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NotTaR of Television Sets : Disposing of dead TVs (CRTs and charged ..  
 Copyright © 1994-2007, Samuel M. Goldwasser. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this document in whole or in part is permitted if both of the following conditions are satisfied: 1. This notice is included in its entirety at the beginning. 2. There is no charge except to cover the costs of copying. I may be contacted via the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ (www.repairfaq.org) Email Links Page.

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Disposing of dead TVs (CRTs and charged HV capacitors)

I don't know what the law says, but for safety, here is my recommendation:

Treat the CRT with respect - the implosion hazard should not be minimized. A large CRT will have over 10 tons of air pressure attempting to crush it. Wear eye protection whenever dealing with the CRT. Handle the CRT by the front - not the neck or thin funnel shaped envelope. Don't just toss it in the garbage - it is a significant hazard. The vacuum can be safely released (Let out? Sucked in? What does one do with an unwanted vacuum?) without spectacular effects by breaking the glass seal in the center of the CRT socket (may be hidden by the indexing plastic of the socket). Cover the entire CRT with a heavy blanket when doing this for additional protection. Once the vacuum is gone, it is just a big glass bottle though there may be some moderately hazardous materials in the phosphor coatings and of course, the glass and shadow mask will have many sharp edges if it is broken.

In addition, there could be a nice surprise awaiting anyone disconnecting the high voltage wire - that CRT capacitance can hold a charge for quite a while. Since it is being scrapped, a screwdriver under the suction cap HV connector should suffice.

The main power supply filter caps should have discharged on their own after any reasonable length of time (measured in terms of minutes, not days or years).

Of course around here, TVs are just tossed intact which is fortunate for scavengers like me who would not be happy at all with pre-safed TVs!