Old Appliances, Motors and Catalytic Converters: What to Bring

Most of us have one: the dead washer in the basement, the chest freezer in the shed, a motor on a shelf in the garage that nobody wants to throw away. And if you work on cars, you may have a catalytic converter that came off during a repair. Winco Scrap Metal & Container's other recyclables page lists catalytic converters, batteries, wheel weights, electric motors, appliances, plastic, and glass. Here's how to get the first few ready for the drive to Moosup.

Appliances

An old appliance is mostly steel, which is why Winco's steel and iron page lists steel from appliances. Washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, and water heaters fall into that group. Before you load one, empty it. Pull out loose trash, drain any water, and tape doors and lids shut so they don't swing open on the drive.

Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners are a different story. They contain refrigerant, and what a yard needs from you before it takes one is a real question. Call Winco and ask before you load it. The answer can change how you prep it or what you bring along.

Moving an appliance is where most people get hurt, so plan that part. Two people and a hand truck beat one person and a bad back. Strap it down in the bed or trailer. If you're loading a pickup, put the heaviest piece against the cab. Use ratchet straps, not bungee cords, since a washer that slides in a turn is a hazard to the cars behind you.

Electric motors

Winco lists electric motors in two places: on its copper page and in its other recyclables. That includes starters and alternators. Dead furnace blower motors, pool pump motors, and washer motors all count. You'll usually find them on a shelf, on a pump, or inside an appliance you're taking apart.

If you've got a motor inside an appliance, you have two options. Bring the whole appliance, or pull the motor and sort it separately. Pulling it takes a few bolts and a wrench. Whether it's worth the effort depends on how many you have, so ask the yard how they'd handle either one. Then you can decide with the real answer in hand.

Keep motors away from the heavy steel in your load. Put them in a box or bucket so they don't roll around, and set a piece of cardboard under any motor that still drips oil.

Converters, batteries, and wheel weights

The catalytic converter is the metal canister in a car's exhaust system. A mechanic who swaps one, or a driver who replaced one after a scanner code, can end up holding a used converter. Winco lists catalytic converters among the other recyclables it takes.

Selling converters is the part where you should slow down and make a phone call. Rules and paperwork for catalytic converters can vary and change, and what a yard needs to see from you is not something to guess at. Call (860) 230-0552 before you drive over and ask what you should bring. Do the same if you're a shop with several, or if the converters came from a vehicle that isn't yours.

Keep converters apart from regular exhaust pipe and steel. A converter in a box by itself is easier to handle than one buried in a bed of mufflers and tailpipe.

Winco also lists batteries and wheel weights. If you're a tire shop or a garage, keep those separate and in their own containers too. Lead-acid batteries should stay upright and out of a pile of heavy steel, since a cracked case is a mess. Wheel weights go in a bucket with a lid, because they're small and heavy and easy to spill.

Winco has a 35-foot truck scale on site, so a single appliance and a full truck both get weighed. The yard's technicians weigh and assess each load and make an offer. If it's your first time at a scrap yard, don't worry. A customer on Winco's own site wrote that clearing old appliances out of a basement and shed was easy and pleasant, and that everyone was friendly and helpful.

The yard is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It's closed Sunday. Winco's other recyclables page lists what else they take. Call (860) 230-0552 if you're not sure about something on your list.