What You Can Do When You Drop Something Down the Drain

Whether it’s earrings, a toothbrush or even contact lenses, it can be a bit problematic if you accidentally drop something down the drain. For some things. such as items the size of toothbrushes, you could try removing the drain catch and feeling around in the pipe with a bent coat hanger; however, you may need to open up your drain to safely retrieve smaller items properly.

As a reputable company in plumbing and repiping, Santana Bros Plumbing explains what you can do below:

Open Up Your Sink

First, turn the water off immediately after dropping anything down the drain. This is important if you want to retrieve your item. Next, you’ll need to put a bucket under the fixture’s piping, as the sludge from the pipes can get messy when you open up the sink plug from the P-trap pipes. Your fixture’s P-trap is a section of piping usually located directly under the drain fixture. It resembles a ‘P’ shape, which is why it’s called the P-trap. If you have any items under the sink beneath your fixture, make sure to clear them out first so you’ll have more space to maneuver.

Next, you’ll have to remove the drain plug. To do this, close the plug in the sink completely by pulling up on the plunger behind the faucet that opens and closes the plug. Then you’ll need to find the horizontal pivot arm connected to your plumbing, which will likely be on its backside. You should see a metal rod extending from the p-trap up through a hole in the fixture. The shorter end of the rod will be held by a retaining nut; make sure to unscrew this to disconnect the plunger from the connecting rod.

Once you pull the drain plug out of the hole in the fixture, you might be able to go into the drain directly to retrieve your lost item. Use a grasping tool such as pliers to see if you can retrieve the item.

Call In a Professional

Whether you’re unable to retrieve the item yourself or just don’t want to get messy, you can always call in a professional plumber to do the job for you. In the meantime, we strongly advise that you not use the sink, else your item may be swept away into the water system. An experienced plumber will be able to inspect your P-trap thoroughly and retrieve your lost item safely.

When it comes to installing plumbing and tankless water heaters, you can count on Santana Bros Plumbing to get the job done right! To get started, just contact us at (713) 494-5504 or fill out our convenient contact form.