What To Do if You Lose a Ring Down the Drain
Luckily, you’re not the first person to end up in this scenario, and with plenty of people blazing the trail before you, there are several tried-and-true steps to follow to get that ring out of the sink drain.
What Happens if My Ring Goes Down the Drain?
Your ring isn’t lost forever! The first and most important is the same in all scenarios: Don’t panic. The second most important step: If the tap is running, shut it off. This will keep the ring from being washed further down the drain and into the pipes.
With the water off, your next plan of attack depends on if you’re retrieving a ring from a sink with or without a garbage disposal. If your sink has a garbage disposal, more care is required to keep you and your jewelry safe.
How To Get a Ring Out of a Sink Without a Garbage Disposal
1. Don’t Run Anymore Water Down the Drain
Don’t run the faucet, as this could make your ring move deeper into your pipes, making retrieval much harder. Turn off the water supply to your sink. This can be done by closing the valves underneath the sink, or by shutting off the main water supply to your home.
2. Try Using a Magnet
If the ring you lost down the drain is gold or silver, this step will need to be skipped, as gold and silver aren’t magnetic. However, if your ring is iron, steel, nickel, or any other magnetic metal, this is a technique to try.
Securely tie a magnet to a string or cord, and lower it into the sink. With any luck, the ring will attach to the magnet and can be slowly raised back out of the sink.
3. Place a Bucket Under the P-Trap
This is where the process becomes much more involved. The P-trap is the curved pipe underneath the sink, and the likely resting place of the ring dropped down the drain. Place a bucket underneath the P-Trap in preparation for catching any water in the next steps.
4. Locate the Access Plug on the P-Trap
If you’ve never attempted this before, and you feel like it’s something too far outside your comfort zone, it may be best to leave this step to a professional. Some P-traps come with an access plug (also known as a drain plug or clean-out plug).
Removing this plug will let the contents of the P-trap drain straight into the bucket underneath, and should produce the ring if it’s in the P-trap. Replace the plug once done.
If there’s no plug, the P-trap can be removed using the nuts at either end of the U-bend pipe. Loosening the nuts on either end, the U-bend pipe can be removed. If either trap fastener is proving difficult to unscrew, a wrench can be used to loosen the nut, but be careful not to damage or strip the nut in the process.
5. Empty the P-Trap
Dump the contents of the P-trap into the bucket. If the ring is in the water, congratulations! Re-attach the P-trap, and you’re all set.
If not, the ring may be stuck further up in the kitchen sink tailpiece (the metal pipe connected to the “front” of the P-trap), which should now be easier to retrieve with your hands or a bit of wire before replacing the P-trap.
If the ring is lodged deeper into the sink piping, it’s most likely time to throw in the towel and call a professional.
How To Retrieve a Ring From a Sink With a Garbage Disposal
1. Cut the Power
Dealing with a garbage disposal adds the extra layer of dealing with electricity in addition to water. To avoid being shocked while recovering a ring that washed down the drain, make sure the power to the disposal is turned off in addition to turning off the water supply.
This is best done at the electrical breaker, rather than just using the switch, to fully ensure no electrical accidents take place.
2. Locate & Extract
If the ring can be seen within the disposal from outside the drain, try to retrieve it using a utensil or wire. Use a tool before using your hands to avoid being hurt while fishing for the ring.
3. Try the P-Trap
If the ring can’t be seen, and it appears to have gone further into the sink, it’s also possible it was washed into the sink’s P-trap. Try retrieving it by following the steps laid out above in the “Without a Garbage Disposal” section.
4. Call a Professional Plumber
If the ring has become lodged in the grinder of the garbage disposal or found its way further into the sink than is accessible, it’s best to call an expert to handle the recovery.
In either scenario, there’s no shame in turning to a licensed professional to recover a ring that’s down the sink drain. Dealing with plumbing, even in matters that seem simple, can create more major issues, and the best way to avoid that is to let someone experienced take the reins.
Call Duane Blanton Plumbing for Drain Cleaning Services in the Chicago Metro Area
If you need an emergency ring retrieval, or if other plumbing issues have come up, consider contacting Duane Blanton Plumbing. Our experts can answer any question and are ready to help resolve any plumbing issue you have.
Call our licensed professionals at (815) 781-2567 to schedule jewelry retrieval or drain cleaning services today.
