Appliance Removal in Knoxville, TN

Types of Appliance Removal We Handle

Here's how each kind of appliance leaves the house, and where it ends up after it does.

Refrigerator Removal

Refrigerator removal starts with the coolant. EPA Section 608 makes it illegal to vent refrigerant into the air, and whoever handles the fridge last (usually the scrap recycler) has to make sure it was recovered first. We take fridges to a recycler that pulls the coolant with proper recovery equipment, and the $50 fee covers that. Empty it and unplug it the night before so the freezer drips into towels instead of onto your floor. Side-by-sides with ice makers get the water line shut off and capped.

Freezer Removal

Freezer removal follows the same coolant rules as a fridge, but the carry is usually worse. Chest freezers live in basements and garages, and the long ones barely clear a stair turn. We stand them on end, strap the lid shut and walk them up one step at a time. One request: finish or toss the last of the frozen casseroles first. A freezer that sat unplugged for a week with food inside is a smell nobody forgets.

Washer and Dryer Removal

Washer and dryer removal is one of our quickest jobs. We shut the water valves, unhook the hoses, drain what's left in the drum into a bucket and unplug the dryer. Both machines go to scrap, and the Transfer Station free scrap policy covers appliances without refrigerant, so your price is just the trailer space. Stacked laundry pairs come apart at the bracket. A gas dryer needs its line capped by a pro before we arrive. Twenty minutes, most days.

Stove, Range and Dishwasher Removal

Electric ranges, wall ovens, cooktops, dishwashers, microwaves and trash compactors all go to scrap metal. The Knox County scrap metal area takes most of them, and so do scrap yards like SA Recycling Knoxville, so we keep them out of the trash pile. We unplug electric stoves and unhook dishwasher supply lines under the sink, with a towel down for the last cup of water. Gas ranges get capped first, same as dryers.

Window AC Units, Dehumidifiers and Water Coolers

These are small, but they're the ones people get stuck with. Window units, portable ACs, dehumidifiers, wine coolers, mini fridges and office water coolers all hold refrigerant, so the county centers turn them away and the city curb won't take them undrained. Each counts as a refrigerant appliance at $50, though they take up almost no trailer space. Last summer we carried six window units out of one Fourth and Gill duplex in a single trip.

Water Heater Removal

Old tank water heaters are mostly steel, so they scrap well. The tank has to be drained and disconnected first, which is the plumber's job when the new heater goes in, and plenty of plumbers leave the old one in the garage or by the driveway. That's where we come in. A 50-gallon tank is a two-person carry even empty. We don't do plumbing or gas work ourselves.

Appliance Removal Cost in Knoxville

These are typical 2026 prices for Knoxville. Trailer space sets the base price, and the refrigerant fee goes on top for anything with coolant in it.

Where Old Appliances Go

Keep, give, scrap, toss. Every appliance we pick up goes into one of those piles, and very little lands in the last one.

• Give: clean, working appliances go to the Knoxville Habitat for Humanity ReStore or KARM Stores, which both take appliances in good shape.
• Scrap: washers, dryers, stoves and water heaters go to the scrap yard as steel. The City of Knoxville Transfer Station also takes appliances without refrigerant at no charge.
• Recover, then scrap: fridges, freezers and ACs go to a recycler that pulls the coolant first. Under the EPA verification statement rule, a fridge that shows up already empty needs a signed statement naming who recovered the refrigerant and when. A sticker doesn't count.
• Toss: what's left, like cracked plastic drawers and old foam, goes to the transfer station, where the Transfer Station tipping fee is $70 a ton.

According to EPA major appliances data, Americans discarded 5.25 million tons of major appliances in 2018, and about 60% of that was recycled. That's one of the best rates for any household junk, because appliances are mostly steel. We'd like Knoxville's share to be higher still.