What To Do If Your Child Puts Something Down The Drain

By Author: Drainblaster Plumbing Services
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Children are a blessing, but they can also be...well, a pain. It seems they never miss an opportunity to make a mess or cause a bit of havoc around your house. One of the most common situations, especially with little kids and toddlers, is someone putting something down the drain. Only water and soap should go down your sink, shower, or bath drain. Toys, candy, rocks, jewelry, and other small items can cause a big problem for your pipes. Don't panic! Simply follow a few steps:

Try a Magnet
If you're lucky, you won't need to read past the first suggestion on this list. If the item that went down the drain is made of metal, you may be able to retrieve it with a strong magnet. Try tying the magnet to a string and slowly lowering it down the drain. Hopefully, the magnet will latch onto the item and you can pull it out of the drain.

Open Up the P-Trap
Every drain will have a p-trap, which is designed to hold enough water to form a seal that prevents sewer gases from coming out through your sink. Thankfully, this trap is also great at catching objects that go down a drain. The P-trap is a section of piping ...
... usually located directly under a drain fixture. It’s called the P-trap because it kind of looks like the letter ‘P’. Place a bucket underneath the trap before you start disconnecting it. All of the water is going to fall into the bucket as soon as the pipe becomes loose, and hopefully, the object your child put down the drain will come out as well.

Call a Professional Plumber
None of your DIY tricks have worked, so it's time to call in a professional for a Birmingham, AL drain cleaning service. This may not be how you wanted to spend your money, but spending a little now is a much better idea than letting a major issue occur and having to spend a lot later on. If the item causes a major blockage or you cause serious damage trying to get it out on your own, you'll wish you hired a Birmingham, AL drain cleaning service when you had the chance!

Install Drain Guards
You hired your professional drain cleaning service in Birmingham, AL and the blockage is gone. This big event is over, but what about next time? Let's make sure there never is a next time! Take a precautionary measure now by installing drain guards. They will prevent items from going down the drain, and even catch hair that tends to cause clogs. They are easy to put in place. In fact, there are incredibly simple drain guards that attach over a drain with suction to keep them in place.

Go ahead and try to get the toy or other lost item out yourself. If it doesn't come out easily, it's time to call in a professional! Then, put guards in place so this problem doesn't happen again.