Home › By item › Water heater › Los Angeles
A public resource guide
Free water heater removal in Los Angeles, CA
Every free and paid way to get rid of a water heater in Los Angeles, verified October 2026.
Checked against LA Sanitation
Home › By item › Water heater › Los Angeles
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of a water heater in Los Angeles, verified October 2026.
Checked against LA Sanitation
Unlimited
free bulky item pickups for LASAN-served homes
1 day
minimum notice before your regular trash day
5
free monthly drop-off yards, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. one Saturday a month
Every route for a water heater in Los Angeles, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Los Angeles guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Los Angeles, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
LA Sanitation (LASAN) free bulky item pickup: water heaters
FreeWater heaters are specifically listed for free metal appliance pickup. Drain it completely before moving it to the curb.
Who qualifies: Homes with 1 to 4 units that get trash service from LASAN. Buildings with 5 or more units are served by a recycLA hauler instead; ask your building manager to request bulky pickup through that hauler.
How to schedule: Request it through MyLA311 (website or app) or the 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489, at least one business day before your regular trash day. Have an itemized list ready (one mattress, two chairs, a desk) so the right truck is sent.
Limits: Unlimited. LASAN describes it as an unlimited curbside service at no additional charge. Pickup happens on your regular trash day.
Set-out: Put the items at the curb by your normal collection time on the scheduled trash day, clear of bins and cars. Setting bulky items out without a request counts as illegal dumping in the City of LA.
LASAN metal appliance pickup: water heaters
FreeRequest as a metal appliance pickup.
Where: Curbside at your address, on your regular collection day
How it works: Request it through MyLA311 or 1-800-773-2489 and list the appliances. Refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters are collected free; LASAN handles refrigerant recovery, so no separate step for Freon.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Los Angeles: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering water heaters, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Los Angeles: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
LA has one of the most generous bulky item pickup programs of any major U.S. city: 10 free scheduled collections per year, with up to 10 items per collection, on your regular trash day. Large electronics get a separate free pickup that doesn’t count against your annual limit. Critical to know: LASAN serves only properties within City of LA limits, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Inglewood, Torrance, and Long Beach are NOT served by LASAN. Most apartment buildings use recycLA franchise haulers, not LASAN. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Los Angeles rule for water heaters: Water heaters are specifically listed for free metal appliance pickup. Drain it completely before moving it to the curb.
Program basics: Unlimited. LASAN describes it as an unlimited curbside service at no additional charge. Pickup happens on your regular trash day. Put the items at the curb by your normal collection time on the scheduled trash day, clear of bins and cars. Setting bulky items out without a request counts as illegal dumping in the City of LA.
What the city will not take: Automotive parts and used oil (including tires), construction materials such as concrete, bricks, and dirt, commercial appliances, paint, solvents and chemicals, medicines and needles, fluorescent lights, and cardboard (that goes in the blue bin).
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: LA Sanitation: Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup (updated September 2026), LA Sanitation: Metal Appliance Pickup, LA Sanitation: S.A.F.E. Centers (household hazardous waste and e-waste), MyLA311 service requests. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Los Angeles. LA operates four S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) Collection Centers for residents to dispose of paint, motor oil, propane tanks, sharps, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics, and household chemicals at no charge. Open Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM-3 PM. Limit: 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle per visit. Pack items in cardboard or plastic bins, label original containers, stay in your vehicle during unloading for safety. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, and most pharmacies for unused medications. California state law (the Electronic Waste Recycling Act) bans e-waste from regular trash.
Why water heaters are different from ordinary bulk. The weight problem is entirely water. People try to tip a tank that has not fully drained and discover that 30 remaining gallons weigh 250 pounds. Sediment at the bottom can also clog the drain valve, leaving the tank heavier than it looks. Flushing with the cold supply on for a minute often clears it.
Three mistakes that get water heaters left at the curb:
Paid options come into play for basement tanks with difficult stairs, heat pump units, and situations where no replacement is being installed.
Self-haul to a transfer station or scrap yard
Free to $15A drained tank lies flat in a pickup bed or a large SUV. Scrap yards take them free; transfer stations may charge a small bulky item fee.
Strap it down. An empty tank rolls.
LoadUp paid water heater pickup
$80+For households who can’t wait weeks for an LASAN appointment, exceed 10 annual collections, live in 5+ unit buildings, or live outside City of LA limits where LASAN doesn’t serve, LoadUp offers professional removal across Greater LA with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your water heater. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book water heater pickup in Los Angeles with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Los Angeles proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Los Angeles junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national water heater disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Los Angeles: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Los Angeles pick up water heaters for free?
Yes. Drain it and request a free metal appliance pickup a day ahead of your trash day.
How much does paid water heater removal cost in Los Angeles?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single water heater pickup in Los Angeles starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who can’t wait weeks for an LASAN appointment, exceed 10 annual collections, live in 5+ unit buildings, or live outside City of LA limits where LASAN doesn’t serve, LoadUp offers professional removal across Greater LA with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
How do I drain a water heater before disposal?
Turn off the gas or the breaker and shut the cold water supply. Connect a garden hose to the drain valve and run it to a floor drain or outside. Open a hot tap upstairs and the T&P valve to let air in. When the flow stops, open the cold supply briefly to flush sediment, then close it and let the tank finish draining. Expect 20 to 40 minutes for a 50 gallon tank.
Can a water heater go out with bulk trash?
In most cities, yes, as long as it is drained. Some cities treat it as an appliance with its own appointment. Check the local rule in the directory below.
Will a scrap yard pay for an old water heater?
Usually a few dollars for the steel, more for a tankless unit with a copper heat exchanger. Most yards require the tank to be fully drained and some ask that the drain valve be removed.
Is there anything hazardous in a water heater?
Standard gas and electric tanks contain no refrigerant or regulated materials. Heat pump water heaters contain refrigerant in the compressor and must be handled like a refrigerator. The glass lining and the magnesium or aluminum anode rod are inert.
Is this Los Angeles page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Los Angeles guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.