How Much Does Appliance Removal Cost in Orlando, FL?

Appliance removal prices by type in Orlando

Most appliances are a flat $99 to take away — one unit, in or out of the house, disconnected and gone. The piece that breaks from that base is anything with sealed refrigerant: refrigerators, freezers, and to a lesser degree wine coolers and mini-fridges. Those carry the EPA refrigerant fee because the gas has to be recovered before the metal can be crushed or recycled.

If you're clearing a whole kitchen at once — fridge, range, dishwasher and over-the-range microwave during a remodel — you're usually better off in a quarter-load ($199) than paying per unit, since four appliances at $99 each plus the fridge fee would run higher. Send a photo and we'll quote whichever way comes out cheaper for you.

• Refrigerator or freezer: $99 base + $25–$45 EPA refrigerant fee = about $124–$144 per unit
• Washer or dryer: $99 each (water supply line disconnected for you on the washer)
• Electric or gas oven / range / stove: $99 each
• Dishwasher: $99 (we cap the water line and pull it from under the counter)
• Water heater (tank or tankless): $99, drained before it leaves so it doesn't flood the truck or your floor
• Over-the-range microwave, wall oven, or built-in unit: $99 each
• Whole-kitchen remodel pull (4+ appliances at once): quoted as a 1/4 load at $199 when that beats per-unit

Why refrigerators and freezers cost more: the EPA refrigerant fee

The $25–$45 you see on a fridge or freezer is not a markup — it's the cost of pulling the refrigerant out legally. Federal Clean Air Act rules (Section 608) make it illegal to knowingly vent refrigerant into the air, and that includes the older R-22 in pre-2010 units and the R-134a or R-600a in newer ones. Before the cabinet can be crushed for scrap, a certified tech has to recover that gas with a recovery machine and log it. That labor and the proper capture are what the fee pays for.

This is also why you can't just leave a fridge at the curb for regular trash in most of Central Florida, and why scrap yards won't take a sealed unit until the refrigerant is certified out. A reputable hauler handles the recovery as part of the pickup and bakes the fee into the quote so the number you hear is the number you pay. Watch for operators who quote $99 for a fridge and then surprise you with the refrigerant charge at the truck.

Disconnection, water lines, and what's included

Disconnection is part of the flat price, not an add-on. For a washer we shut off the hot and cold valves, unthread the supply hoses, and unhook the drain line. For a dishwasher we cap the water line and disconnect the drain under the sink. For a water heater we close the inlet valve and drain the tank before it ever moves, because a 40-gallon tank that tips in a hallway is a real mess. Gas appliances are the one line we draw — for a hard-piped gas range or gas dryer we ask that the gas be shut at the valve, and for anything beyond a simple quick-connect we'll have you bring in a licensed plumber or your utility, since cutting a live gas line isn't something any hauler should do.

Refrigerators with a water and ice line get the same care: we disconnect the quarter-inch supply at the saddle valve or shutoff so there's no slow drip behind your cabinets after we leave. If the ice maker still holds water, we let it drain in the driveway rather than soaking your truck-side carpet. None of this is extra — it's just doing the job right the first time.

Where your old appliance actually goes: metal recycling first

An appliance is one of the most recyclable things you'll ever throw out — a washer, dryer, range or water heater is largely steel, with copper and aluminum mixed in. Once we've pulled any refrigerant, the cabinet goes to a metal recycler rather than the Orange County landfill on Young Pine Road, the Osceola facility on Bass Road, or the Seminole transfer station near Bear Lake. Keeping the steel out of the dump is the whole point: a single fridge is roughly a hundred-plus pounds of metal that gets shredded and melted back into new product instead of buried.

If an appliance still runs — a working fridge, a clean front-load washer — we'll route it to a reuse channel like Habitat for Humanity ReStore when it qualifies, the same donation-first approach we use for furniture. Don't expect the scrap value to come back to you as a discount, though. The copper and steel in a household appliance is worth only a few dollars at a Central Florida scrap yard, and that small recovery is what lets the base price stay at $99 — it doesn't translate into a payment to the homeowner.

Free pickup vs. paying: the real Orlando trade-offs

There are cheaper-on-paper ways to get rid of an appliance in Orlando, and they each come with a catch worth knowing before you decide. The honest comparison is below.

For one fridge or one washer, the flat $99 (plus refrigerant on a fridge) usually wins on total hassle: nobody waits weeks, nobody hauls a 300-pound water heater alone, and the water and refrigerant are handled correctly. For a brand-new-delivery swap, take the retailer's haul-away — it's the cheapest path when it's available.

• Orange County bulk pickup: free, but appliances are scheduled weeks out, must be at the curb with the refrigerant already certified-removed (tagged) on fridges/freezers, and you do all the lifting to the curb
• Retailer haul-away (Lowe's, Home Depot, Best Buy): often free or ~$25–$30 only when they're delivering the replacement; they won't take a second old unit or come back for one you didn't buy from them
• DIY to a Taft-area scrap yard: you might recover a few dollars in scrap, but you rent or borrow a truck, load 100–300 lbs yourself, and a sealed fridge gets turned away until refrigerant is professionally recovered
• Full-service flat rate (us): $99 per unit, $25–$45 added on fridges/freezers, same-day or scheduled, all disconnection, draining, water-line capping and recycling routing included