How to Scrap a Dishwasher

Open the dishwasher and take out the racks. Set them aside.

Loosen the nuts that hold the spray arms in place and set those aside also. Determine whether your spray arm is aluminum or plastic. Toss plastic, but save aluminum.

Locate the heating element at the bottom of the dishwasher. Most heating elements are a nickel alloy and will fetch a higher price at the scrap yard than non-ferrous metal. The heating element is a U-shaped or oval rod running around the bottom of the dishwasher. Snip it out with bolt cutters and set it aside.

Find the screws on the bottom front of the dishwasher for the hinges that connect the door to the dishwasher. Remove these and take off the door. Alternately, you can break the hinges with a pry bar. Cut the wiring at the bottom of the door with bolt cutters.

Strike the control panel on the front of the dishwasher with a hammer until it breaks open. Fish out all the wire.

Turn the dishwasher over. Wearing gloves, pull away as much insulation as possible. Locate the motor, at either the bottom or back of the dishwasher. Remove the motor by either unscrewing the brackets that hold the motor in place or breaking the brackets with a pry bar.

Remove any solenoids from the motor. Solenoids are separate metal boxes attached to the sides or top of the motor. You should find at least one, but you might find more. Insert the end of the pry bar between the motor at the solenoid housing and break the solenoid loose from the motor.

Hit the solenoid with a hammer to break open the housing. Fish out the copper coiling inside the solenoid. Put the copper in one pile and add the housing to your pile of non-ferrous metal.

Determine whether your dishwasher tub is plastic or stainless steel. If it's plastic, find another use for it or throw it away. If it's stainless, pull off any plastic brackets, insulation or non-stainless material. Non-magnetic stainless will fetch a higher price at the scrap yard than other non-ferrous metal.

Discard all plastic, insulation and other non-recyclable material. Separate the items you've salvaged into stainless, copper and copper wire, nickel allow, and non-ferrous metal.