Oversized household appliances, such as a refrigerator, cause some disposal difficulties. It is worthwhile to understand that it is forbidden to throw out such old-fashioned equipment in an ordinary landfill, it is fraught with a fine. And putting equipment near the garbage chute is even worse.
There are two ways to solve the problem: take the unit to the central landfill (but for this you must first obtain permission) or hand it over to the reception of scrap metal. For this, you can help out a very small amount. And, given that you have to deliver it to the pick-up point on your own, it is unlikely that this will even cover the costs of the transport company. However, there is a way to slightly increase the cost of an unnecessary refrigeration unit. To do this, you will need to learn how to independently disassemble the refrigerator for copper.
Copper in refrigerators: in what details is it present
Copper is in all models, but much more in old Soviet ones. This metal is contained in compressors and on the back wall. This means that if the refrigerator is two-chamber and contains two compressors, then more copper will be extracted from it. It is contained in the compressor winding (small copper tubes that go to the cooler). In some models, this metal is also available under the plastic casing, where the cooler is located.
Different models contain different amounts of non-ferrous metal
The approximate weight of copper that can be extracted from the single-chamber version: 1200 grams for older models and 800 grams for relatively modern ones (the experiment was not conducted with the latest models). About 1.5 kilograms of this metal can be extracted from a two-chamber unit. Given that the current price is quite high, it will help to get some benefit, or at least to cover transportation costs.
Thus, it is possible to increase the cost of old technology if you remove copper yourself. If you take an unassembled refrigerator to the scrap collection point, then they will pay only for its weight, excluding copper.
Compressor
Safety regulations for mining copper from the refrigerator
Dismantling the refrigerator in the apartment is dangerous! Better to do it outside in the backyard. The fact is that it contains freon, which is dangerous for the human body. Although it is believed that in the quantities contained in household refrigerators, this substance cannot be harmful to health. But do not take risks and, when disassembling, you should empty the device from this liquid. To do this, carefully remove the cooler (coil), which is located on the rear wall.
In order to disassemble the refrigeration unit, you must first remove the plastic casing using screwdrivers (Phillips and flat). If you do not want to tinker with this for a long time and accuracy is not important, then you can use a hammer and a chisel. To protect your eyes from flying pieces of plastic or metal chips, it is worth wearing safety glasses.
After removing the casing, you will need a tool for working with metal. A grinder is best for this. Sawing the compressor will be very long and difficult: the body metal is quite thick. A reciprocating saw is also not suitable.
Compressor cut
Saw the case should only be people with experience, and for convenience wear rubberized gloves. This device needs to cut the hinges and fasteners of the compressor. The compressor itself is hermetically sealed, so there is no need to try to find the bolts to open it. Again you have to use a grinder, a hammer and a chisel. And, the most crucial step: as now disassemble the engine from the refrigerator on copper? It is necessary to cut off one side of the grinder and, as it were, to cut the body in two.
Copper winding
Next, you need to unscrew the bolts or again use the grinder. Then you can pull out the compressor. It is convenient to cut the copper winding from one half, and then use the wire cutters to remove the rest. Another option: to cut the case, on which there is a winding. But then it will be a little more difficult and long to get the copper winding.
For people who already have experience with this process, the entire process of disassembling the refrigerator and extracting copper will take about 20 minutes. And an inexperienced person will have to dig deeper for at least an hour. But the result is worth it. The remainder of the compressor can also be given up for scrap.
Thus, it is possible to increase the cost of used equipment. If you just hand it over to a metal collection point, then you can cool it off. If possible, you should use the tips from this article to gain extra money at the scrap metal collection point.
An approximate calculation: if the refrigerator weighs 60 kg, then you can get about 400 rubles for it (4 to 9 rubles are paid for 1 kg of metal). And if you extract copper yourself, for example 1 kg, then you can additionally get another 300 rubles. Total leaves 700 rubles. It’s more profitable for scrap metal collectors to extract non-ferrous metals themselves, but the choice is yours.
