PennSilverTaco's HVAC BS MegaThread!

I think it's the last one...

 

I just took over #2000 to the recycler Monday. About a 1/3rd of it was Tin, rest good stuff. Of the $1021 I got paid, $46 of it was for Tin lol. 1/3rd of my weight paid 5% of the total.

It's not even worth the risk of getting a flat for me to take sheetmetal to the recycler.

 

I forgot to post this. The commercial fridge buffet thing that I scrapped today had a manufacture date on the compressor that was partially worn off, but this thing is no older than 2010. Actually, if you looks closely it appears to be 2016 or 2018! Quality ain't what it used to be!

 

I have a fridge from the 80s to recycle, still works too.

 

Keep it!

 

The KitchenAid was one of the easiest fridge disembowelments I've ever done!

 

It basically serves no purpose other than being in my way in the garage, always moving it around.

 

@Lt. Dangle

How do I handle refrigerant oil? The majority of refrigerators and window A/C units that I get my hands on have no refrigerant in them, and the central A/C units come to me professionally evacuated. One time, I accidently released a whole 4-ton central air-conditioner of R-22 because I didn't realize there was any Freon in it, but that's another story (the A/C unit in question had already been disconnected and was in the bed of my truck)...



That 1977 Tappan unit that I got a couple weeks ago was given to me professionally disconnected and totally evacuated of refrigerant. However, while the homeowner was helping me move the unit out to my Tacoma on a handtruck, we lost control of the handtruck on a hill and the Tappan took a tumble. Some of that damned refrigerant oil spurted out and got on the pavement. The woman was not the least bit upset, but that was a best case scenario. In February 2024, I accidentally dumped a Copeland scroll compressor out in my parents' driveway. The resulting stain is just now starting to disappear

I also left an A/C compressor on its side on my friend's front lawn recently, it dripped out into the grass, and now the grass in that area is starting to die. Is there anything that can be done about refrigerant oil, or is the best course of action just to make sure compressors remain upright?

 

Kitty litter on it immediately.

Otherwise I will fold over the comp liquid and suction lines with channel locks to crimp them shut. Refrigerant oil is nasty as hell and stinks. Kitty litter is cheap and works well though.

There is no industry secret that I know off unfortunately.

 

Will kitty litter absorb it if it's been there a while?

 

Hmm, probably not.

Try this, Odorgon. I love this stuff, it works really well on home heating oil spills so refrigerant oil spills should be in its wheelhouse. The spray might work on stains, otherwise try something like concentrated Simple Green.

https://www.google.com/search?q=odo...0817356324792367,pvt:hg,pvo:3&oshop=apv&pvs=0

 

Luckily, it isn't an issue when it leaks in the back of my truck; I just powerwash the bed at the carwash. I'm proud to say that I've only released R-22 once, and it was an accident!

 

Also, I had a customer give me a window unit they said didn't work well, I thought of you instantly @PennSilverTaco lol.

 

EPA classifies that as "De Minimus" lol... So I'm told...

 

I've gotten my hands on air-conditioners and refrigerators that have no refrigerant in them, and all the people I get them from just say that it no longer works. Where the hell would all the refrigerant go without being seen?

In June 1993, my dad bought a brand new Chevy S-10 Blazer. A week after he bought the Blazer, with just 260 miles on it, he got in the vehicle to go to work. It was warm, so he turned on the A/C. As soon as he turned on the A/C, the system blew a seal at the orifice tube, and a decent amount of freon came into the cabin of the Blazer through the defogger vents. Being a 1993, the Blazer had R-12. My dad was pissed. He drove the Blazer to the dealer where he'd bought it a week before, and it was fixed under warranty. He got the Blazer back with working A/C that afternoon.

In May 1994, the same thing happened, though without the drama. He simply turned on the A/C on a warm day, and it wasn't blowing cold. Once again, it was repaired under warranty. My dad owned that Blazer until May 1996, and while it had a bunch of other annoying problems, the A/C never gave us any trouble again.

I feel like if an A/C unit or refrigerator suddenly quits working due to a leak, someone would notice the refrigerant spewing out...

 

So, it doesn't deem it a threat? I've heard it's a felony to knowingly release R-12 and R-22 into the atmosphere; I've done it by accident one time...

 

This Kenmore window A/C was being stored in a basement that flooded due to a sump pump failure, and would power on and make noise, but not actually blow air; I bought the A/C unit and a dehumidifier for eight bucks and made my money back many times over...