Dumpster Diving At Electricians For Scrap Copper! Is It Worth It?
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- Опубликовано: 3 дек 2020
- This is going really well! The plumbers was good, but I want to know if we can get a pile of scrap copper from dumpster diving at electrician's shops. There's a ton of them in the city, so there must be a few of them throwing out something good!
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when it comes to scrapping and I know not everyone is the same but for me a good rule of thumb has been grab everything you can now matter the type of metal and try to build relationships with shops and tradesmen for a stable and hopefully long-term source of scrap keep up the fun bud
I agree, I can't imagine leaving that much steel behind.
Yep, I’ve been doing the same and it actually works well and many will save leftovers from a job for me along with all kinds of other goodies!! 👍
Im a plumber in Calgary, we are always taking our own scrap in ourselves. But I've probably made 1000$ plus off of taking wire out of job site bins and dumpsters that electricians just toss. If you can look into more job site dumpsters. Sparkies toss bundles of wire all the time.
I almost always find something good in those bins, gotta check every one lol
Thanks for listening to our recommendation to hit up the electricians shops, I've been a follower since the beginning, I love your channel, next up is the HVAC Shops! Go Team ThubPrint!
HVAC you say? I’m gonna grab a pipe wrench before those 😆
@@thubprint Let’s Go! Do the thing!
golden years
Part of me tunes in to your videos to view your next scrapping adventure & the other part of me tunes in for the entertainment.
Keep on keeping on.. 👍
Thanks for being here all the same, and I appreciate the kind words! All the best to you 🙂
Thank you for humouring us! Thank you for doing the thing!
Thub, you crack me up man. Another entertainment masterpiece.
Just keep doing the thing Thub and we will all be happy!
You got it!
I'm sure you figured it out, but that is silver that you were talking about. It is part of the Anderson PowerPole series connectors
Thank you for the fun show! Love the specialty shop eps, I have had luck with pool and spa shop dumpsters: LOTS of pump motors and copper bits.
Oh that’s an interesting idea! We have a couple home spa/hot tub specialty shops, could be worth a go.
Whooo hoo! From Sweden with love! Have a good one!
Thank you!
good job doing the thing
@thubprint that is a zinc anode from the water heater. That you pulled out.
Magnesium I think, and mostly eaten away.
All the silver contacts in those relays wow.
Love watching stuff get taken apart good work. Also it always puts a smile on my face when you whack stuff with the big hammer!
I’ll set the camera up better next time, certainly coulda gotten a better angle lol
I really enjoy these themed videos. Thanks. And . . . . two words. Pipe. Wrench. :)
😂👌
Hey Thub...I just learned from Scrapping irish that if you put a drop or two of bleach on the metal youre testing...wait a bit...if it turns black....Admiral...THERE BE SILVER HERE!
Really?? Bleach? That’s so cheap and easy, thank you!
Great finds 👌
yep that was a camera. gawd knows where and what that things been in
Ewww... I hadn’t thought about that until right this second, so thanks for that 🤢
Lol. Stinky pinky
Greetings Thubprint. Let's get going to find some more treasures. You're doing AWESOME. PLEASE PLEASE be CAREFUL out there getting those treasures. Be safe,healthy &blessed always family
You got it!
I’m my area some of the best places for me to find bunches of wire are actually electricians, hvac service companies and of course the open tops outside buildings that are either being constructed or re-modeled/ or gutted out and reconfigured by a new tennant. Many electricians however, have employees who strip/scrap their leftovers after a job. Oh yeah, many lighting companies I will find wires, lights, ballasts and occasional transformers…
That's a win Thub! Brass nuggets!
I was hyyyped. I think I may have to do regular monthly scrap runs, and then I’ll be consistently sharing what this and that ended up being worth
Awesome video bro very informative I'll be binge watching your videos for sure as I'm getting back into scrapping and scavenging! Used to do it years ago with a few buddy's 10-15 years ago now I'm getting into on my own and I also run a family owned lawn and flowerbed/garden maintenance company! Cheers from the Edmonton area 👍💪
Oh nice! Hope you’re doing well with that, hard work for sure. Greetings from Calgary!
Damn just got here after I saw it uploaded!
relays have silver contacts.. id take em
Can’t wait to see what kinda weight we get!
Great video, a good place to keep in mind to drive by while picking to make a little extra cash.
That’s what I’m thinkin! Just trying to build a route of good bins and eventually I’ll have a great day once a week looping them all together
Pretty interesting video, Thub!
I wasn’t sure when I left (never am really) but it turned into a great day!
All you have to do is ask lol glad you got all that stuff
Enjoyed 🤗
Also, good thing you didn't take out of those 2 scrap bins haha! The blue one was for scrap metal and the black smaller one (The lugger bin) was for EC wire (Insulated Aluminium)
I got pretty excited to see them but they were CLEARLY not for helping oneself to!
Wow YOU know your metals..thanks im LEARNING
So am I buddy 😄
I enjoy watching your videos I did scapegoat collecting when I was younger I had a push bike and a cart to pull behind my bike I loved it I never had a motor you my friend your needing a bigger truck so you get more in the back more money as more room for space
I have an electrical contractor's box that I regularly visit and I am amazed with the amount of new in box materials that are tossed. The copper and steel scrap is a regular income. I now have a stock of new supplies and hardware that could stock a contractor's supply.
Nicely done!! Surprised they toss it, must be a big name place?
get that cab off your pickupand pick every singlebit of those tanks
stillcant understand there no scrappor already daily
You really think they’re that worthwhile?
@@thubprint i know i would no hesitation
Some nice scores.
A battery powered angle grinder is a scrappers best friend. I got a craftsman 20 volt with cutoff wheels. Sure makes removing items quick.
Even though my job pays way more than scraping, your videos are so engaging and you make scrapping look so interesting that I started doing it just for fun and education (with a monetary bonus!) I wish my normal job was this fun!
Thanks so much! It’s pretty tough to consistently get scrap runs to compare to an actual job but the fun factor is pretty high! Plus I always seem to have access to materials when I need to slap something together
@@thubprint it must be nice to have your whole operation already set up. Maybe I will get there when I retire lol
Damn pretentious much? Couldn't just say "I started scrapping as a hobby because you made it look fun"?
Great job. Handle your business man. Just drop us a vid when you can! We all understand that sometimes you just got to do the thing!
Thanks for understanding 😊 it’s something I’ll get to share when I’m done!
@@thubprint good job
Lets go I just scored on bottle to day
Nice!
Nice Brass find 💰. Also a Lb is 16 Oz. Btw, I know 2 electricians and they both take all there scrap home at the end of every day.
Not only are they electricians but part time scrappers you could say. lol.
I think a lot of tradespeople are part time scrappers 🙂 how could you not be?
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Can't believe you passed up on the water heaters 😆
Sometimes my desire to get home starts making decisions for me 😅
Fun video
I loved it!
man, ewaste really better take off sometime. i die inside every time i see piles of boards like what was in those relays go to waste! more facilities = more scrappers taking the time to reduce garbage!
I know! I could have saved all those little boards and tbh it would have been a perfect opportunity to see how worthwhile they are for me. I’ve got a yard that’ll pay 0.10c/lb, and I have no perspective on what that looks like in your hands. Looking back, it was a missed opportunity.
Check out smaller machine job shops too some of them don't do enough quantity to warrant keeping copper and aluminum waste
I can't believe people actually throw away copper!!!
I know! It’s just a scaling issue, when you pay your employees $30+/hr I guess it isn’t worth having someone save every little bit and piece
@@thubprint : but the times are changing.
as electrician I always have scraped my wire when while doing demo
Hey thub happy holidays
And a happy new year!
If it’s silver or you think it is, it will turn shiny when you rub it on your jeans
The box of relays and breakers is a gold mine (or should I say silver mine). The contacts are made of SILVER. ALWAYS keep them for about $400 (CND) per pound.
That actually sounds like a much better idea, my little jar of contacts in AP still have copper stuck to them weeks later and it just doesn’t seem worth it.
Thanks mate
I’m gonna be doing a lot more of this soon 😉👌
Should take the whole water tanks good weight
I think I might do a full run, see how many I can get in the truck and then I’ll know once and for all
That c snake was a fiber optic cable they can be fixed but are expensive to fix since it was the cable that was broke but some would have paid dang good money for that
I just found your channel i just love your videos!
Thank you! I love making them 😊 I’m staying home right now but we’ll be back out on the hunt as soon as I’m able 👍
So you are making a note about going back to the plumbing dumpster so do yourself a favor and buy another pipe wrench and put it in your truck now and keep it there ! Makes it easier to get the brass off the water heaters !
I guess I was hoping to just find one someday, but if I’m gonna keep checking these spots I should probably just buy one. It won’t take long to pay itself off, and I’m tired of hurting my wrists 😅
In England our heating tanks are made out of copper and you almost never find them.
Copper heating tanks, seriously? Yeah I bet those don’t get left laying around!
@@thubprint I had a pre-Xmas weigh in. If you have a couple minutes I’d appreciate if you could have a look. My videos are a little rough but I know Scrap.
ruclips.net/video/-vOUgWY747Y/видео.html
The brass looked like a pressure relief
I would've went back with tools to remove the fittings,valve and elements from those water heaters
I have a spare pipe wrench at home, and I am only across the pond in aussie
Use the forklift holds on either side of the dumpster to bend your aluminium! Saves your back n shoulder
Oooohhh, pro tip!
Thats a plumbers snake, to clear sewage lines of stoppages
Thumbs Up
You make zink bubble.
If you have a local dump, I’d go there and spend like an hour cutting cords off of stuff and see what else you could find! Last time I find some copper pipes and brass and some cast aluminum! And about 50 lbs of wire!
I’d love to do that, but all we have is big city dumps and they don’t let you take stuff out of them. The small town I was born in used to let you, but I think they separate all their scrap themselves. Do you get to scavenge at your dump?
@@thubprint yeah we have a metal pile that lots of people like to pick through. One time I found a running chainsaw
If it's mixed with trash it's trash if it's just all metal contents then it's a scrap ben
love your videos my friend..your the best ...greeting from you know were .from you know who ahahahah
Love your face buddy 😊
@@thubprint thnx brother from far far away
That's not a water heater, well, not in the way that's usually meant. That is a boiler for home heating, isn't it?
I guess? I don’t know much about much, lol. But I know scrap metal when I see it! 😎
Thank you so much homie!!! You have taught me stuff I didn't know was valuable. And I see all over in S. Fla!!! I love for the knowledge and sharing it widely!! How can a brother hook you up with crypto or money? I will mail you something, just reply me what items you want to melt or disassemble.
Hey thank you bud! Just want to make vids that create value for other people is all 👌 I do have a PayPal link on the channel page as a “tip jar”, but I need to set up a new crypto wallet and mailbox still. I really don’t need anything! Building this channel is my priority so the best thing anybody could do for me is like, comment, and maybe even share a video if they think it’s a good one 😉👌
Which you already did, and I really appreciate it 💙
Bx cable sells in Canada
(I didn't have the time or energy to read the rest of the comments so if this is a repeat of someone else I apologize) I find with electricians, you'll have more luck walking their parking lots than anything they would put in their dumpsters. Bits of high quality wire are always falling from their service/work trucks. Happy scrapping!
Now I have to check and make sure lol
Just buy the dang pipe wrench !
Like John wick lol
Congrats on grabbing that furnace! Have you thought about time vs profit for just running water heaters to the yard quick? You might run across a bunch of them behind plumber's shops
I only did the big round ones once, got $6 for three of them. That was years ago when steel was a better price too, so I’ve never considered them valuable since. At the same time I do see scrap trucks with a stack of 8 strapped down all the time, so I must be missing something.. might just have to try again!
@@thubprint I guess they are paying less for steel up there than they are down here. Washers and water heaters are the best appliances vs space in my opinion without killing yourself for a boiler
Why didn't you take the hot water heaters they're worth money especially with the brass on them
Hey question for you. When taking apart newer washer and dryer machines. The circuit boards have a coating on then. Do you think the scrap yards will take them as boards or just tin? Ty
Oh, I don’t know? I don’t think they’d like them with the sealant all over them though. You could bring in a handful and ask but the coating will definitely lower the value.
Those relays have silver contacts
Yup! That’s why I wanted them! And we’re gonna find out how much 👍
Were you gonna strip the heavy cable. So easy to do !?
Buy a pipe wrench buddy. I pick up steel too.
Did you come back for the water heaters
You should check out new home construction dumpsters. At a certain time, copper or aluminum wire are plentiful! Need to be careful with the copper though in the dumpsters, the electricians are stripping most of it & leaving the insulation there.
I love those ones! I need to get better at knowing when to go though, like you say it’s all about timing
👍👍
Those relays have silver all in them
Did U keep that silver-plated copper electric cable connector
Relays are full of brass
And silver! 🤗
Electro-mechanical ones yes, solid state ones, no.
Hello from Ohio. You should check heating and air conditioning places.
Could give it a go!
If it’s in a scrap metal bin don’t bother if it’s in the garage it’s free game
It's a toilet snake used to unclog plumbing under houses
"Frozen water". Isn't there a special name for that?
I'm new to your channel. So... I have some questions. Why to you have a topper on your truck if you're scrapping? Limits available space. Like for the water heaters you left behind.
I think it's a snow issue.
Ok i gotta ask - why didnt u carry around those power tools with you on the hunt? For instance, using your angle grinder to lop off those brass fittings off the water heater? I just love seeing big cable like that red one you got there. Too bad there wasn’t more. Looks like what you said might’ve been true - somebody else had gotten to them before you did, in addition to the garbage trucks, so you might just had to come a day earlier in the week and you might’ve gotten a hold of what was inside those... next time. I’m sure you’ll figure out the timing a little better if you make that more of a consistent route to add to your arsenal. Thanks for bringing us along, and let’s keep doing that thing! Aloha
I guess I could use the cordless grinder to chop the fittings? I hadn’t given it much thought but it seems like it would catch too much attention. I like these spots though, so I think I will build out a scrap route rather than a bottle route.
Quick question iv been saving clean wire for a couple week now but the bucket I keep it in there's abit off no2 copper that's abit dirty and the clean no1 is starting to go dark and get green is that the no2 contaminating it?
Interesting! I don’t know much about the chemistry, not educated in that way. At first I’d say no and that it’s just oxidizing, but I’ve been keeping my #1 in a bin for quite awhile and it doesn’t seem to change.
As strange as it sounded when I first read it, I’d venture that it’s totally possible! My (uneducated) reasoning: in order to dissolve copper from silver contacts removed from switches, you submerge them in a solution of hydrochloric acid with hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide is there as an oxidizing agent to start the reaction and while slow at first, it eventually converts some of the copper into copper2chloride. This oxidized copper in solution is now the oxidizing agent which accelerates the dissolving of the remaining copper.
So having seen this, I think there’s some validity to your explanation!
@@thubprint I sorted it yesterday salt
and viniger works a treat leave it for a minute or 2 and it came back out as no1copper 🤣🤣🤣👍🏻👍🏻
Electric motors are rarely worth taking apart unless they're massive and u have the manpower/tools.
Oh we’re on the same page. I honestly don’t understand why so many folks remind me about the motors, I think it’s just the “brand power” of copper rather than the actual payoff.
that white stuff on the hose in the water heater is just calcification it looks gross but its probably cleaner than most of the stuff you touch...
Fair point! It does look nasty but I think you’re right, it’s likely only been exposed to pretreated city water.
That bit you didn't want on the hot water tank is an anode, zinc which is designed to dissolve instead of the tank rusting.
The latest thing for ping pong is ping deodorant. Lol.
Yeah, I learned that recently! I’d be more excited about them if zinc was worth more, but at least it isn’t an alloy (as I understand)
Can you say come to Pappa nice find right
Why did you leave the metal (light frames) etc..?
It was such light steel, didn’t seem worth the time and space
Pipe wrench + hammer = $$
🤣 I get it! Pipe wrench is not optional!
Is def take that cab of the truck all that steel and a quick run to the yard is $ good vid tho :)
I spose steel would make more sense if I brought it straight in without taking it home. Just a daily run style. Would have to leave my topper at home and build a tall railing for the box tho!
@@thubprint i was drooling at the steele lol all those water heaters the lights and and dishwasher but like ya said you had an objective makes sense keep doing the thing
You definitely need to get yourself a large stilson
What’s a stilson?
BUS FARE! My friend, if you would devote that same amount of time and energy to buying scrap lead and making #00 Buckshot from it, you could make a true 700% profit margin, at least until ammo supplies normalize again. I doubt you would ever want to dive another dumpster.
👍👍👍👍👍
relays usualy have copper windings some of them silver contacts or gold plated anyway all electronics woth to take for gold plated parts if you go deeper in recycling refining old circuit boards electronics =gold in hands who know what to do
I notice that pile of pallets what's the price per one here in california its 5 dollars each
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried. I’m thinking about it though.