Treat the weight as the main problem
A cast iron tub can weigh several hundred pounds even after the water is gone. That is a structural and injury problem, not just a hauling inconvenience. If you are not set up with enough people and a safe path, hire movers. Protect the floor and the stairs. Disconnect the drain and the overflow, and bail standing water before you break the seal of old caulk. The tub may be anchored in plaster. Go slowly. A tub that drops through a rotted subfloor is a worse project than the haul. Enamel shards are sharp. Wear gloves and eye protection.
Scrap may be the better destination
Clean cast iron is often welcomed at a scrap yard, sometimes more readily than at a landfill that does not want a tub in the compactor. Call the yard and ask whether they take bathtubs, whether the feet should stay on, and whether porcelain coating is acceptable. Call the disposal site too if the yard says no. Describe it as a cast iron tub, not as bathroom trash. A steel or fiberglass tub is a different object and may not follow the scrap route. Read the label or the magnet test only as a clue, then confirm with the yard.
Move it in one piece if you can
Breaking a cast iron tub with a sledge in a small bathroom sends shards into the walls and the yard. Prefer a whole tub on a rented trailer rated for the weight, strapped flat, with the drain hole where residual water cannot soak the road. If the tub must be sectioned, do that with a plan for containing shards, not on the tipping floor. At the yard or site, wait for the unloader's instruction. Do not slide a tub off a trailer into a public street if the bay is full. Leave with the receipt and any pieces they would not take.
Before you go
- Plan the lift or hire help before you disconnect the tub.
- Bail water, cap drains, and protect floors and stairs.
- Ask a scrap yard and the disposal site which one accepts cast iron tubs.
- Strap the tub to a suitable trailer and unload only where directed.
Dropping the tub off a balcony because the stairs felt too narrow.
Questions people ask
Is a fiberglass tub scrap metal?
No. Fiberglass and acrylic tubs are bulky waste or construction debris. Ask the disposal site. Do not take them to a scrap yard and hope.
Can I leave the overflow hardware on?
Ask the yard. Small brass or plastic drain parts sometimes need to come off. Bag them so they are not lost in the yard of the house.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.