How to get rid of old appliances in Dallas

The short answer

Appliances split into two groups and they behave completely differently.

Sealed-system appliances — fridges, freezers, wine coolers, ice makers, window and portable air conditioners, heat pumps — contain refrigerant and must be handled by someone who can process them properly. That is a legal requirement, not a preference.

Everything else — washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, water heaters, microwaves — is mostly steel and motor, and is straightforward scrap.

Either way, our prices are published: washer $133, dryer $128, stacked washer-dryer combo $189, dishwasher $109, electric range $134, gas range $137, standard refrigerator $164, tank water heater $131. There is no separate refrigerant fee.

The Dallas garage appliance

There is a version of this job that is almost unique to hot-climate cities with big attached garages, and Dallas produces it constantly.

The house is a single-story ranch with a two-car garage and no basement. At some point a second refrigerator or a chest freezer went out there — for drinks, for a deep freeze, for the deer season. It ran fine for years. Then it spent several summers in an unconditioned space that reaches well past a hundred degrees, working continuously against that heat, and it died.

Now there is a dead sealed appliance in the garage, it cannot go in the wheelie bin, and it has been sitting long enough that opening it is a mistake you only make once. Standard refrigerator is $164, a chest freezer is $146, an upright freezer is $149, a mini fridge is $115. Do not open it. Tape it shut and tell us at booking so the crew brings gloves and a dolly with straps.

Retailer haul-away, when you are buying new

If a new appliance is being delivered, ask about haul-away at the point of sale. Many retailers offer it, sometimes free and sometimes as a paid add-on. It is far and away the easiest route when it applies.

Three limits to know. It usually only covers a like-for-like swap — they will take the old dishwasher when they fit the new dishwasher, not the old freezer as well. It generally only happens on the delivery visit itself, so if the crew cannot access the old unit that morning, the offer evaporates. And it is a commercial courtesy in Texas, not a legal obligation, so confirm it is on the order rather than assuming.

Municipal collection and scrap

Some cities in the metro collect large appliances as part of bulky collection, sometimes on a separate stream from furniture, and sometimes with a condition attached for refrigerant units. DFW is a patchwork — Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Irving, Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney all run their own arrangements — so check your own city's current bulky-item page by address. Look specifically for whether sealed units are handled differently, because that is the detail that varies most.

Scrap metal is the other route. A clean steel appliance has value, and scrap yards along the industrial corridors take them. You will need a vehicle, and you should ring ahead about sealed units — many yards will not accept a fridge or a window AC unless the refrigerant has already been recovered and certified, which is precisely the hard part.

Disconnection: what we will and will not do

Being straight about this saves a wasted visit.

• Plug-in appliances — fridge, freezer, electric dryer on a cord, microwave, window AC, dishwasher already disconnected — we unplug and take. Included.
• Water lines. Turn off the supply valve and disconnect the hose before we arrive. A washer or dishwasher still plumbed in is a job for you or a plumber, not for a removal crew.
• Gas. A gas range or a gas dryer must be disconnected and capped by someone qualified before we touch it. This is not us being cautious; it is the correct order of operations.
• Hard-wired units. A built-in oven, a cooktop, a furnace or a tank water heater that is still connected needs an electrician or a plumber first.

Once it is disconnected and free-standing, the rest is ours — including getting it out of a laundry closet, down a hallway, or up out of a garage.

Appliance prices in full

• Washer: $133
• Dryer: $128
• Washer/dryer combo, stacked: $189
• Dishwasher: $109
• Stove / oven / range, electric: $134
• Stove / oven / range, gas: $137
• Cooktop / rangetop, drop-in: $71
• Range hood / vent: $53
• Microwave, countertop: $30
• Microwave, built-in: $54
• Refrigerator, standard: $164
• Refrigerator, side-by-side / French door: $183
• Refrigerator, built-in / Sub-Zero: $238
• Mini fridge: $115
• Freezer, chest: $146
• Freezer, upright: $149
• Wine cooler, large / floor: $156
• Ice maker: $115
• Water heater, tank: $131
• Water heater, tankless: $90
• Furnace: $131
• Trash compactor: $61
• Garbage disposal unit: $47

A laundry pair is a washer at $133 plus a dryer at $128 = $261. A kitchen stripped for a remodel is a standard refrigerator at $164 plus an electric range at $134 plus a dishwasher at $109 = $407.

The visit minimum is $75, which every major appliance clears on its own. Carry-out from any floor is included and there is no stair charge.

Access in a Dallas house

Appliances are heavy and the routes here are specific enough to be worth a sentence at booking.

Laundry closets. Ranch houses from the fifties and sixties often put the washer and dryer in a hall closet with bi-fold doors and about an inch of clearance either side. That is a known, solvable problem — the doors come off — but it needs two people and a few extra minutes.

Alley garages. In East Dallas, Lakewood, the M Streets and Winnetka Heights the detached garage sits off a rear alley. A dead chest freezer out there is usually the easiest appliance job we do, because the truck backs straight up to it.

Uptown and Downtown buildings. An appliance swap in a mid-rise or high-rise means a booked service lift, a dock slot and a certificate of insurance on file with management. Send us the building contact at booking and we get the COI over ahead of time.

What to do before the crew arrives

• Empty it, and for a fridge or freezer that has been off, tape the door shut rather than airing it out.
• Shut off the water supply and disconnect hoses on a washer or dishwasher.
• Have gas capped by someone qualified.
• Clear the path — the appliance will not thread past a laundry basket and a shoe rack.
• If it is in an upstairs laundry room, say so at booking. It does not cost more, but it changes the crew size.

Then the price you were quoted is the price you pay, and the space is empty the same visit.

Frequently asked questions