Disconnect service before you drain
A gas water heater is connected to a fuel line, and an electric one is connected to a high-voltage circuit. Have a qualified person disconnect that service before you move the tank. Do not cut a gas line or pull wires loose to hurry the job. After the unit is isolated, shut the cold-water valve and drain the tank through a hose to a floor drain or to the outdoors, away from foot traffic. Sediment can clog the valve, so leave time for a slow drain. A tank that still weighs as much as the water inside it is not a one-person lift.
Scrap yard or disposal site
An empty steel tank is often worth more as scrap than as trash, but only if a yard will take water heaters and the site you choose is not a landfill that bans metal appliances. Call both places. Tell them the tank is drained and disconnected, and say whether the burner, flue, or electrical parts are still attached. Some yards want the unit whole. Some want loose copper set aside. A landfill or transfer station may accept it as bulky metal or as trash. Ask. Do not abandon a tank at a scrap gate after hours.
Move it without ripping the floor
Once the tank is empty, tip it onto a dolly rated for the weight and strap it. Protect stairs and floors. The sheet metal jacket has sharp edges where screws came out. Wear gloves. Keep the temperature-and-pressure valve and any leftover fittings in a bag so they are not lost under the truck. On the road, stand the tank upright only if it is strapped and cannot tip. At the destination, wait for directions. If the attendant sees residual water leaking, they may send you back to finish draining it.
Before you go
- Have a qualified person disconnect gas or electric service.
- Drain the tank completely and bag loose fittings.
- Call a scrap yard or the disposal site and ask which one accepts water heaters.
- Dolly the empty tank, strap it, and unload where you are directed.
Cutting the gas connector yourself and then hauling a tank that is still dripping sediment.
Questions people ask
Can a full tank ride in a pickup?
It should not. Water makes the tank extremely heavy and unstable. Drain it before you try to move it down stairs or into a truck.
Does the flue pipe go with the heater?
Ask the site or the scrap yard. Thin vent pipe is a different piece of metal. Bag screws and keep the pipe from sliding around the bed.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.