Can you scrap televisions

I saw a lot of tutorials on scrapping gold from electronics as well. And I wanted to share something with everyone on disposal of electronic trash, any and all Goodwill drop offs welcome this trash and will dispose of it for you for free.

Good luck to all and its all profit if you get it for free. Would like to keep the wooden unit ,but cant seem to find help gettin rid of the heavy tv. Found out the copper an metal can be worth money to collectors and even the circuit boards, if anyone is in sussex county De,and would like to help ,please let me know. Next what chems you need to melt the gold off the circuit boards from everything? Seen guys on tv doing it but they refuse to tell the chems,i know you breakem up,soakem for while then drain,then into another chem and so forth upto 6 different chems toseperate the gold,copper,alluminum,and all the other metals i dont know off hand.

Most people cannot practically extract the lead from the glass. I suggest heating in a crucible furnace using iron metal to convert the oxide or else build yourself a dedicated coke furnace or cupola. Not a simple process by any means. They all work with a converter box to digital. Where can I take them in the Phoenix, AZ area to be scrapped? What do I do with the wooden part? And how do You know if it is or isnt? Was reading different articles and its said it could release poisonous gases such as Camdium and other toxic elements..

Naturally, being teenage boys, we decided to demolish it for fun. No dice; that glass was bulletproof, or so it seemed.

I also tried swinging the tree trunk like an oversized club, also to no avail. As soon as I managed to destroy the television, my right leg convulsed as though it were trying to separate itself from the rest of my body. I knew what had happened, but it had been such a surprise: Who knew a CRT was really a huge capacitor? This is a laboratory analysis to determine if certain toxic metals leach out of a material and the concentration level.

If the TCLP results exceed the established EPA levels for the eight toxic metals, that waste stream is a hazardous waste when commercially generated. However, local or state regulations vary which may be more stringent than federal regulations. So each scenario of how the waste is generated needs to be assessed per all applicable regulations and guidelines.

Guys, Hello All… I have just gone into scrap metal business in McAllen The so called Valley … feels like someone threw me in the ocean and now I am trying to stay afloat … …..

Nice site you have here. Ive been into scrapping for a few years, not for the money but to be able to make affordable diy projects. I must say i find it strange that some states charges people that does whats best for the enviorment. In Sweden where i live, leaving stuff to the at the dump is always free.

One important thing to remember when scrappping Tvs and other electronics is that they contain Everything from Mercury, lead, beryllium and phosphor, and ladt but not least flame retardant.

All of these are very toxic, and when bending cutting etc toxic dust can spread. Even if leaded crystal glass is still used its not considered safe for storing fluids etc. As lead will leak from the glass.

Try not to keep electronic scrap inside your housr. Mop the floors of your working area as often as possible and dont use a vacumcleaner when problems occur. Hey I ran into one that says its got a possible exposure to radiation x. How should I go about working with it if at all? I gutted it and now still left with a heavy tube.

I was wondering if I could just take a hammer to it and break it up to dispose of it. I am planning to take the set to a recycle program drop off point, which will be done tomorrow morning.

From my training in the Navy years ago working on CRTs and capacitors First rule is always use only one hand and touch your elbow so any shock will not go through your body. To make a grounding probe you will need a short piece of wood for a handle.

A old screwdriver blade or even a nail in the end and a wire attached to the nail as long as you need to run to a plug ground or metal plumbing pipe or drive a metal rod, preferably copper a couple feet into the ground near your bench like your house ground. After you take the back off the TV use the probe to touch the CRT emitter gun on the back especially the large wire. Touch the tops of any large capacitors as well.

If voltage is there you should see or hear it jump to the ground. Thick rubber gloves will also help protect you. Remember you can take out a charged capacitor and lay it aside and it can hold a charge a long time. Is it really true you can mix crt tubes with scrap steel? I was at the dump the other day and the worker told me to put a crt in the steel pile. I looked at him like he was crazy. I threw it in the pile and have been confused ever since. People can and have been poisoned by drinking alcohol that has been stored in lead crystal decanters.

Here is an article that discusses this:. I have done hundreds of tvs and monitors without a shock. The other night I got my first one and it was a good one. I was taking copper wiring out of something I was chucking an electric kettle , and not wearing gloves. Now my hand feels funny, kind of tingly, especially the hand I pulled the wire with, all the way to the elbow. Do they coat the wiring with something noxious?

Janie, sounds to me like a ligament slid over a joint and smacked a nerve when you pulled on the wire. Much like a funny bone.

For the record getting rid of those pesky picture tubes, Leaving them for the most part in one piece is the way to go. Aside from that companies that also purchase the mother boards of any electronic device can also be found using the same method.

Just F. A scrapper grabbed my big picture tube about 2 hours after I put it out. They must have some value because they took it really quick. I was dismantling a tv and I accidentally broke the thinner tube of the tv and heard some kind of gas being released. I was doing some research but could not find an answer that satisfied me.

My question is, what was that sound and is it harmful? This is a very common question, but I understand why it concerns you. Actually, you have nothing to worry about; there is no gas in the tube, but rather a vacuum. The sound you are hearing is air rushing into the broken tube, not gas being released.

I have also been worried about this and had trouble finding answers about it. My dad broke an older 90s TV on accident, not scrapping, but the entire thing shattered, glass and pieces everywhere.

Anything else we should be worried about toxicity wise other than obvious glass danger. Against my better judgement he cleaned up without gloves, mask, eye protection, so i assume whatever was in there he was exposed to. Perfect way to come up on a couple hundred crt tvs.

Now with the help of metaljunkie I make money 2 ways, the removal and the recycle ;. There is actuallya scrap yard here in Baltimore City that buys the whole tv. Plus its good practice for my 3 sons. They love unscrewing my electronis. Makes my cicuit board collecting easy. Oh and the cpu thread taught me something to put me ahead at the scrap yards.

Power supplies, fans a nd ram go quick online. Where are you using to sell the pc parts. I have found it not to take me very long to unwrap the degaussing cables. After they are free of tape, the copper is easy to fold up in order to keep it all in one small chunk.

I live in Ontario Canada. And by all means let me know if I can help more. Thank you for your informative site. I am trying to find a place to sell heating elements right now.

I got lucky and found this out just before bringing a load to the dump. Just wanted to make sure you check so you can make some extra money and save the room in the dumps. The rest of the copper can be found in the Scrap Degaussing Cables. I worked as a consultant for a guy on a large machine shop job that once I saw how he did business, I cut ties and ran. He was recycling all the machines from a machine shop and started dumping all the oil and coolants in a hole in the ground outside, and was using cutting torches to cut ccopper and brass without resporators.

He put 3 guys in the hospital with inhalation copper poison with no insurance. The land owners were then responsible for all of it. You condition is probebly caused by Flame retardant on the pcb. It can cause anything from breathing problems, itching and headaces.

Always use gloves when salvageing and try to use some kind of mask when dealing with older electronics. What gave you the headache was burning off the thin layer of anocaic coating or thin plastic film. All curcuit cards are sprayed or dipped with this for protection. Get some fresh air and if ever a next time use a fan or do it outside.

The red colored copper usually used in the degaussing coil of the TV is most likely just aluminum coated in a varnish and not copper at all. I find copper degaussing could far more often than aluminum ones. The dark red colored varnish is, however, a tell tale sign that the wire is aluminum underneath. I heard from somebody a long time ago that some newer tvs that are 3d have small amounts of platinum in them. Can this be confirmed?

I have a question about the old flat screans, While taking them apart I noticed that the said something about X-Ray Radition. Should i be concerned? You can call local e-waste recyclers to see if they can help. They have a special furnace that can remove the lead from the glass. CRT Glass is costly to recycle and no company or individual has been paid for it for many years. The red wire that goes into the TV that has a rubber protecter I pulled back and it shocked the crap out of me…forget scrapping TVs.

Type of metal? Learn from my mistake: Plugged it in, worked like crap and decided to scrap without reading what to do, and got a good shock. The standard capacitors are made of an aluminum shell filled with aluminum foil and oil, but there are many different types of variations.

How much, on average, is a single tv worth in scrap metal? How much does the yoke weight? Every computer monitor and tube TV is different. The circuit boards are bought whole by most scrap yards, but they can also be sold on eBay or to special e-scrap merchants.

The yoke needs to get broken up to harvest the copper before selling. Re: Lead in glass. There may be some nasty chems ON the glass, but I find it really hard to believe that lead mixed IN the glass itself will leach out. Show me the research.

If it can leach out, does it take less than 10, years — and that works out to how many grams per year? Re: ABS. With these assumptions, a gaylord of shredded ABS will hold about What I do? I remove the goodies and leave everything else.

I can open a TV back in about 15seconds by hitting it with a hatchet right at the screws. I finesse the hits and have never yet broke the CRT glass. The whole darned yoke was glued to the glass. I was able to get the copper wound around the ferrite off with no real problem but the copper inside the plastic was glued to the TV. Broke the stem while pulling it off one side and left the other side alone.

Taking a hammer to it is not an option for me. I did see a lable saying not to attempt to remove the yoke but I figured they were full of it.

Live and learn, I guess. As for being rid of the CRT tubes, it depends on which state you live in. In my state, the manufacturers are required to accept certain e-waste returns at no charge to the consumer. After I finish pulling all the goodies out, I put the plastic back on with a few screws to make it easier to meet the conditions for returning them.

It seems this would be a good way to make even more money as people will PAY to have them taken away. How would you go about getting the lead from the tube?

Or is this even worth the trouble. My dad is always looking for lead to make bullets. Its costs more money to separate the glass and lead then they are both worth. The glass and lead are mixed together. Lead in glass is NOT a problem, never was. Ever hear of leaded crystal goblets? People have been drinking out of leaded glass for hundreds of years. And not ONE was ever poisoned by doing so.

IE: Inert. Lead has gotten a bad rap, and in many cases, it deserved it. In a million years? Nope, not even then. They find pottery from as far back as there has been humankind, it is STILL pottery, or shards of it. It has NOT devolved into something else. I see lots of scrappers picking up steel and not TVs. Just trying to educate those scrappers that there is money in TVs too. Thanks 2, Thanked 2, Times in 1, Posts. Last edited by eesakiwi; at AM. Replies: 10 Last Post: , AM. First time scrapping and I love it!

By seasonaleclipse in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper. Replies: 16 Last Post: , AM. I love scrapping! Replies: 3 Last Post: , AM. By dherik in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper. Replies: 10 Last Post: , PM. Bookmarks Bookmarks Digg del. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more. SMF on Facebook and Twitter. TV disposal does not mean leaving your old monitors or cathode ray TVs in an empty lot somewhere in the middle of the night!

There are many situations, of course, when the TV in question is still in perfectly good working condition and can actually be used by someone else. This is why TV disposal also includes selling old units in yard or garage sales, selling them online through sites like eBay or Craigslist, or even donating them to local charities or people who are economically disadvantaged.

This is a very common question since most of us in America either do go to a local landfill on occasion, or are at least familiar with the concept.

However, in many states and communities this is not possible. Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and California to name a few. And for those locations that do allow for that option, there are often a number of regulations to follow, forms to fill out, and fees to pay. There was, of course, a time when this was actually the norm for old televisions.

Unless they were dismantled for parts or repaired, they ended up in the landfills. Unfortunately, the large quantities of hazardous materials that made up the standard cathode ray tube, or CRT, created environmental issues. The toxic elements and other materials used in the construction of older television tubes meant that they eventually created health and environmental concerns. And these concerns would soon became something of a crisis by the end of the 20th century.

Unfortunately, many of these old TV sets ended up in landfills and dumps , which became a real problem. According to Wikipedia :.

Older color and monochrome CRTs may contain toxic substances, such as cadmium, in the phosphors. The rear glass tube of modern CRTs may be made from leaded glass, which represents an environmental hazard if disposed of improperly. Ultimately, the federal government moved to regulate the disposal process and created standardized and regulated channels for computer monitor and television disposal:. Fast forward to today - television disposal is now a largely a regulated task that requires complying with both federal and local laws.

Sometimes you find yourself with a really nice television that you simply no longer need or want. And you know it still has some degree of value so you might be hesitant to simply get rid of it. Of course, you can try to do this with a yard sale or at a swap meet, but a far more convenient approach is to sell it online.

For items such as televisions and computer monitors probably the most popular online site is Craigslist. However, you can also try eBay or any local sites you may have in your area. And, obviously, the newer the unit and the better condition, the more you can ask.

Depending on the unit and the manufacturer, it can be possible to give used televisions back to the manufacturer or retailer. In fact, this is a common method, when available. In addition, the retail chain Best Buy has a long-time program for taking old televisions. According to their website :.

All U. Best Buy Mobile stand-alone stores accept a limited assortment of old or unwanted consumer electronics. Another great option is to donate your old computer monitor or TV. There are probably dozens of non-profit organizations, schools, shelters and other entities that could benefit from your working, usable television. Depending on the organization, even your old CRT set would be a welcome gift. While you may have to complete a form in many locales, it is still a relatively easy method of disposing of your old set while helping others.

Larger towns and cities often have an agency or service with a website that functions as a portal and clearinghouse for information on local non-profits and related groups. In addition, some organizations such as United Way can often put you in the right direction for donating your old TV.

Ultimately, television disposal and recycling is always the best option for units that no longer work. How can you do this? The most efficient and convenient approach for getting your old TV to a recycling center is to call a reputable junk hauling firm. In fact, many monitors are multi-purpose devices that can be used as both computer monitor and television - and a gaming monitor, as well. Consequently, these items must be disposed of in exactly the same way as a standard flat screen television.

However, the world is still filled with hundreds of thousands of cathode ray tube monitors from the 80s and 90s. And these dinosaurs still possess all the toxic elements that make them so dangerous to the environment and to your own health should one break near you. They cannot be taken to landfills in most places and they have to be processed at certified disposal facilities just their television counterparts. And, unfortunately, they are probably not very good candidates for donating or selling.

Unlike old TVs, almost no one wants to have large and quite heavy beast of a monitor when they can have a tablet or laptop instead. The first step in television recycling is to have the unit removed. And the easiest way to do this is to simply make a call to a reputable junk removal firm like Junk King. Once your old set has been delivered to a certified recycler a series of steps occur to fully utilize the materials that make up the television:.

First, each television or monitor is completely dismantled and the different components are separated out. Any plastic, wood and copper removed from the back of the CRT can be sold and used for new products. Circuit boards are sent to specialized recyclers where the gold, platinum and other precious metals are reclaimed. While not every appliance or device might be completely recyclable, large amounts of the materials can be recovered, reused or at least efficiently disposed of.

Then the CRT itself is dismantled. A cathode ray tube is constructed of three parts: the front glass pane, the funnel behind the glass that narrows to a point, and the component that attaches the two pieces together called frit line.

These three pieces are separated for recycling. However, the glass panel has a coating of phosphorous. This has to be removed first and disposed of as hazardous waste. Newer televisions create different challenges as many of them contain mercury, a heavy metal that is toxic and would be considered a hazardous waste material. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to see everything that is manufactured be recyclable, this is not always the case.

Take LCD televisions, for example. An LCD TV will have typically 20 long, thin, fragile mercury lamps running from side to side, throughout the panel. Mercury is very toxic at very small amounts. So a responsible recycler would want to remove these mercury lamps before putting the rest of the device in a shredder or doing other processing that might lead to mercury exposure of recycling workers.