Sell Your Padmount Transformers
That green steel box behind every shopping center and apartment complex is a padmount transformer, and when sites get redeveloped or services get upgraded, those boxes need to go somewhere. We're the somewhere.
Nameplate photo (open the front hood — it's inside), a wide shot, and your location: text all three to (951) 903-9804.
What we look for in a padmount
KVA (75 to 2,500 is the common range), primary voltage class (15kV and 25kV both fine), loop versus radial feed, and the oil situation — non-PCB confirmed by nameplate or test docs. Newer units with dead-front bushings resell to utilities and site developers; older units are priced on copper and core recovery.
Single-phase residential padmounts (the small ones) work in quantity — utilities and coops sell us pallets of them during system upgrades.
- Three-phase padmounts, 75–2,500 KVA
- Loop feed and radial feed configurations
- 15kV and 25kV primary classes
- Single-phase padmounts in quantity
- Non-PCB oil (post-1979 nameplates almost always qualify)
Rigging is on us — really
A padmount can weigh 10,000 pounds, and it's usually sitting on a concrete pad with two inches of clearance. We've moved hundreds: crane truck, spreader bars, proper skates when access is tight. You get your pad back clean, and none of that cost comes out of your quote — it's built into our offer from the start.
What drives a transformer's price
Four things set the number: kVA rating, voltage configuration, type, and the condition of the windings. The rating determines how many buyers exist — 75 to 500 kVA is the sweet spot because that is what most commercial buildings use. Unusual custom voltages narrow the market and soften the price.
Type changes both value and logistics. Dry-type units are easy to move and reinstall, so demand is steady. Oil-filled and padmount units hold more copper and more value, but need fluid handling and heavier equipment — costs we build into the offer rather than deducting later. Never-energized new surplus is the premium category.
| Dry-type, 15–150 kVA | Best sold in groups or with other gear |
|---|---|
| Dry-type, 150–1,500 kVA | Steady demand; strong individual value |
| Padmount, single and three phase | High value; we handle rigging and fluid |
| Oil-filled substation class | Highest per-unit value; heavy haul arranged |
| Control and instrument transformers | Bought by the pallet |
| New surplus, never energized | Premium — near-wholesale pricing |
Photographing and preparing a transformer
One photo matters more than all the others: the nameplate. kVA, primary and secondary voltage, phase, impedance, temperature rise, and often the PCB status are all printed there. A legible nameplate photo usually turns into a same-day number.
After that, show us the path out. Doorways, stair runs, dock height, overhead clearance, and how close a truck can get change the equipment we bring and therefore the offer. Photos of the route are worth more to us than extra photos of the transformer.
Do not drain the oil. A drained unit is harder to move safely, and fluid handling is our job. Leave it as it sits, de-energized and disconnected by a qualified electrician, and we will plan the rest.
- Nameplate photo first — it answers most pricing questions
- Show the removal path: doors, stairs, dock, clearance
- Leave fluid in place; we handle containment and transport
- Note anything known about fluid history or testing
- Missing nameplate is not a dealbreaker — send angles and dimensions
Before you scrap anything, send one photo
Scrap is priced by weight. Used electrical equipment is priced by what the next facility needs, and those two numbers are rarely close. A scrapyard has no reason to tell you that the item in your hand keeps a plant running somewhere.
There is no cost to finding out. Text photos to (951) 903-9804 — labels and nameplates if you can get them, wide shots if you cannot — and you will have a real number, usually the same day. If the honest answer is that your lot is only worth scrap, we will tell you that too, and you have lost nothing but a text message.
Common questions
The transformer is still connected — can you take it?
The utility or your electrician must disconnect and make it safe first. From that moment, everything else — rigging, hauling, oil handling — is ours.
How do you verify non-PCB oil?
Nameplate markings and date, or existing oil test paperwork. Post-1979 units almost always qualify; if there's doubt, we arrange the test.
Do you buy padmounts that have leaked?
Case by case — a weeping gasket is workable, an active leaker needs containment first. Send photos and be straight about it; we've handled worse.
What about PCBs in older transformers?
Units built after 1979 are generally non-PCB, and most nameplates from that era state it. Older units can be tested. If a unit does test high we will tell you plainly what it means for value and disposal rather than going quiet.
Do you buy a single transformer?
Yes for padmounts and larger units, where one transformer justifies the trip. Small dry-types are best grouped or combined with other equipment. Tell us the rating and location and we will be straight about the economics.
Related pages
Ready to sell? Call or text (951) 903-9804 or email photos to sellelectricalequipment@gmail.com.
Got equipment to sell?
Call or text us photos. We'll give you a price and take it from there.