Even though the drains in most bathroom sinks look very small, many kinds of jewelry seem to slip right past the stopper if they are accidentally dropped into the sink. Everything from a family heirloom necklace to your one of a kind engagement ring can slip away in a fraction of a second, leaving you momentarily heartbroken.
Fortunately, most of these lost treasures can be recovered from the trap under your bathroom sink. And all you will need is are a few everyday household items and basic tools to do the job yourself. Or you can make a quick call to the pros at Action Air Plumbing and Septic at 806-583-3558. Our team is here to assist you 24/7 every day of the year. But be sure NOT to turn on the water in the bathroom sink until the removal process is completed. Shutting off the water valves under the sink is a great way to ensure that no one else in the house accidentally washes your treasure away.
What Is A P-Trap
When you look under your bathroom sink, you will see a pipe that has a very pronounced U-shape. This assembly is called a p-trap, and it has a few jobs. First, it catches debris and accidentally dropped jewelry, before it washes into oblivion in the city sewer system. Second, it holds a small amount of water that prevents sewer gases and foul odors from entering your home.
Saving Your Jewelry
You will need to round up a bucket or large bowl to catch the water that will drain from the pipe. It is also a good idea to have a few old towels or rags handy to soak up any spills or splashes. You will also need a pair of pliers or channel locks. And you might want to put on some rubber glove because there can be some nasty gunk inside the p-trap. With all of these items in place, you are ready to recover your lost item.
- At each end of the trap, there is a large nut that you will need to loosen by turning it counterclockwise. Just start the process with the pliers and finish turning each nut by hand so that you can gently remove the trap and place it carefully in the bucket.
- In the best case, you can pour the somewhat clean water from the trap and watch your lost piece of jewelry tumble into the bucket. In the worst case, you will need to pull globs of hair and other debris from the trap to reveal your lost item.
- After thoroughly cleaning the gunk from the trap, realign it with the drain pipes and hand tighten the nuts turning them clockwise this time. Next, carefully tighten the nuts with the pliers. Over tightening these nuts can damage them or the drain pipes and make your project much more time consuming and expensive.
- Finally, turn the water back on to your bathroom sink and test the drain to make sure there are no leaks.
If you did not locate your lost piece of jewelry, don’t give up hope just yet. There is still a very good possibility that the professionals from Action Air & Plumbing can retrieve it for you using some specialized equipment. But you need to call 806-583-3558 immediately. And DO NOT use any water in your home until our plumber has arrived and located your lost treasure. Flushing any toilet or running water down any drain could wash away all hope of every revering your lost item.
Hopefully, this experience has a happy ending for you as you recover your lost jewelry. But the lesson to take away is that a mesh screen in your bathroom sink drain will serve several purposes. First, it will prevent any valuables from every slipping away down the drain. And second, it is a great way to catch a lot of the foreign debris that washes down your bathroom sink and create nasty clogs. And for less than a buck, it is a very sound investment to prevent many plumbing emergencies from your future.
