My Mum has lost her wedding ring when taking a shower, and it has presumably washed away down the drain. Is there a way to retrieve the precious ring? Can it be saved?

Use a shop vacuum, no guarantee but possible.

Thank you. I have tried that but not had any luck.

Hopefully it is caught in the 'trap,' an elbow shape or sometimes a drum.
Hopefully you have a cellar and can find it and cut it with a hacksaw if it is plastic. New parts are cheap.
If no easy access, and/or if the drains are cast iron or steel, then you have a lot more work to do, and I would call a plumber.
And not use that shower until you find it!

Try using a Zipit drain cleaning rod. Zip-It Clean - TO UNCLOG DRAIN 1. Insert into drain – 2. Push all the way in. – 3. Pull out clog – IT'S THAT SIMPLE! (http://zipitclean.com/) It may take several tries but the rod is covered with tiny hooks

Is this a stand up shower or is it a tub with a shower?

Hi Rdoolan

First, how old is the home? If it is real old, then there is a small chance that you have a WHOLE HOUSE TRAP (see image) that may still have the ring in it. Here, the whole house trap usually has 2 cleanouts near the front or back of the building...check to see if it is in there using the wet/dry vac. (if present).

Otherwise, yeah, if you can get to the tub (or shower) trap from below, it may have a small cleanout there on the trap. Here, remove that cleanout plug and see if the ring is there (flush the trap with water from the tub and catch water/ring into a bucket). If the ring doesn't show up at the trap cleanout then I say you cut the trap out to be sure the ring isn't caught up in the trap or the tub waste assembly itself.

If that doesn't show the ring, the next thing you could do is to open the MAIN DRAIN CLEANOUT (if you don't have whole house trap) and make a "catch stick" using an old pair of nylons wrapped around a metal coat hanger shaped so you can get the catcher into the main drain pipe. Here, you would fill the tub to the rim or fill the washing machine to the top (or both) and then let the water drain out of the fixtures while trying to catch the ring as it is forced down the drain.

If this shows nothing then you could get a drain company in with a DRAIN CAMERA..see if they can locate it. A final step would be to contact your local sewer authority and offer a reward if they can find it in a sewer man hole or elsewhere...;)

Hope these suggestions turn that ring up...I'm sure your Mother is heartbroken!!

Mark

Most showers have a drain cover. If yours does, then Mum is mistaken about where and when she lost it.