You pulled your wedding ring off to wash some dishes and, a second later, the ring fell down the drain.
This is a pretty terrifying situation for a lot of people, and it’s a situation that often costs hundreds of dollars if you need to hire a plumber to retrieve it – if the plumber can retrieve it at all.
In this article, we’re going to tell you the easy way to get your ring out of the drain. We’ve spoken to John The Plumber, the plumber Oakville residents have counted on since 2006!
What you’ll need to get your ring out of the drain pipes
In order to retrieve a ring from the drain, we’re going to need a few things:
- 1) A bucket.
- 2) A rag.
- 3) You may need a wrench.
- 4) Gloves are optional but encouraged.
- 5) Shopvac / wet/dry vacuum
The best way to get a ring out of a sink drain
If your ring has fallen down the sink, the first thing to do is shut off the water!
Do not let any more water go down the drain, or you may flush your ring out of your plumbing system.
If your ring washes out of your system, you’re going to be out of luck!
If your ring is still inside your P-trap, however, follow these easy steps to retrieve it:
- 1) Shut off the water supply.
- 2) Place a bucket under the P-trap, under the sink
- 3) Open the P-trap (unscrew both sides)
- 4) Retrieve the ring
- 5) Reassemble
- 6) Turn the water supply back on
- 7) Run the water to ensure no water leaks from the pipe into the bucket.
The best way to get a ring out of a shower drain
Shower drains are a little trickier than sink drains. Unfortunately, you probably don’t have easy access to the P-trap.
According to this Oakville drain cleaner, a good place to start is to remove the shower drain strainer, set your shop vac to vacuum water, turn on the vacuum, and insert the hose into the drain.
If you’re lucky, you’ll retrieve the ring without needing to damage any walls or ceilings.
However, if this doesn’t work, you’ll need to locate the P-trap under the shower and follow the same steps as retrieving a ring from a sink drain.
The issue, however, is that you’ll likely need to cut into your ceiling or walls. Worst of all, unless you insert a drain camera into the drain, you’ll have no way to confirm whether or not the ring is in the P-trap.
Unfortunately, if you can’t find your ring in the P-traps, there’s a good chance it’s gone. At this point, your best option may be to hire a drain service company and search the drains with a camera.
We wish you good luck!
Great stuff