There are some steps you can take when you drop something down the drain in an attempt to retrieve it, but if all else fails, call the professionals.
Dropping something down the drain is almost always a stressful situation. It’s a good idea to keep drain strainers and plugs around to avoid this issue as much as possible, but even then, it can still happen to anyone at any time. Items that have been dropped down the drain should always be recovered, and there are a few simple ways to try to find them without having to call your local plumber to fish them out.
Stop the Water
If water is running when you drop something down the drain, turn it off immediately. The flow of water will carry it further down the line, lowering your chance of finding it without needing to call for professional help.
Check the Trap
The first bend in your plumbing below the sink is known as the trap or a J-trap (due to the J-shaped pipe that creates the trap area). This can easily be removed with some basic tools. Before you take off the J-trap, place an empty bucket below it. Once that’s done, you can safely remove it and shake it out to see if your item is in there. This is a likely scenario, but it’s never guaranteed that your item will be stopped by the J-trap. If it’s not there, you can potentially try using a magnet.
Use a Magnet
This only works if the item dropped is magnetized. One of the most common victims of drains, jewelry, is often not magnetic and will not be able to be fished out using this method. If your item is magnetic, however, you can tie a magnet with a long string or length of yarn (make sure your knots are very strong and tight) and carefully send it down the drain. With any luck, your item won’t be too far gone, and you’ll be able to fish it out of your plumbing.
Call the Professionals
If these attempts don’t work, it might be time to call a professional. We often want to ignore the cost if the item that has been dropped isn’t something valuable, but any solid object in your plumbing can get stuck somewhere and slowly create a serious clog that will cost significantly more to fix later on. It’s best to err on the side of caution and call in the professionals to clear out whatever’s been dropped if you can’t get to it yourself.
Call Mahon Plumbing Today
If you still have more questions regarding your plumbing, we here at Mahon Plumbing are here to help. We have been serving the wider Baltimore area since 1994, so we have 25 years of experience to back up our fantastic service! Call us at our Baltimore location at 410-766-8566 or our Pasadena location at 410-636-7944. Be sure to keep up with us on social media by following us on Facebook or Twitter.