R-12 worth

[84cutlasssupreme]

Would anyone know what a tank of R-12 might be worth? This is a 30lb. tank. Also, what's a good way to weigh it? Also have a gauge & hose. Not sure what's left in it, but I don't think I've used 5lbs. in all the years I've had it. Don't need it anymore.
Thanks.

 

[ck80]

Would anyone know what a tank of R-12 might be worth? This is a 30lb. tank. Also, what's a good way to weigh it? Also have a gauge & hose. Not sure what's left in it, but I don't think I've used 5lbs. in all the years I've had it. Don't need it anymore.
Thanks.

Well, technically it's illegal to sell r-12 to anyone lacking proper certification, so there's that.

As an aside, open tanks are tougher to sell because you need to prove to someone exactly how much they get.

Once you get past those things, I used to see about $10-15/can for the pound cans last I poked around a couple years ago. In covid land anybodys guess. Probably worth more in may than August though.

 

[Ribbedroof]

I can buy the 16 ounce cans from the mechanic around the corner for 15 a can. He bought 300 cans back in the early 2000s

Lots of people think they're sitting on a gold mine at 25 or 40 a can, but the reality is that VERY FEW cars are still around that people can or will buy R12 for.
Personally, I've had good luck with R134 retrofits, so I don't pay the premium for R12, unless it's a working system that needs a little bit (daughter's Jeep before we sold it.)

You wanna get rich on refrigerant? Hijack a truck full of R1234yf. Market price locally is $125 a pound. Last time we bought, it was down to about 70 a pound in a 10# cylinder at the wholesale level

 

[5spdCab]

If you were in Seattle, I would offer to buy it for use in my '79 Elky (would save me from converting), and my '78 Caballero which is very close to finishing the A/C upgrade (swapping from heat only to factory style A/C)

 

[84cutlasssupreme]

Thanks for your feedback guys. I thought it'd be worth more than mentioned myself, but as ck80 said, finding out how much is in the tank will be a little tough. I also was aware of the legal bs; can't do anything anymore without that crap.
Maybe I'll try a local repair shop to see what they think.
Thanks again.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Devil's advocate....

Few shops will buy a cylinder without the seal intact, unless they have a refrigerant identifier on hand. Too much to lose via cross-contamination.

 

[84cutlasssupreme]

If you were in Seattle, I would offer to buy it for use in my '79 Elky (would save me from converting), and my '78 Caballero which is very close to finishing the A/C upgrade (swapping from heat only to factory style A/C)

I'm in Mpls.-St. Paul Mn. I'm going to try to find out what's in the tank; maybe I'll call an a/c shop tomorrow. Then could be an issue with licensing; thanks to the nosy do-gooders on every corner these days, you can't do anything. When I bought this back in '94 I bought it off the shelf at a store. Didn't even have a white smock on LOL! I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[84cutlasssupreme]

Devil's advocate....

Few shops will buy a cylinder without the seal intact, unless they have a refrigerant identifier on hand. Too much to lose via cross-contamination.

Good to know. I was thinking of a shop as more of a source of info. (like weight, etc. ) than sale. Thanks .

 

[5spdCab]

Shipping anywhere outside of your local area WILL be a problem. A tank of freon is considered a hazardous material in the trucking/shipping industry, requiring an endorsement on the truck driver's license to carry hazardous materials, shipping paperwork (properly filled out bill-of-lading, an MSDS [material safety data sheet], and an emergency response phone contact). It's just not worth it for an average Joe Citizen to try shipping out of town. Find someone near you that is willing to drive their car or pickup to your place (or maybe meet them halfway).

 

[69hurstolds]

I still got my 30# Dupont can I bought from the auto parts store years ago. I do happen to have my certification card. You'll need it if you buy any cans off the 'net, like ebay, online vendors, etc.