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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Liquid mercury tilt switches....
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9588 |
Hi folks.  As things have calmed down a little after the lightning strike, I am trying to clean up the mess that has become of my workshop. I found in a long-buried pottle of bits, a couple of those old liquid-mercury tilt switches. These are the ones in the glass bulb, with the blob of liquid mercury rolling along inside them. As far as I know, these type of switch are now illegal because of the fact that liquid mercury is quite toxic if it gets out of the glass bulb, so I am unwilling to just chuck them in the general waste - where they would get crushed and the mercury would get out. Does anyone here have any suggestions as to an acceptable way to dispose of these? These days, I think it is a pretty big no-no to allow liquid mercury to get into the landfill, so...... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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TassyJim Guru  Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6269 |
I used to make pedometers for cattle with those switches! Your local council/EPA should be able to advise. There are often special days for collection of hazardous materials over here. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2428 |
while sale is discouraged, there is nothing illegal about owning them. i'd bet there are large numbers of mercury thermometers still in the wild being used. not to forget the traces of mercury in every single compact-flourescent lamp. i'd be stashing them away for the day when you might need them, some project where mecury is just the ticket. the most environmentally 'secure' place for them is probably safely in a box in your workshop! well marked, of course, and with suitable padding to ensure they don't break. cheers, rob :-) |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9588 |
Hi folks. I use opto-mechanical tilt-switches these days, or plain mechanical ball-bearing type tilt switches, so I doubt I would ever need them again. I guess they are just fine stashed away for the rest of my life.....  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
The old-style Honeywell LR1620 aircon thermostats have mercury switches in them and there are squillions of those still around - one just outside my study door. Cleanup of spilled mercury in laboratories used to be done with sulphur - the yellow powder variety. The mercury quickly reacts to form mercury sulphide which is not volatile, so no dangerous mercury vapour after that. The mercury sulphide can then be swept up and stored in a bottle or something for disposal. The switches could be treated the same way if the glass was broken while in a container with some sulphur. Greg |
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| hitsware Guru Joined: 23/11/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 535 |
> I guess they are just fine stashed away for the rest of my life..... Yea ......... Let your children worry about it !  |
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