Battery Operated Televisions

Has anyone ever broken up a very old, large/heavy portable TV with a sledge hammer to help dispose of it?

I heard you can get electrocuted if you break the picture tube? Also heard that harmful gases will come from the tube?

Public Comments

1. Don't break the picture tube. It's a sealed vacuum and it will implode and throw glass around, plus whatever chemicals are inside it. A capacitor is a device that stores electricity, even when the set it turned off. A TV needs very high voltage to operate the tube, and it gets that from ordinary wall current by use of a capacitor and other circuitry. Depending on how fast it discharges after the set is unplugged, a dangerous amount of electricity can still be inside the TV long after it's been unplugged. So theoretically, you could be exposed to a large amount of voltage if the capacitor is not discharged by the time you come in contact with it.
2. that probably wouldnt be the smartest idea.... just throw it away. smash some rocks or somethinggg :)
3. Its not a wise thing to do. Apart from dangers from residual charge you also have a lot of toxins in the old kit. Look up Cathode Ray Tube for more details. But remember the tube is only 1 part. You als o have the capacitors and other componants.
4. leave it alone,, you are NOT helping ,, it is easier to dispose of in one whole unit,,, and yes you can be killed by voltage and or implosion of the tube
5. Yes you do need to discharge the picture tube but also when you bust the glass it can kind of blow up and not turn out to well. I have never hit one with a sledgehammer but have dropped them off of parking ramps. I wouldnt do it just to be safe. also you can just tie it up behind a vehicle and drag it behind on a old dirt road that will get rid of it too. And yeah the glass is really hard to bust but if you do it have fun and wear saftey googles and long sleeve shirt.
6. well dont do it plugged in then! The television unit including the tube is a vacuum so if you break it there is a chance of shards of glass shooting out at you.
7. what people do when they cannot realy answer lmao.KAboom.do not hit it with a sledge.look up a recycler that takes old TVs.if you cannot find any then your city has a program to take them but there might be a fee.
8. hi just make sure you do outside A&E
9. there is a fly-back capacitor that stores electrical charge even after unplugged. It can kill you, seriously. I would throw it off the roof of a building.
10. l had to break up one. The garbage men would not lift beacuse of the weight. I broke the frame up, I wrapped the tube in plastic and put the tube in a burlap bag and smashed it up and divided it into 2 bags.
11. There is a residual charge of about 50-80 thousand volts in a picture tube. You can ground it out on the chassie using insulated pliers or grips, and set it on an old car hood and shoot it with a 22. IMPRESSIVE!!! Don't do it.