Who picks up old appliances in San Diego

The short answer

Four routes exist in San Diego, in rough order of speed:

• Retailer haul-away when you are buying a replacement. Usually the cheapest, sometimes free, but only for the exact unit being replaced and only on the delivery day.
• Utility recycling programs. California utilities have long run appliance recycling for old inefficient units - worth checking what is currently offered for your address, because it can be free and sometimes comes with an incentive. Slow to schedule, and there are eligibility rules.
• Scrap collection. Someone will take metal off an alley in this city within hours. That is not the same as legal disposal, and refrigerant appliances must not go this route.
• Flat-price pickup. Scheduled, carried out of the kitchen or garage, handled correctly: refrigerator $164, washer $133, dryer $128.

The full appliance price list

The $75 minimum applies to the visit, so a lone microwave at $30 is a $75 job. A fridge at $164 is just $164.

Why the fridge is the one with rules

Anything with a sealed refrigerant system - refrigerators, freezers, window and portable AC units, the outdoor condenser on the side of the house, dehumidifiers - cannot legally be crushed or landfilled until the refrigerant has been recovered by someone certified to do it.

That is why a fridge costs more than an equally heavy dresser, and it is why you should not leave one in the alley for a scrapper. The scrapper wants the metal. The refrigerant is not their problem, and the fine for venting it is not theirs either. Once the unit leaves your property on the wrong truck, the paper trail still points at your address.

Same category, same reason: the compressor on your air conditioner. A condenser unit is $115.

Getting it out of a San Diego house

The removal, not the disposal, is what usually stops people.

• Side-by-side fridges do not fit through 1920s doorways. The Craftsman bungalows in North Park, Golden Hill, Kensington and South Park have narrow kitchen doors and a hard turn into the hall. Doors come off, and sometimes the fridge doors come off too.
• Stacked laundry in beach apartments. A stacked washer/dryer in a PB or OB closet has to come out as a unit, through a doorway that was sized for a broom, and then down three flights of exterior stairs. It is $189 as one item.
• Canyon-lot garages. In Mission Hills, Del Cerro or up the Bay Park slope, the second fridge lives in a garage at street level and the house is below it. Good news for once - the fridge is already at the truck.
• Water heaters. Usually in a hall closet or an exterior garage cabinet, usually corroded at the base, usually full of water nobody drained.

All included at the listed price. No stair charge, no appliance-dolly fee, no charge for taking a door off its hinges.

Disconnection: what we do and do not do

Have appliances disconnected before the visit. Specifically:

• Gas ranges and gas dryers need the gas shut off and the line capped. That is a plumber's or a licensed tech's job, not a hauler's.
• Water heaters need the gas or power off, the water off, and ideally the tank drained. A full tank is extremely heavy.
• Washers need the supply valves closed and the hoses disconnected. Expect a cup of water on the floor regardless.
• Dishwashers are hard-plumbed and hard-wired under the counter. Get them pulled out before we arrive.
• Fridges with an ice maker have a water line - shut the valve first.

Unplugging is fine to do yourself. Anything involving gas or a permanent connection should not be.

The second fridge in the garage

This is a specifically San Diego institution. No basements means the beer fridge, the overflow freezer and the drinks fridge for the backyard all live in the garage, and because the climate is mild they run forever - inefficiently, expensively, and usually well past the point anyone opens them.

Common garage combination: standard fridge $164 + chest freezer $146 = $310. Add a lawn mower and a storage cabinet and it is $164 + $146 + $65 + $74 = $449.

Check the utility program first if the unit still runs. If it does not run, or you want it gone this week, book the pickup.

Kitchen remodels

Remodels in the older neighborhoods - North Park, Normal Heights, Point Loma, La Mesa - produce a predictable load. A full kitchen-out typically looks like:

Refrigerator $164 + electric range $134 + dishwasher $109 + microwave $30 = $437 for the appliances. Then the cabinetry and counters: laminate countertop sections at $56 each, stone or granite sections at $111 each, construction debris at $120.

If the kitchen is coming out all at once, price the truck ladder against the item list. A gut kitchen frequently fits a half truck at $431 or three-quarters at $587, and whichever number is lower is the one to book.

What to do first

In order:

• If you are buying a replacement, ask the retailer about haul-away at the point of sale. It is the cheapest option and it disappears the moment the delivery is booked.
• If the unit still works and is old, check the current utility recycling offer for your address.
• If it is dead, leaking, or you need it gone on a date - book the flat-price pickup and move on with your week.

Frequently asked questions