Here’s What New York Makes You Do Before You Axe Your Central Air

You are going through an upgrade in your home and you now have to get rid of an old air conditioning unit, sometimes your new air conditioning company will take care of everything, and you won't have to think about getting rid of the old unit, about the whole disposal process.

Get our free mobile app

What does New York State say you need to do with the old air conditioning unit? Can you just disconnect it and toss it in the trash or do you need someone to have a special permit (read also extra costs)? What does the all-knowing New York State have to say about the matter? Here's what I found out when I had to go through this same thing.

What steps do you have to take to get rid of an old ac unit in New York State?

I recently made the change from regular central air conditioning to a heat pump. The thing to know when your contractor gives you the estimates, make sure to ask the question "Does this include the removal and disposal of the old equipment? Will it be recycled? What do you have to do with it, and how much does it cost?"

READ MORE: Homeowners, How Can You Prevent Deed Theft? 

What needs to happen to get rid of your old air conditioner unit in New York State?

In order to get rid of the old equipment, there is a process that has to happen, all because of the Freon that is in the unit. The process of removing the Freon and recycling is known as reclaiming. Once the Freon is removed, it then has to be disposed of by the licensed person who you had to remove it. Then they have to log the reclaiming with New York State. What ultimately happens after this process is that you will no longer have to look at the old air conditioning unit and hopefully your new a/c is working like you need it to.