Whether you dropped a precious piece of jewelry down the drain or another item of value, you will likely want it safely back. Of course, a plumber can always help you, but there are a few things you can try yourself as well. Before panicking, read through some of these solutions and figure out what your best option is.

Magnets

Now keep in mind, this trick does not work on non-magnetic precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. However, if the jewelry down the drain has other magnetic metals, try drawing it out with a magnet attached to a string. Carefully feed the magnet into the drain, and slowly pull it back up. If you pull it up to roughly, the jewelry will likely fall off the magnet, leaving you back at square one.

Hooking Tools

Dropping non-magnetic (and likely more valuable) jewelry down the drain is probably more concerning. A metal coat hanger can be a useful tool if straightened out and used to try and hook the lost jewelry. Feed it into the drain like a snake and try to hook the jewelry to pull it out.
A four-pronged tool is also extremely useful for this purpose. Purchase this inexpensive tool at your local hardware store. It is great to have around the house, especially if this is not the first time you have dropped jewelry down the drain and probably will not be the last. The tool is long and flexible and has a four-pronged end that can grab your dropped items. Bring the tool and jewelry up slowly so you do not drop them again.

Looking in the P-Trap

If you could not get the jewelry down the drain out with magnets and hooks, or simply do not have time to play high stakes claw machine, it may be time to get your hands dirty and take apart the P-Trap. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself (remember it must go back together correctly), a plumber can do this for you as well. Always turn off the water first and place a bucket under the P-Trap. Loosen the slip nuts and remove the curved pipe. Dump the contents into the bucket, and your jewelry should have come out with it. Screw the P-Trap back into place and turn the water back on.

At Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing, we can help return your lost items to safety. If your attempts to extract the jewelry down the drain did not go as planned, give us a call.

Related Topics: Plumbing Tips // Residential Plumbing

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.