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So, let me start by saying I’m an idiot. As implied by the title, I spilled pvc primer in my water softener tank. I was installing a whole house filter overhead and doing the piping and knocked it down. In addition, the tank was partially filled with water (rather than just salt...that’s a whole different story).

So now the tank is filled with a combination of salt, water, and pvc cement. At this point, do I get rid of the softener entirely? Empty the water/salt, clean, then reuse? Do nothing and trust the primer won’t kill me?

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    You want us to tell you if it is safe to consume pvc primer? Read the container, what does it say to do if ingested? When did you last refill the stock? Are we talking ~$30-50 of material? and peace of mind? I don't think it is an opinion to say clean it out and not make a bad situation even a wee bit worse. – noybman Jan 5 at 22:45
  • Was it primer or cement that yiu spilled? – Kris Jan 5 at 23:11
  • @noybman-I was kidding about the third option. My real question is whether I need to trash the whole thing or if it can be cleaned. @Kris—the primer – dfife Jan 6 at 10:10
  • I asked because the title says primer but in the last paragraph you say cement. Primer with its 30-40% acetone content would quickly mix with the water and necessitate trashing all the content of the tank. – Kris Jan 6 at 14:12
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If, you are speaking of the salt tank and not the water softner, since the water softner should be a sealed unit, just remove the salt and flush out the tank and install new salt. By the way, how did the primer get into a tank that is sealed or a salt tank that has a top on it?

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  • It leaked into the brine tank from the sides. I spilled a LOT! – dfife Jan 7 at 21:03

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