Can I cut up an old Freezer?

Old Chest Freezer is in parents basement. It hasent been used in 25 years. It wonr fit back out the cellar stairs.

Is it safe to cut it up with a recipricating saw?? Would there be anything inside I should worry about?

TIA

Steve

Reply to
steve
Loading thread data ...

If you hack into a well sealed system there will likely be refrigerant escaping. If you slice the box such that you don't contact any cooling components all you will find is insulation and sheet metal. Call your state EPA office if you want to learn the legal ins and outs of handling old Freon (or whatever) containing appliances. Might be that the cooling grids are pretty obvious in the bottom, in which case you could SawzAll off the half above them and lug the carcass to the curb. Good luck.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Bobst

How the heck did it get down there?

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Why not just take it apart with a screw driver and wrench.

Reply to
Art

Probably because most of it is welded and not so easily disassembled. Some parts can be removed though.

If the refrigerant has already leaked out, it is not a problem. If it still contains some, it must be recaptured by a licensed refrigeration technician.

Overall, it is easily cut up with a Sawzall. It is a metal shell, some tubing, insulation.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Steve, Let me know where you live. I'll bring you a new sawzalll. You can even have it when you're done. I'll bring lunch. I'll even haul it all away after you finish cutting it up. Dinner is on me too. I only ask one thing. Let me film you doing it. Id like to make a "book" about it. Deal? :-) Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

Possibly asbestos in the insulation? Kevin

Reply to
Kevin Ricks

If it hasn't been used in 25 yrs, then how old is it??

I'd worry about 2 things. (ie asbestos insulation and lethal refrigerent). Old refrigeration systems had a refrigerent used before Freon that could be lethal. (I think it was ammonia based.)

Would it go back upstairs by removing the lid?? That might be the best solution.

Reply to
davefr

No. A freezer that old will have Freon 12 in it, and you can't legally vent Freon 12 into the air.

Just take the door off, and you should be able to take the freezer up the stairs.

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

Yes. No.

The one of these I participated in cutting it up, it had wiring, lots of aluminum (the inner bin). The freon had long since leaked out.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

This is Turtle.

You know the Grape fruit in the bottle trick.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

This is Turtle.

You could get hit with Ade & A bedding by furnishing the sawsaw. Also there is over 10 Million in reward amounts that have been given out but not paid yet. You will have to get in line to hope to get paid. Now that $10K would come in handy for Christmas time next year.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

This is Turtle.

Damn Stormy , Your Good by seeing the freon gone from the Computor monitor. I'm going to have to get me a better monitor to see the freon gone from it.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

This is Turtle.

davefr, hit it and woke me up here.

Check the tag where the model number is and see what freon it has in it. It will state the type of refrigent it has on this tag. It can be Amonia, Freon 12 , freon 22 , or [ SO4 which will kill you in a heart beat ]. The one thing to look for to know if it has SO4 in it. The tubing lines will be stainless steel and all the welds of the tubing will a welded like a stick welding machine did it and will not be sweated joints like in copper fittings.

Before you cut know that it don't have SO4 in it. If the SO4 hit the air it will make vapor like H2SO4 which will kill you if you breath the vapors. Now if it is in a basement with no vented area. You a goner in just a few seconds.

READ THE TAG TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SO4 IN IT.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Isn't SO4 Ammonium Sulfide? Has SO4 ever been used as a refrigerant in consumer products?

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I believe Turtle is referring to the very old sulfur Dioxide Refrigerant S02

Ammonium Sulfide (NH4)2S is also very deadly, but I don't think it was used as a refrigerant. Ammonia, NH3 was, and is also very potent poison. when I was a kid, many moons ago (over 50 years ago), I opened up a compressor system from a very old refrigerator or freezer case; it had a reciprocating compressor belt driven by a motor and had flare fittings. When I cracked the fitting open: Wow! I will NEVER forget that! I was able to re close the fitting and stop it. Man, that was the most stupid thing I ever did, but I was a kid.

I agree with the majority here: NO! remove everything possible without compromising the sealed system.

Bob

Reply to
BobS

Hi Bubba, I would love to take you up on this

Reply to
Forest

My parents had a chest delivered to the basement in 1950, then my father built a cinder block wall to enclose that area from the more social basement. I’m wondering how future residents disposed of that chest. Hint, it’s sort of in Cincinnati but not exactly.

Reply to
Connie

If you take the door and hardware off and it still won't fit through the opening that is what you are left with. A side grinder would make short work of bisecting that can but it will be messy when the insulation gets loose. Best to cut the metal as shallow as you can and break up the plastic inside once it comes apart.

Reply to
gfretwell

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.