How do I retrieve a Flushed Item?
People drop things. It’s a blatant matter of fact that we are all prone to a bit of clumsiness from time to time. There are innocuous moments to drop things and then there are particularly egregious moments to drop things. For instance, dropping something while you are standing over the toilet certainly makes for a nervous moment of sudden terror. It is even worse when you drop an item while the toilet is mid-flush. For something important (like a wedding or engagement ring), you might want to call an emergency plumber to help dig it out for you. But, if you have the tools and are relatively handy, you can manage to find it on your own.
For the most part, a solid metallic object like a ring will not continue downstream through the pipes. This is because there are natural bends and curves that are made specifically for liquid only to pass through. The item will likely find a resting place, somewhere in one of these flat alcoves. Of course, it might actually lodge itself into the actual drain of the toilet. If you feel like your toilet is sanitary enough (or you’re just brave) you can reach down to the drain to see if it got lodged there. This is sometimes the case with larger items like fingernail clippers.
If that doesn’t produce any results, then you might have to try a snake. That doesn’t mean that you’ll have to go find a slimy, footless reptile, but you will need a plumbing snake. You can send one of these snakes down the toilet to see if you can pry the lost item out of the drain or the pipes. If you don’t have a snake, then you may need to enlist the services of an emergency plumber. They will likely be equipped with a snake or at least the general knowledge of how to retrieve flushed items.
Still, if you don’t have any designs on calling a plumber, you could potentially remove the toilet to see exactly where the lost item might have gone. Again, this might be a little too unsanitary and there are a lot of tools and technical aspects that you’ll to use and understand when searching. In the end, you might just be better off phoning a plumber to come take a look. If the item you lost is of sentimental value, you’ll definitely want the plumber to come out to your house immediately.
In the worst case scenario, you might end up dropping something too large that clogs the toilets pipes. In this case, you’ll definitely want to call up your local emergency plumber. No one wants to have an overflowing toilet and a plumber can get to your house and fix the issue fast. It’s also a good idea to take care while you are standing above a toilet. Many plumbing emergencies are random, but this particular one is entirely preventable.
