Switchboards, meter boxes and transformers go in the general steel pile constantly, because from the outside that is what they look like. The value is all internal.
Switchboards and meter boxes
Inside an older switchboard there is copper bus bar, copper wiring, and brass terminals and fittings. On a rewire or a commercial strip-out the old board is one of the better single items.
- Keep them out of the general steel.
- Leave them intact. We would rather separate them here.
- Commercial boards are considerably better than domestic ones, because the bus bar is heavier.
Transformers
A transformer is copper wire wound around a steel core, which is why they are so heavy for their size and why they are worth well above steel rate.
They turn up in industrial gear, old lighting systems, welders, machinery, microwaves, and site equipment.
What else is in this family
- Welders. Old transformer-type welders are heavy with copper in them. Inverter welders are much lighter and worth less.
- Ballasts out of old fluorescent light fittings. Small, but a commercial strip-out produces hundreds.
- Starters and contactors from machinery.
- Old UPS and power supply units.
- Microwave transformers. Small but genuinely copper wound.
For electricians
This is the category most often left behind on a job. The old board comes off the wall, goes in the trailer with the general rubbish, and gets tipped.
Worth a separate bucket or a corner of the yard. Boards, transformers, ballasts and cable offcuts in one place, and a standing pickup when it fills.
Safety
- Everything must be properly disconnected and isolated by someone licensed before removal.
- Capacitors can hold a charge after disconnection. Treat anything with a capacitor in it carefully.
- If it is from an industrial or utility site and you do not know what is in it, ring before you move it.
Describe it on the phone or send a photo and we will tell you what it is worth and whether there is anything to be careful about.