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Guide for Appliance Recyclers June 2004 <br /> • Does this guide apply only to discarded appliances? <br /> Yes. Mercury switches should only be removed from mayor appliances that have been <br /> discarded. After the mercury switch (es) has been removed, the appliance should be <br /> disabled to prevent its future use. Continued use of some major appliances without a <br /> properly operating switch or sensor, especially those in gas appliances, creates a safety <br /> hazard. Also, of less importance, removing switches often requires damaging the <br /> appliances, such as cracking the plastic top of a chest freezer to access the light switch. <br /> REMOVING MERCURY SWITCHES <br /> Mercury switches must be removed before a major appliance is crushed or shredded. <br /> Removing convenience lights and other tilt switches from freezers and washing <br /> machines is straightforward and takes only a few minutes. Removing mercury switches <br /> from gas appliances, however, takes longer(10 to 60 minutes), requires proper training, <br /> and can be hazardous, especially when dealing with gas-fired appliances. Accordingly, <br /> proper expertise, personal protection and safety controls, and a suitable storage <br /> container for the mercury switches should be in place at all times where switch removal <br /> is being done. <br /> F• <br /> When is the best time to remove mercury switches from discarded appliances? <br /> Mercury switches should be removed by the scrap metal recycler as soon as the <br /> appliance is received, preferably while removing any chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and/or <br /> polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other hazardous materials to comply with all other <br /> hazardous waste laws and regulations. <br /> How do l know which makes and models contain mercury switches? <br /> Appendix A summarizes current information available in the public domain regarding <br /> appliances that contain mercury. Contact the appliance manufacturer to confirm <br /> mercury switch use in a specific product. A magnet can be used to delineate between <br /> non-mercury and mercury flame sensors—mercury sensors are magnetic. <br /> 7 <br />