View Full Version : Dropped diamond earring in bathtub
danielle2011
Aug 18, 2009, 12:02 PM
Pleaseeee helppp!! I was taking a shower and then my diamond earring fell into the drain. Is there any ideas to how I can get my earring back?? I am freaking out. The water was on so I am a little worried... is there any ideas to how I can get it out without destroying the bathtub as well! This would be very helpful. Thank you... pleaseeee!
N0help4u
Aug 18, 2009, 12:05 PM
It is probably all the way to the storm drain by now. I really doubt there is any getting it back no matter what you try
massplumber2008
Aug 18, 2009, 03:48 PM
Hi Danielle:
I'm going to hope that you shut the water off as soon as that earring hit the drain and perhaps it hasn't gone too far!
If you are lucky the earring is stuck in the tub waste assembly (see pic.). It could also be stuck in the PTRAP just under the tub waste.
First thing to do is to get to the ptrap and see if you can remove the cleanout at the bottom (see picture... unscrews clockwise). Get a bucket and unscrew the cleanout and see what falls into the bucket (you can be sure water from the trap will fall into the bucket). If no earring falls into the bucket at that point then you will need to run the water in the tub and see if you can force the earring into the bucket. Jiggle the trip lever a few times in case it got stuck in some soap scum... ;)
Try these things... maybe you'll get lucky!
MARK
letmetellu
Aug 18, 2009, 05:47 PM
It is possible that the earring stopped in the trap. And if it did it is posssible to get it our using a vacuum. But if you do not know much about a shop vac I would get someone that has used one and have them try to suck the earring back into the shopvac.
speedball1
Aug 19, 2009, 06:20 AM
First thing to do is to get to the ptrap and see if you can remove the cleanout at the bottom (see picture... unscrews clockwise). Get a bucket and unscrew the cleanout and see what falls into the bucket (you can be sure water from the trap will fall into the bucket). If no earring falls into the bucket at that point then you will need to run the water in the tub and see if you can force the earring into the bucket. Jiggle the trip lever a few times in case it got stuck in some soap scum...
Not all "P" traps have cleanouts on the bottom. None of ours do. DO NOT RUN ANY WATER IN THE TUB You'll simply force the earring farther on down the drain line and you'll never see it again.
The tub trap's located in a dap out, (hole) behind the drain. I like letmetellus thing with the shoip vac. Remove the face plate and linkage, close off the tub waste and overflow so it's air tight and Place the shop vac over the tub drain, ( why isn't there a strainer over that tub drain?) and try to suck the water out of the trap. Hopefully you earring will be found in the shop vac.
About the only other thing you can do is cut the trap out and dump the water out.
Good luck, Tom