Share:

Few sounds are as disheartening as the clink of a precious piece of jewelry falling into the drain. Fortunately, whether you’ve lost a ring in the bathtub or had an earring fall into the kitchen sink, your jewelry isn’t gone forever. Below are a few simple tricks for retrieving your pieces before calling in a plumber.

How to Retrieve Jewelry from the Drain

1. Go Fishing With a Magnet

Gold and silver aren’t magnetic, so this trick won’t work if your jewelry is made of precious metal. However, many types of alloys do contain iron, so you may be able to fish your jewelry out of the plumbing. Simply tie a powerful magnet to a piece of string and lower it gently into the drain.

2. Try a Drain Snake

Drain snakes, also known as zip tools, are flexible, barbed pieces of plastic often used to clear out clogs. They can also grab onto necklaces and perhaps rings and earrings. Snakes are available at any hardware store and typically cost just a few dollars.

3. Remove the P-Trap

plumber

Every drain features a P-trap, which keeps gas from escaping the drains. These traps also trap small, heavy objects that fall into the drain, like precious jewelry.

Fortunately, removing the P-trap is fairly simple. First, place a bucket or pan underneath the curve in the pipe to catch water as it falls. Then simply unscrew the pipe from the top, swing the assembly out, and detach the other side.

4. Use a Wet Vac

Unfortunately, P-traps attached to bathtubs usually aren’t accessible without demolishing the floor or wall. If you have a wet/dry vacuum, you may be able to suck the jewelry out of the drain.

If you have a wet/dry vac available, try putting the hose against the drain and turning it on. Many hardware stores rent out shop vacs on an hourly basis if you don’t have one on hand.

 

If your jewelry has vanished down the drain, contact the plumbers at A All Valley Plumbing & Sewer Service. No job is too big or too small for their experienced plumbers, who have the tools and experience to retrieve your valuables safely. Visit their website for more on their plumbing services, or call (513) 733-3311 for immediate assistance in an emergency.

tracking