All you plumber guys out there

[Vivid Color Zack]

Hey... So one of my really close friends lost her earring in the shower the other night. Yup. Down the drain.

What are the odds it's recoverable? Are there people that can like cap the outside feed and vacuum it out? I know we're not tearing out the whole tub and ripping up floors for it, but she's devastated it had huge sentimental value to her.

Thoughts?

[Steve B]

Check the P-trap. No need to rip anything out. I'm not sure how likely it would be to be in there, but this is easy to do. If it got past this, then it's probably gone forever.

[huggytree]

if its an old house and has a Drum trap there a really good chance its in the bottom of it (were talking 1940's and older)

if it has a P-trap its possible it could be there...it depends on how heavy it is...if its exposed in the basement id take it apart...if its not exposed then a vacuum is the only possibility.


if it was a shower only its got a 2" drain...if its a tub/shower then its got a 1 1/2" drain...the advantage to the 2" drain is the p-trap is deeper and could possibly help you by holding on to the sunken earing.

odds are less than 50% for sure. good luck.....i never find anything good inside drains or walls.

[Vivid Color Zack]

What the heck is a p-trap?

What the heck is a basement?

lol

edit - I'm very handy. I have tons of mechanical and electrical experience. I've done pool plumbing before but never anything inside the house aside from a toilet. I am sure I can check this P-trap but I have no idea what it is.

[huggytree]

under every fixture there is a Trap of some kind (toilets are built in)

its that loop-de-do thing right under the drain....if you lay it on its side it looks like a P

its called a P-trap

old houses have a drum trap...it looks like a small barrel

the purpose is to hold water and block sewer gas & vermon from coming backwards up your pipes. without it your house would smell like a sewer.

since you dont have a basement your only option is to take a wet/dry vac and suck up whats in the trap.....maybe the earing will be there...maybe not.

[Vivid Color Zack]

Worth a shot eh?


Thanks guys.

[KristineS]

So did she get the earring back?

[Vivid Color Zack]

Nope... Couldn't get anything good with the shop vac. Oh well, I tried