Our old water softener just broke and released all the resin beads into our hot water heater. I've been draining it but a significant amount of beads went into the drain pan under the hot water heater. I was a bit concerned that if these were flammable, that it would be a hazard to run the how water heater.
— EDIT
I took them outside and tried to light them. They did blacken after a while and let off a nasty fume, but the stack did not continue to light after the flame was removed. I would still recommend testing your own if anyone else reads this answer with a similar conscern
Best Answer
I would highly doubt that they are flammable. Water softener beads are made from zeolites, which are aluminosilicates (minerals containing aluminium, silicon, and oxygen). They are much more similar to clay than organic resins, although they may be manufactured with a binder of some sort. If you're really worried that they are flammable, try burning some of them - I'm guessing it would be similar to trying to burn a brick.