Picture this: you’re rinsing dishes after a delicious meal —
you grab the dish soap, squirt a little onto a sponge and start scrubbing.
Suddenly, you feel your necklace come loose and before you can stop to
secure it, it slides right off your neck and down into the drain. Before
you panic, take a deep breath and know that there is in fact, a way for
you to retrieve it.
Step 1 – Grab A Magnet
There’s a chance your necklace has some magnetivity so before you
get down and dirty unscrewing some of the drain’s components, grab
a magnet and see if you can attract it. If that works, all you need to
do is lift up and voila, your necklace can be placed back around your neck.
Step 2 – Turn Off The Water Supply
If you don’t have a magnet handy, or if you tried step 1, but your
necklace isn’t magnetic, turn off the water supply. You’ll
want to do this before you start messing with the p-trap.
Step 3 – Unscrew The Slip Nuts
Once you locate the p-trap (the U-shaped) pipe underneath the sink, use
a large channel lock or a pipe wrench to loosen the slip nuts on either
side of the trap.
Step 4 – Remove The Trap
We suggest placing a small budget underneath the trap before disassembling
it as there’s a good chance some water will leak out. But once you
remove the trap, your piece of jewelry should be visible.
Step 5 – Replace The Trap
Re-assemble the p-trap and tighten up those slip nuts. Then sit back and
marvel at the fact you were just able to retrieve a valuable piece of
jewelry all on your own!
If none of the above steps allows you to retrieve your jewelry, you can
always call in a plumber for backup! Give the experts at
Hero Plumbing, Heating & Cooling a call at (612) 324-1004.
