How to get rid of appliances in Las Vegas

The short answer

Disconnect it, empty it, book it. Flat prices, disposal included:

Minimum visit is $75, so a single countertop microwave at $30 comes up to the minimum. Everything else on that list prices as shown.

Refrigerant is handled, and it is not a surcharge

Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners contain refrigerant that has to be recovered properly before the shell is processed. That is a real regulatory requirement and it is the reason some disposal routes refuse cooling appliances outright.

On our side it is simply part of the job. A standard refrigerator is $164 and that is the whole number. There is no refrigerant fee, no EPA handling fee, no freon charge added at the door. If any hauler quotes you a low headline for a fridge and then adds a refrigerant line afterwards, that is the same total arriving by a less pleasant route.

Same applies to AC equipment, which fails constantly in this climate: an outdoor condenser or heat pump unit is $115, a large window unit at 8k BTU or more is $109, a small window unit is $87 and a portable is $85.

Retailer haul-away only works on delivery day

This is the thing that catches people out. If you are buying a replacement, most major retailers will take the old unit away, and it is usually the cheapest route available. But it is a delivery-day service and nothing else.

• It has to be arranged when you order, and it has to be on the paperwork. The delivery crew will not improvise.
• It is normally like-for-like. A new fridge gets the old fridge taken, not also the dead chest freezer in the garage.
• The old unit has to be disconnected and accessible when they arrive, or they leave it.
• Once delivery day has passed, the offer is gone. Nobody comes back for it a week later.

So the decision point is at the checkout, not afterwards. If you missed it, or if the appliance you want gone is not the one being replaced, you are back to the other routes.

Step one: disconnect it properly

We move appliances. We are not plumbers, electricians or gas fitters, and there are three connections that have to be dealt with before the day.

• Water. Shut the valve and disconnect the supply line on washers, dishwashers and fridges with an ice maker. Have a towel ready, there is always more water in the line than expected.
• Gas. A gas range or gas dryer needs the supply shut off and the line disconnected and capped by someone qualified. This is not a DIY step to improvise.
• Electrical. Unplug it. Hard-wired units, and water heaters on a dedicated circuit, need a proper disconnect.

A water heater also has to be drained before it moves. A full tank is far heavier than anyone expects and it will empty itself down your hallway if it is not drained first.

Step two: empty it, especially here

The garage fridge is close to universal in this valley. Nearly every home with a three-car garage has a second refrigerator out there for drinks, and they die constantly, because a compressor is not designed to run in an uninsulated space at 120 degrees through July and August.

When one quits in the middle of summer and nobody notices for two weeks, what is inside it is the actual problem, not the appliance. Empty it and clean it out before the crew arrives. If it has been sealed and hot for a while, open it outdoors, not in the kitchen.

Same principle for a chest freezer, which is the other classic valley garage appliance and holds a lot more than people remember.

Step three: think about the path out

Appliances are heavy and valley floorplans have specific pinch points.

• Laundry closets. Townhouses and condos across Henderson and Spring Valley put a stacked washer/dryer in a closet with bifold doors and about an inch of clearance. That is $189 as a stacked combo and the doors usually have to come off.
• Garage bays. A second fridge is normally at the back of the third bay with a decade of storage in front of it. Clear a path or tell us and we will.
• Side gates. If the appliance lives in a casita or the back yard, the block-wall side gate is the constraint. Measure it.
• Stairs. Common in the two-story tract homes out toward Inspirada and Cadence. No stair charge either way.

Worked example: a Centennial Hills kitchen and garage

A renovation replacing everything, plus the dead second fridge in the garage: a standard refrigerator, an electric range, a dishwasher, a countertop microwave and a mini fridge.

$164 + $134 + $109 + $30 + $115 = $552.

One visit, one number, quoted before anyone is dispatched. Water and gas shut off and disconnected in advance, everything emptied, path clear.

Other routes worth checking

Municipal bulk pickup. Check your address on your city's or county's page, and verify whether refrigerant-containing appliances are accepted at all, because many programs handle them separately. You still have to move a 250-pound fridge to the curb yourself, and your HOA's set-out window still applies.

Utility efficiency programs. Some electricity providers run collection for working second refrigerators and freezers. Terms change, so check your provider's current efficiency page. A working unit may qualify. A dead garage fridge will not.

Scrap yards. Legitimate if you own a truck and can load it. Call ahead about refrigerant-bearing units, and do not rent a vehicle to scrap one dryer.

Frequently asked questions