Separating coins from vacuum trash

[Indiana Wash]

It bothers me to throw away $100+ a month in the vacuum cleanouts. I am sure last month was $200+. If I just grab the coin on top, I can get $20+ of silver without touching the copper or digging through the trash. Does anyone reclaim that coin or does everyone send it to the landfill.

I was thinking about taking an old washing machine and drilling bigger holes in the tub. Any suggestsions?

 

[chaz]

I've found the best way to salvage the clean out coins is to clean out the vacs often. I once had a part time clean up guy that rescued the coins at least once a day...I let him keep the change. Now that I have the dirty duty, I clean the vacs about every 10 days. In some cases the vac is full of glass or wet crap...that I just scoop out and move on. But typically I salvage a fair amount of coins. My issue now is how to easily clean the coins. I've got 1 1/2 Home Depot type buckets of very dirty coins. Separately, I collect parking lot coins (the bending is good for me) , mostly pennies that when my cookie jar is full, I'll count up. The parking lot coins are not as dirty, but I've got competition to collect it.

 

[Jeff_L]

I've heard of using a rock tumbler to clean the coins, but I'm fearful of destroying the coin. I want to try an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner sometime.

As for coins in the vac dirt, I've often thought about building a filter to put over the trash can. It'd have to be a screen that debris smaller than a dime could pass through.

 

[loewem]

I clean out my busy vacs once a week. The others every other week. I do what Chaz does when the vac is a mess....dump it and move on. I made a square frame with 2 x 4s and screwed a screen to it. I pick out the big trash and dump the rest into my screen that I sit over a trash can. I sift the dirt through the screen, pick out the coins and dump the remaining trash. I soak the coins in tire cleaner and dump them into my screen sitting over one of my pits. Then I hit with HP rinse. Adds a little time to cleaning the vacs and takes an hour every three months to rinse the coins. Haven't counted the coins this year, but first year I collected ~375 and last year ~450. Easily $20 an hour for the effort. Doesn't include the coins and bills I find on the lot, vac islands, etc.

 

[Jeff_L]

I have an older gentleman who cleans out my vacs. I think he does them 2-3 times a week, and I just let him keep all the coins as a reward for the mess he has to go through. He's also responsible for keeping them all running too.

 

[Randy]

I hope you guys realize the health risks associated with digging though the vac waste for few coins. We had an employee get a very serious lung infection from digging in the vac waste for coins, it almost killed him.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I hope you guys realize the health risks associated with digging though the vac waste for few coins. We had an employee get a very serious lung infection from digging in the vac waste for coins, it almost killed him.

How the heck did they pin point the source of the infection?

 

[chaz]

I don't dig. I clean my vacs regularly and salvage coins that float to the top and sides. Likely toss more than I salvage. Like I said I still don't have a great cleaning system for the bulk of coins, without clean coins, even the pay counters at the grocery would jam.

Curroius how someone would get a lung infection by digging. Open wound?? I could see a lung issue from breathing the cloud of dust, but then again I'm no doctor.

 

[MudMoney]

I'm just finishing a prototype drum washer that I hope to bring to the next convention that will make me rich & I can retire to an island,ha ha . In all seriousness am working with a machine shop owner to finish this project . Mine is based on wheels to move over a bay grate and hook up the hp hose while it is spinning a drum with a strainer. Already know what my average $ amount is from dirt bins this will be a better pay off than my rug beater.

 

[Scrub Free]

I have a steel grate with holes just under the size of a dime. I Just do a quick sift and toss the rest. I've been so busy lately, I have my barrel guy do it and he keeps change. This guaratees it gets done in a reasonable time. Swampdonkey I love that idea!

 

[MEP001]

I've found the best way to salvage the clean out coins is to clean out the vacs often..

This is true - once they get wet in the vac with the dirt they corrode beyond any hope of cleaning.

I made a sifter out of two buckets and a piece of hardware cloth, I cut the bottom out of both buckets, cut a round piece of hardware cloth, bent it over the bottom of one bucket and shoved the other one over it. If I dump all the cleanout tubs every day it takes barely five minutes a day, then after a month or so I just blast the coins in a bucket with high-pressure and put them on a towel in the ER to dry. I get about $2000 a year for about 20 hours of work.

 

[cwguy.com]

I hope you guys realize the health risks associated with digging though the vac waste for few coins. We had an employee get a very serious lung infection from digging in the vac waste for coins, it almost killed him.

I wear a p100 respirator when removing vacuum trash. Just blow your nose after cleaning out your vacuums.... That is also going into your lungs.

Some people are nasty and so are their cars.... Then they use your vacuums. Mold, food and who knows what else is growing under their seats? Dirt/dust is probably the cleanest element in the car.... and dust can cause people to get lung infections. Some people are allergic to dust also.

 

[shielphi]

I gown up with a face mask and rigger gloves to clean the vacs. I am aware of the dangers in inhaling dust from the vacs. I use the circular bins like a gold pan and rotate them by hand until the coins show them selves.