In short
People ask us two questions in the same breath: what will it cost to get this Aga out, and is it worth anything? The honest answer to the first is that it depends on the cooker and the house, and the honest answer to the second is that it depends on what you do with it. An Aga that is dismantled properly and sold on is worth money; the same Aga broken up for scrap is worth almost nothing, and you will have paid someone to break it. This guide explains what removal involves, what sets the cost, and how to come out of it with the cooker gone and money in your account.
What removing an Aga involves
An Aga is not lifted out in one piece. It is a cast iron cooker built on site from sections, and it comes out the same way:
- Disconnection. The fuel is isolated and disconnected: oil line and fire valve, gas supply by a Gas Safe engineer, or the electrical supply at the isolator. The flue is disconnected from the cooker.
- Cooling. The cooker must be fully cold, which for a traditional Aga means switching off the day before.
- Dismantling. The lids, doors, top plate, outer castings and oven boxes are removed in order. The insulation is bagged. The barrel and the burner or elements come out last. On a well-kept cooker this takes a two-person team half a day.
- Moving. The heaviest castings take two people, a stair climber or a trolley, and sometimes protection for the floor and door frames.
- Making good. The hearth, the flue opening and the fuel connections are left safe.
Our relocation page describes the same process in reverse for a cooker that is being rebuilt elsewhere.
How heavy is an Aga?
As a guide, a 2-oven Aga is around 406 kg, a 3-oven around 477 kg and a 4-oven around 584 kg. That weight is spread across many sections, but the base, the top plate and the oven castings are still awkward, heavy pieces, and a cast iron casting dropped on a stone floor cracks rather than dents. That is the first reason an Aga removal is priced as skilled work, not as a man-and-van job.
What sets the cost
- The model. A 4-oven takes longer to strip than a 2-oven, and some older cookers have fixings that have not moved in forty years.
- The fuel. Gas needs a Gas Safe disconnection; oil needs the line and tank dealing with; electric needs the supply isolating.
- Access. A kitchen at the back of a cottage with a narrow hall, steps or a split level adds time and equipment. We ask for photos of the route out for exactly this reason.
- Disposal. If nobody wants the cooker, the castings go to a scrap merchant and the insulation and burner parts have to be disposed of properly. Very old cookers may contain insulation that needs careful handling, which is another reason not to break one up yourself.
- Distance. Our collections are quoted by distance from our showroom near Richmond in North Yorkshire.
The three ways to get rid of an Aga
1. Sell it to us
This is the route that costs nothing and pays you. We buy 2-oven, 3-oven and 4-oven Agas in gas, oil and electric, in older and newer colours, working, non-working and part complete. You send photos of the cooker and the access, we make a clear offer, and if you accept, our team dismantles and removes it on the agreed collection day and pays you on collection or beforehand. Removal is included within the agreed collection scope. The process is on our sell your Aga page.
2. Take it with you
If you are moving house, the Aga can come too. Our team dismantles it, transports it and rebuilds it in the new kitchen, having checked that the base can take the weight, that there is a flue or the right electrical supply, and that the ventilation is right. Customers are often surprised that moving an Aga costs far less than buying another one.
3. Scrap it
Cast iron has a scrap value by weight, and an Aga is heavy, but after a removal team’s time and the disposal of everything that is not cast iron, there is rarely anything left. Scrapping a complete, intact Aga throws away a cooker that someone would have paid for.
What a second hand Aga is worth
There is no fixed price list for used Agas because no two are alike. What we weigh up when we make an offer:
- Ovens. A 4-oven is worth more than a 2-oven.
- Fuel. Oil, gas, 13 amp electric and 30 amp electric cookers each have different refurbishment paths, and the value points differ.
- Age and model. The era of the cooker affects what parts fit, what it can be converted to and what buyers want.
- Condition. Enamel chips and crazing can be re-enamelled; a cracked oven casting or a cracked top plate cannot be repaired economically.
- Completeness. Lids, doors, inner doors, shelves, the burner or elements, the control box: a complete cooker saves us sourcing parts.
- Colour. Classic cream and the deep colours are always wanted. Unusual colours are re-enamelled, which costs.
- Location and access. The collection is part of the deal, so a cooker up three flights in a city flat is worth less at the kerb than the same cooker in a ground floor kitchen.
To see why an intact Aga is worth the effort, look at our Aga prices: reconditioned cookers start from £6,800, and the raw material for every one of them is a second hand Aga that somebody decided not to scrap.
Getting the best price
- Do not dismantle it yourself. A cooker in sections with missing bolts is worth less than one still standing.
- Leave it connected until it is inspected. A working cooker is easier to value.
- Clean it and photograph it. Clear photos of the front, the top with the lids up, the inside of each oven, the data plate and the route out.
- Tell us what you know. The fuel, the age if you have it, when it was last serviced, and any faults.
- Mention the colour and the extras. A matching module or companion, spare lids, shelves and tins all count.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to remove an Aga?
It depends on the model, the access and what happens to the cooker afterwards. Removal is a half day for a two-person team with the right equipment, plus disposal if nobody wants it. If John Wray buys the Aga, the removal is included in the agreed collection, so the cost to you is nothing and you are paid for the cooker.
How heavy is an Aga?
As a guide, a 2-oven Aga is around 406 kg, a 3-oven around 477 kg and a 4-oven around 584 kg. The weight is spread across cast iron sections, and the heaviest single pieces still take two people and a trolley to move.
Can I remove an Aga myself?
We advise against it. An Aga must be disconnected from its fuel supply and flue first, then dismantled in the right order; the castings crack if they are dropped or levered, and the insulation inside older cookers should not be disturbed without the proper precautions. A damaged Aga is also worth far less than an intact one.
What is a second hand Aga worth?
It depends on the number of ovens, the fuel, the age and model, the condition of the enamel and castings, whether it is complete, the colour and where it is. Reconditioned Agas on our price list start from £6,800, which is why a complete, intact cooker has real value and a cracked or stripped one has little.
Will John Wray buy my Aga?
Yes. We buy 2-oven, 3-oven and 4-oven Agas in gas, oil and electric, working or not, and we collect across Yorkshire, Cumbria and the North East. Send photos through our sell your Aga page, we make an offer, and our team dismantles and removes it on the agreed day.
Can I move my Aga to a new house instead?
Yes. Our relocation service dismantles the cooker, transports it and rebuilds it in the new kitchen, checking the base, the flue or electrics and the ventilation before it is lit. It is usually far cheaper than replacing the cooker.
Ready to let it go?
Send us photos of your Aga and the way out, and we will come back with an offer and a collection date. Call 01748 811030 or request a callback below.