Appliance & Scrap Metal Removal · Cambridge
Appliance and Scrap Metal Removal in Cambridge
An appliance is steel with a few things inside that need handling first. Refrigerant in a fridge, a capacitor in a dryer, a gas line on a stove. The crew knows which is which.
Every Cambridge house eventually has an appliance in the way. The second fridge in a Preston garage that stopped cooling. The chest freezer in a Galt basement that has been there since a previous owner. The washer that was replaced and left because the delivery crew would not take the old one. The water heater the plumber disconnected and stood in the corner. And on farm properties toward Ayr and Branchton, the row of dead appliances behind the drive shed that was going to go to the scrapyard someday.
Major appliances
- Fridges, freezers and air conditioners. These contain refrigerant that has to be recovered before the metal is recycled, under Ontario's rules for ozone-depleting substances. The crew takes them to a facility that does that step. Chest freezers in basements are the heavy surprise and get strapped and walked up by two people.
- Washers and dryers. Unplugged and, where the shut-offs are accessible, disconnected from water by the crew. Front-loaders are heavier than they look because of the concrete counterweight inside.
- Stoves and ranges. Electric ranges are unplugged and carried. A gas range must be disconnected and capped by a licensed gas technician before the crew arrives. The crew does not touch gas. TSSA regulates gas work in Ontario.
- Dishwashers. Removed when water and power are shut off and disconnected. Usually already pulled by whoever installed the new one.
- Water heaters, furnaces and boilers. Taken once the plumber, HVAC or gas trade has disconnected them. Old cast iron boilers in Galt houses are a serious weight and are quoted on their own; sometimes they come out in pieces.
Scrap metal from garages, workshops and barns
Cambridge is a city of workshops. Preston and Hespeler basements and garages have decades of metal in them: bed frames, filing cabinets, bikes, exercise equipment, a lawn roller, a wood stove, pipe offcuts, a bench vise on a steel stand, car parts from a project that ended in 1998. Farm properties in North Dumfries have it on a larger scale: implement parts, wire, posts, steel roofing, tanks, and equipment that will never run again. All of it is scrap steel and it gets recycled rather than landfilled. Aluminum, copper and brass are separated because they are handled differently.
What does not go: propane tanks and cylinders, which go back to an exchange or the Region's hazardous depot; fuel tanks that still have fuel or fumes in them; anything that has held oil, pesticide or chemicals unless it has been properly emptied and cleaned. Tires are taken to the appropriate recycling stream, separately from the metal.
Electronics ride separately
Televisions, monitors, computers, printers and small electronics are not scrap metal and do not go in with it. They are collected in their own containers for electronics recycling. Anything with a hard drive still holds your data until you wipe it or pull the drive, and the crew says so rather than quietly taking it. The Region of Waterloo accepts electronics at its facilities.
Commercial appliances and equipment
Restaurants along Hespeler Road and in downtown Galt, and lunchrooms in the industrial units off Franklin and Bishop, produce commercial fridges, walk-in cooler panels, ranges, dishwashers and steel prep tables. Compressors go the refrigerant route. Gas equipment is disconnected by a licensed gas technician first. Steel tables and shelving are scrap. Everything is scheduled around the landlord's handover and the building's dock hours.
The garage fridge with food in it
The most common single appliance call is a second fridge or freezer that quit and has been sitting closed for weeks. Say so when booking. The crew tapes the door shut before moving it and does not open it in your house; the contents are dealt with at the facility.
What is not an appliance job
Disconnecting gas, cutting a water line behind a wall, or removing a furnace that is still attached to ductwork and a gas line is trade work. Have the trade disconnect it, then the crew carries it away. The crew does not repair appliances or advise whether yours is worth fixing.
Frequently asked questions
Do you take fridges and freezers?
Yes. They go to a facility that recovers the refrigerant before the metal is recycled, as Ontario rules require. If there is old food inside, tell the crew; the door is taped and it stays sealed until it reaches the facility.
Will you disconnect a gas stove or dryer?
No. Gas disconnection and capping is licensed work in Ontario and must be done by a gas technician before the crew arrives. Electric appliances the crew can unplug, and it can disconnect water where the shut-offs are accessible.
Do you pay for scrap metal?
No. The crew is a hauling service and charges for the labour and the truck. The metal goes to a recycler rather than landfill, and a load that is mostly clean steel is quoted at the low end of the range because it costs less to dispose of than mixed waste.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.