Household ruling

Can melted ice go down the drain?

YES

Surprisingly uncontroversial: plain water is invited.

Sink or drainOkay
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Garbage disposalCheck first
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ToiletCheck first
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Septic systemCheck first

01

Why the pipe objects

Clean melted ice is ordinary water, provided it is not contaminated with road salt, automotive fluids or cleaning chemicals.

02

Do this instead

Pour clean meltwater down a sink; dispose of contaminated outdoor meltwater according to local guidance.

03

Already did it?

Nothing to fix. Just avoid sending a huge volume into a septic system all at once, because excess water can overload it.