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Microwave ovens have one capacitor located directly behind the control panel and attached to the transformer. The casing of the microwave or front panel will have to be t removed prior to accessing the capacitor16. Fluorescent light ballasts (see Figure 7) are located in the housing of light fixtures. You may have to unscrew the back panel to access the ballast16. 3.3 Does the Capacitor or Light Ballast Contain PCBs? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), PCB capacitors are invariably enclosed in a sheet steel jacket (a magnet can distinguish them). The soldering of the seams or a galvanized finish may also be useful in distinguishing them from the non-PCB or electrolytic capacitors which are typically encased in either a Bakelite or aluminum shell. The only appliances identified at the time of the letter with a significant likelihood of containing a PCB-type small capacitor are room and central air conditioners, heat pumps, furnace blowers, fluorescent lighting ballasts, and microwave ovens. These units represent a relatively small percentage of recycled "white go®ds" (approximately ately 551%). There is no evidence that small PC" capacitors were used in household clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, hot water heaters, garbage disposers, trash compactors, conventional ovens, ranges, or stoves. There has been suggestions that some refrigerators and freezers contain PCB small capacitors, but the use of PCB capacitors in these units were limited". A capacitor may have "No PCBs" stamped on its casing, or may have a 4-digit date indicating time of manufacture. Some appliance manufacturers and repair businesses continued to use up stocks of PCB capacitors even after the 1978 ban on the production of PCBs. Some appliances manufactured after the 1978 date could therefore contain a PCB capacitor(s)". It is anticipated that a majority of the stocked PCB capacitors were depleted within one year of the ban. Foreign oil-filled small capacitors may also contain PCBs despite Federal PCB restrictions16. 3.4 Capacitor / Ballast Removal Methods Tools / Equipment Needed The basic tools needed for removing capacitors are; 1) screwdriver, 2) nut driver set, 3) crescent wrench, 4) socket set, and 5) side cutters or wire cutters. Capacitor Removal Capacitors are easily removed by loosening or removing the clamp holding the capacitor to the motor or bracket and cutting the wires from the capacitor terminals or removing the wires from the terminals if the capacitor is discharged. In some cases, the capacitor may be in a protective casing on the motor which needs to be removed first or the 13 . p