relatively easy to take apart for scrap components inside. All you really need is a screwdriver to take the outer casing off and then start unscrewing the components from inside. You can take the wires and ribbon wires off of their corresponding board easily by unclipping them with your kids. Also you can remove the AL heatsinks, RAM boards, and CPU chips by pulling them off the mother board. You will need to use your screwdriver to remove the motherboard, Low Grade Boards, harddrives, and disc drives. Check out our helpful step by step guide for scrapping a computer tower.
Air Conditioner – ★★★★★
This is one of the more difficult items to take apart not because it is physically demanding but rather the legality behind scrapping one can become a bit tedious and difficult. Inside air conditioners there is a chemical called freon that helps the system blow cooler air into the room, this chemical is very harmful to the environment. Because of that, you are not legally allowed to dissipate this chemical into the air and can actually be fined by the EPA for a lot of money if you do. Instead you must contact a licensed HVAC contractor to remove the gas safely and then you can proceed by removing the copper, fin, sealed unit, and wires. You can read more about taking apart an air conditioner unit here.
Electric Motor – ★★★★☆
If you are interested in scrapping a motor, things can get a bit complicated if you have never done it before. Because electric motors can be found in a variety of items and appliances, you may want to learn the best way to take them apart for the copper wire inside. You will come across them quite often so if you can establish a quick and efficient want of taking them apart, you can be making much more at the scrap yard. A few things to keep in mind are, while that the copper wire wrapped around the inside may look like bare bright copper it usually is not and there is also quite a large quantity of steel that is within the motor. To check the wire that is on the inside, take a file to the outside of it and you should see the color of the copper on the inside. Usually the wire will have a shellac on the outside that will consider the wire a #2 copper price at your scrap yard.
Aluminum Copper Radiators – ★★★☆☆
When you are scrapping appliances with refrigerants, like refrigerators, air conditioners, and freezers will have aluminum/copper radiators on the inside of the appliance. When you are taking the appliances apart for the copper tubing, wires, and electric motors, be sure to remove the AL/Copper fins. Just like we mentioned about the air conditioner and the freon, be sure to have the freon removed. Once it is removed, it is relatively easy to remove the steel ends for a bigger profit at the scrap yard. If you have a sawzall it can be simple to run the blade down along the edge of the radiator to remove the steel endings and get the clean aluminum and copper radiator. Be sure to separate the steel ends, as some yards will pay you a special price for them.
Rating some of the items to take apart for scrap can be beneficial if you have never taken the items apart before. Once you have the experience and the right set of tools, you can find it to be easier to take the items apart and make a profit from them at your local scrap yard.
