Bypass the plumbing before you tip a tank
Have a qualified person bypass or cap the household plumbing so the house still has water after the softener is gone. Then put the unit in bypass, disconnect the lines into a bucket, and drain the resin tank. A tank that still holds water is a back injury waiting on the stairs. Empty the brine tank of leftover salt into a bag if you can reuse the salt, or ask the disposal site whether salt and brine are accepted. Do not pour a tub of brine onto the driveway or into a storm drain. Saltwater and resin beads are not yard waste. Unplug the control head. If the softener has a small battery for memory, tape the terminals and take that battery to a battery program instead of the trash.
Resin, fiberglass, and metal are easy to mix up
The resin tank is often fiberglass or plastic wound around a liner, with a valve that contains metal and electronics. A scrap yard may want the valve and refuse the tank, or it may refuse the whole unit because of the resin. Call and describe both pieces. Spent resin beads should be emptied only if the site or the manufacturer told you to, and they should be bagged so they do not roll across a tipping floor like gravel. Some programs accept resin with household trash and some do not. Ask. The brine tank, once empty and dry, is a bulky plastic item. Do not smash it in the parking lot to make it fit a car. Cut it at home only if you must, and bag the shards.
Stand the tank up in the truck
A drained resin tank still has a high center of gravity. Stand it upright, strap it to the wall of the bed, and keep the valve from striking the cab. Lay the empty brine tank beside it, not on top of a loose valve. At the site, say you have a drained water softener and ask which bay takes the tank, the plastic brine container, and any bagged resin. If the attendant refuses resin, take the bags home and ask where that material is supposed to go. Do not dump beads in the brush pile because they look brown. Sweep the bed so loose salt does not rust the truck or blow into the next load.
Before you go
- Have the plumbing bypassed or capped, then drain the tanks into a bucket.
- Bag leftover salt and resin, and do not pour brine into a storm drain.
- Ask a scrap yard or the disposal site which parts they accept.
- Strap the resin tank upright and unload each material where you are told.
Dumping the brine tank across the driveway so the softener is light enough to lift.
Questions people ask
Can I leave the resin inside the tank?
Yes, if the site or yard told you the unit is accepted whole. If they want the resin removed, bag it and ask where those bags should go.
Is a salt-free conditioner the same item?
Describe the unit you have. A cartridge filter or a magnetic conditioner is a different object, and the site may want it with trash rather than with softener tanks.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.