Paul's Travel Pictures

How To Retrieve Something Dropped Down A Sink Drain Trap
How to get out a jewelry item that fell in to a sink drain trap such as a ring or earring & also clean a clogged pipe.

Main Menu            Home           Digital Cameras

Misc. Pictures            Articles            My Blog

How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-001
1960's Bathroom Sink
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-002
U-Bend Drain Pipe Trap
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-003
Turn Off Water Valves
Many of us have experienced that awful feeling of dropping something important down a sink drain such as a ring, earring or any other piece of jewelry.

But luckily almost all sink drains are required by plumbing code to be equipped with a "trap" known as a P-trap or U-bend, which is a curved pipe that prevents sewer gas from passing back in to the building.

The trap also collects heavy things at the bottom of the pipe such as jewelry that is accidentally dropped in the drain.

This DIY plumbing guide will show you how to disassemble the drain trap pipe and retrieve your "precious" item.

The instructions would also be useful if your drain isn't working properly and you need to unclog a pipe full of hair or debris.

No tools are required to complete this procedure.

You might need slip joint pliers to loosen the plastic slip nuts if they are very tight or the trap has old corroded metal slip nuts.



 
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-004
Turn Off Hot Water - Clockwise
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-005
White Plastic Slip Nut
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-006
Loosen - Turn Counter Clockwise
The first two steps are to turn off both the hot water and cold water supply valves. This will prevent you from accidentally turning on the faucet and flushing your item out of the trap and in to the sewer system.

Close the valves by turning them clockwise until they stop.

Then locate the drain trap pipe below the sink which might be shaped like a "U", "J" or "P".

This curved piece of PVC pipe will have two large plastic or metal "slip joint" nuts holding it in place.

Place a small bucket or towel below the sink to catch any water that may spill out.

Loosen the nut closest to the wall by turning it counter clockwise.

How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-007
Place Towel On Ground
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-008
Drain Slip Nut Removed
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-009
Loosen 2nd Slip Nut
Loosen the slip nut that connects the trap to the sink drain pipe by turning it counter clockwise.
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-010
Rotate U-Bend Trap
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-011
Pull Out Hair Clog
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-012
Drain Trap Pipe Removed
Turn the trap to allow some of the water to escape.

If you see a clump of hair or any other clog, pull it out of the trap.



 

How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-013
Plastic Toiletry Cap
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-014
Face Lotion Cap Removed
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-015
Clean Out "J" Pipe Trap
Carefully remove the trap pipe from underneath the sink.

Either pull out your lost item with your fingers or pour the contents of the trap in to a bucket.

Be sure to clean any jewelry that you may have dropped in to the drain with soapy hot water before wearing it again.

The item that I needed to retrieve from our bathroom sink drain was just a plastic cap for a fancy face lotion cream.

Flush out any other debris or gunk from the trap by flushing it with hot water.

You may need to use a wire brush to scrub off greasy deposits on the inside of the trap that could build up and cause the drain to become clogged.

How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-016
Line Up Drain Trap Pipe
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-017
Spin On 1st Slip Nut
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-018
Tighten Both Slip Nuts
Line up the trap with the other pipes and spin on the slip nuts by hand.

Tighten the nuts by turning them clockwise to just past hand tight.

How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-019
Turn On Hot Water Valve
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-020
Cold Water - Counter Clockwise
How-To-Get-Something-Dropped-In-To-Sink-Drain-Trap-021
Turn On Faucet - Test For Leaks
Turn on the hot and cold water valves by turning them counter clockwise until they stop. Be sure to open the valves all the way to fully seat the rubber washer inside and prevent the valves from leaking.

Turn on the water faucet and let it run for a minute to check for leaks. If the drain trap pipe has a water leak, tighten the two slip nuts a bit more.

For more, check out my Home Repair & Maintenance Guides.
 

If you found this guide to be helpful, please consider making a small donation by clicking on the PayPal.com "Donate" button located to the right of this paragraph. Thank you!
(Note: I am not a registered charity. Donations are not tax deductible.)

Main Menu       Home       Digital Cameras

Misc. Pictures       Articles       My Blog

 

Copyright 2024 © PaulsTravelPictures.com
 All Rights Reserved ®

Paul's Travel Pictures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Privacy Policy     About Paul & Author Contact Info