What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
This guide explains who regulates what when a transformer leaves a site in North Carolina. It is for plant engineers, utility asset managers, facility directors, contractors and trustees arranging removal of oil-filled equipment.
NC DEQ, EPA and transportation authorities have different responsibilities. Before a tank reaches the lowboy, its oil classification, intended destination and shipment paperwork need to agree with the actual equipment.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 25 - 10,000 kVA | 25 kV | Liquid-filled |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
What it is
Federal TSCA rules govern polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, under 40 CFR Part 761. EPA administers those requirements, including applicable rules for PCB equipment, storage, marking and disposal.
Selling a transformer does not erase its PCB classification or make a leaking tank acceptable for ordinary movement off a North Carolina site.
NC DEQ oversees state environmental requirements that can affect oil releases, waste management and receiving facilities. The relevant DEQ program depends on the material and activity.
DOT transportation rules are another layer: a shipment can require hazardous-material classification and documentation even though its disposal obligations arise under TSCA.
Local reality
Why it matters when you sell
A buyer needs more than a photograph of the nameplate on a retired 13.8 kV transformer. An oil test, maintenance history and evidence of leaks help establish the handling route.
Missing PCB information can prevent pickup planning until the owner resolves classification through records, sampling or applicable regulatory assumptions.
Ownership transfer and physical removal are separate events. A purchase agreement should identify who arranges testing, draining, packaging, transportation and final disposition, without suggesting that contractual language overrides environmental duties.
For a North Carolina demolition project, settle those responsibilities before crews disconnect bushings or cut the radiator piping.
Around the site
The numbers
Under federal PCB terminology, a PCB Transformer contains 500 ppm PCBs or greater. PCB-Contaminated Electrical Equipment generally contains at least 50 ppm but less than 500 ppm.
Equipment below 50 ppm generally falls within the non-PCB category; that classification does not mean its oil is suitable for unrestricted disposal.
Concentration is not the only number that matters. Manufacture dates and equipment type affect TSCA assumptions when concentration is unknown. Record the laboratory result in ppm, sample date and transformer identifier together.
Do not use a dielectric-strength result, voltage rating or oil volume as evidence of PCB concentration.
Where it sits
Common mistakes
An unlabeled tank is not proof of non-PCB oil. Neither is a handwritten note saying the transformer was retrofilled years ago. Residual PCBs can migrate from internal materials into replacement fluid.
Keep the retrofill history and relevant test records, and evaluate classification under the applicable TSCA requirements before removal.
Another mistake is treating every oil-filled transformer as a hazardous-waste shipment, or treating none of them that way. PCB controls, hazardous-waste rules and DOT requirements require separate evaluations.
A gasket leak onto a concrete pad also creates a release issue that is not resolved by hauling away the tank.
On the ground
How it affects value
For Transformer Buyers NC, handling requirements affect whether a particular transformer fits an acceptable acquisition and removal route. A sound tank with traceable non-PCB documentation presents a different job than failed equipment with unknown oil.
The distinction concerns acceptance, containment, destination and the work needed before loading can begin.
A laboratory report tied to the correct serial number reduces uncertainty about the removal plan. Mixed oil drums, missing sample identification or a cracked porcelain bushing complicate that plan.
Equipment condition and documented classification determine which recovery or disposal paths can be considered, rather than nameplate capacity alone.
Local reality
What to do next
Assemble the nameplate photograph, serial number, oil test, maintenance records and photographs of the pad, drain valve and radiators. State whether the transformer remains energized and whether any oil has escaped.
For North Carolina sites, identify the owner and the person authorized to approve sampling and removal access.
Before shipment, confirm classification, the receiving facility’s authority to accept the material, transporter responsibilities and required records. PCB waste shipments subject to manifest requirements need the applicable manifest and disposal documentation.
Consult EPA Region 4 and the relevant NC DEQ program when records, release conditions or regulatory assumptions leave uncertainty.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Does NC DEQ replace EPA oversight of PCBs?
No. Federal TSCA PCB requirements remain applicable in North Carolina. NC DEQ requirements may also govern releases, waste activities or facility operations. Identify both sets of obligations for the specific tank, oil and destination rather than assuming one agency’s involvement covers everything.
Service area
Can a transformer move without an oil test?
Sometimes records or applicable TSCA assumptions establish classification without a new sample. That does not automatically authorize transport or disposal. Unknown concentration requires a defensible classification decision, plus a destination and shipment documents appropriate to the equipment and fluid.
Payment
Which records should remain after transformer removal?
Keep equipment identification, PCB classification evidence, shipment records and receiving documentation. Retain manifests and disposal certificates where required, along with release and cleanup records if the pad was contaminated. Applicable retention periods differ, so confirm the requirements for the particular shipment.
Logistics
How it affects value: what should a seller know?
For Transformer Buyers NC, handling requirements affect whether a particular transformer fits an acceptable acquisition and removal route. A sound tank with traceable non-PCB documentation presents a different job than failed equipment with unknown oil.