Switching to a different Satellite TV Provider and searching for a new dish can leave many users scratching their heads as to what to do with the old one. Many major satellite providers such as DISH and DirecTV will gladly take your old equipment away when they install a new system for you. However, as with any dish, the exact details of its removal vary depending on your provider as well as the service bundle you signed up for. If you are considering subscribing to DISH TV and are asking: “Will DISH TV, take away my old satellite dish?” Then, this article will provide you with the necessary information.
A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Dispose Satellite Dish When You Decide to Upgrade
If you switch or decide to avail yourself of another satellite TV company, the new company will use their modern dishes and other gadgets to offer the services. However, it leaves the old satellite dish on your roof or somewhere fixed on your compound.
All the leading satellite TV service providers such as DISH and DirecTV will offload the old satellite systems during the installation. When you plan for a new system installation, inform the technician that you wish him or her to take away the old dish. This way you do not end up having an eye sore that one is not using but still comes with the bills of being attached to the home.
However, dish removal is sometimes only offered on an exchange basis where it is bundled with the packages or installation promotions. And if you made the switch some time back without confirming with the service providers to have the dish removed, then your building may still be hosting the old equipment. If you want that piece of equipment that you do not want connected to your house to be disconnected, it may cost an additional fee where they have to send a technician on a truck to your home.
Does DISH remove old satellite dishes?
When DISH installs new satellite dishes, upgrades from a previous satellite dish by DISH, or even when you are using an alternative satellite company, DISH does take away the old dishes.
DISH does assert that they will make arrangements for the removal of earlier installed satellite TV equipment as they install a new service. But this only holds if you’re trying to eliminate the prior DISH brand dish that you had with the same supplier. For instance, if you change from an old DISH satellite and other equipment to the newest DISH model together with the newest television packages, they will remove the old DISH system.
But if you switched your provider in the past from DISH to another, like DirecTV, the DISH installation might not involve the dismantling of that previous satellite dish. Despite this, some DISH promotions do say that they are doing it at the expense of dismantling an old DirecTV or any other dish. As for other brands, you might have to ask for a special technician visit to remove satellite equipment and that will cost more.
DIY Satellite Dish Removal
Most providers agree to take away old satellite equipment if the customer asks them to but it comes at an extra expense if one hires a takedown service. Of course, if you don’t need that disconnected satellite dish, disconnecting it on your own is possible in some cases. But satellite dishes have risks if tried without several considerations.
Here are a few key things to consider when self-removing an old satellite dish:
- Security – Satellite dishes are often installed on rooftops or towers, and they are larger than conventional home dishes. To eliminate them, proper precautions must be taken whenever dealing with weighty equipment while working on a raised level. Momentary use of scaffolding or ladders involves certain high risks of falling. Other tools may also be needed which is in line with the understanding of specific tools that may be needed to carry out a certain task.
- The roof-mounted equipment – Coaxial cables and wiring must be disconnected correctly before any effort is made to disconnect the roof-mounted equipment. The remaining cables should, of course, be properly secured or covered from the outdoor environment in case the dish is removed.
- Mounts and Anchors – How satellite dishes were secured at the time of installation will go a long way in defining how easy or otherwise it will be to engage in do-it-yourself satellite dish removal. Bolted roof mounts have to be unbolted, but this process may necessitate the use of a drill to make holes for bolts and then conduct subsequent welding to close up the holes.
In cases where satellite dishes are installed on walls and other parts of buildings, it is advised to call a pro for removal. However, some dishes are on free-standing poles and should be unbolted, with the right tool if they can be reached easily.
Option Analysis of Installing a Satellite Dish
It is best to consider getting an inactive satellite dish removed as the best way to ensure that you’ll be able to effectively remove that equipment from your home. However, there are some alternate options if removing the dish isn't feasible or affordable:
- Paint It – If you can’t take out the equipment, painting it in a color that blends with the rest of your home equipment will minimize its obtrusiveness. The only thing to bear in mind is not to select paint that has the potential to hamper use for any of the dishes which is in active use.
- Foliage Concealment – Utilizing trees or tall shrubs to screen the view around a detached dish pole would work overtime for storage of some equipment not in use. This is a cheaper way to make the relapses of old dishes less conspicuous.
- Remove Equipment – If you have several satellite dishes that are no longer in use but are still physically attached to your home, you can consider replacing them with a new external home attachment such as a birdfeeder or landscape decoration at a cheaper price than the removal of the satellite dishes. However, it remains your responsibility to safely sever any cabling from the equipment that you do not plan to utilize.
Allow Your Provider to Disassemble Satellites
Every time you discontinue any TV service, it is always courteous to ask about the pickups and also the removals. In general, most subscription TVs have standard operating procedures for removing the equipment especially when an account is being terminated.
In addition, if you canceled satellite service sometime back but you have the dishes or receivers still installed in your house then, it is high time you contacted your service provider. Such clients as DISH are always happy to help with pickup for those converter boxes and any other TV-related parts and accessories that may be occupying space. This way, you can also tie the knot on your satellite TV service from the supplier without any extra inconveniences later.