The drainage and sewer system is home to so many foreign objects. People are always throwing objects — voluntarily or involuntarily — down the sink, shower, and even toilet drains. Sometimes we use our drainage system to dispose of some of our items. The toilet is a main victim of all manner of bad disposals from pills to unappreciated jewelry. This is where you dump a ring or some medicines in your toilet voluntarily and flush them down your drains. But sometimes you can lose a valuable item in your kitchen sink or shower drain. You could be doing your dishes or even showering and find that your ring has gone down your kitchen sink or shower drain. At such times, you need to know how to retrieve these valuables from your drainage and sewer system. Luckily for your, the plumbing system is designed to retain solid items for some time in some sections of the drain pipes. This means that if you act fast, you will be able to retrieve your valuable item before it’s lost forever in the municipal sewer system. Here are a few tips for retrieving valuables from your kitchen drains. 

Use A Bent Coat Hanger

The first and easiest solution to this problem lies in a coat hanger. You will need a metallic coat hanger for this kind of problem. Remove the drain catch and insert the hanger with the bent end first. Try to feel around for your lost item. A bent coat hanger will come in handy when you have lost something bigger like a toothbrush or a toy. But for the smaller items like rings, you have to use one of the solutions discussed below.

Disassemble The Sink

This might appear like a very technical and hectic solution but it’s quite easy. Disassembling a kitchen sink is not very difficult. Make sure that you turn the water off and then put something below the sink plug to keep it open, Place a bucket below the sink area to catch the water. You can now unscrew the J-pipe from the section closest to the wall and near the sink. The water in the pipe will come and out and fall into the bucket. Check whether your lost valuable is inside the bucket with the water.

Use A Magnetic Or A Pronged Retrieval Tool

If your valuable item is not in the bucket, then it could be trapped in the P-trap, which is the J-shaped pipe under the sink. Now you have to access the drain from the top of the sink. You will need a retrieval tool for this job. Retrieval tools are specially designed tools that look like radio antennae; they can also retract or extend in size. There are several types of retrieval tools; some are magnetic, others are pronged, and some are both magnetic and pronged. These tools cost a few bucks in your local hardware store. Anyway, insert the retrieval tool in the drain and then use a light source to locate the lost item and grip it with the tongs or the magnet. You can now extract the lost valuable and clean it.

Call A Professional Plumber

If all these DIY solutions fail, request drain services in DC to have a professional plumber retrieve your lost valuable. They usually will be able to fish out your valuable even after it has gone down the drain pipe. A professional plumber will not only restore your valuable to you, by removing the article, they will help you avoid a clog in the future.

We require many different plumbing appliances and fixtures in the house for various household chores and activities. We have faucets and showers for supplying clean water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. We also have sinks and toilets for waste disposal. Other plumbing appliances are more sophisticated, such as washing machines, garbage disposals, water heaters, and dishwashers. These sophisticated appliances require proper care and maintenance to enhance their functionality and ensure their longevity. But even with proper care and maintenance, these plumbing appliances can still breakdown due to a number of factors. One of the most important plumbing appliances at home is the dishwasher. As the name implies, the dishwasher is used for cleaning dirty dishes. You simply put the dirty dishes inside the dishwasher and then run it for some time and the dishes will be all clean and shiny. But as mentioned above, this amazing appliance can fail from time to time. Sometimes the problem could be serious and you have to request DC plumbing services to have your dishwasher repaired. But you can also try to fix some minor faults on your own. Here are a few simple DIY repairs that you can implement on your faulty dishwasher.

Check The Water Temperature

If your dishwasher is not performing its duty properly, then you need to diagnose the problem. Sometimes the problem is caused by hot water problems. If your dishwasher is not cleaning your dirty dishes properly, then it could be a problem of low water temperature. You need your dishwasher to clean and sanitize those dirty dishes thoroughly. For this to happen, the water used in the dishwasher should be sufficiently hot. If your dishwasher does not heat the water for cleaning dishes on its own, then you have to rely on the hot water produced by your water heater. This device is usually set at 120 degrees. But to clean your dirty dishes properly, you need to adjust this temperature to 140 degrees when using your dishwasher. As you can see, you can easily solve the unclean dishes problem by adjusting the thermostat in your hot water heater when using your dishwasher.

Inspect The Spray Arm

If the spray arm in your dishwasher is not spinning properly, then you will suffer the unclean dishes problem. Most of the time the spray arm malfunctions because of trapped food remnants and other debris. You can easily fix this problem by removing the cap from the spray arm and inspecting it. Use a wire to remove any trapped debris and then close the cap and insert the spray arm back in the dishwasher and the problem is gone.

Clear The Nozzles

Another common but minor dishwasher problem that you can fix on your own is clogged nozzles. The nozzles that produce water for cleaning the dishes can also get clogged by food particles, debris, or even mineral buildup. When inspecting the spray arm and other parts of your faulty dishwasher, make sure that the nozzles are cleared and cleaned to ensure that the water comes through as intended.

Inspect The Door

The door of your dishwasher plays a very important role. It prevents water from leaking from the appliance onto the floor. If your dishwasher is leaking, then it means that the door latches are not closed properly. Check for any blocking debris that might be preventing the door from closing properly. Remove this debris, close the door, and the leaking problem is gone.

The home plumbing system is prone to all kinds of faults and problems. There are many plumbing areas and components that can suffer damage due to improper care and maintenance and also because of other physical hazards. That is why you are advised to conduct regular and thorough inspections of your home plumbing system to ensure that everything is in good condition. And if there are any existing or potential faults, then you should not hesitate to call in a professional plumber for timely repairs. One of the most susceptible plumbing areas to damage and fault at home is the piping network. This is mainly because the piping network forms the largest section of the whole plumbing system. Remember that the piping network includes all the clean water supply pipes, all the connecting pipes, and all the drainage and sewer lines. Any of these pipes can get damaged by all kinds of physical hazards. Some of these pipes are installed outdoors and are hence exposed to all kinds of environmental and man-made hazards. Others like the drainage and sewer lines are installed below the ground and can hence be damaged by many physical hazards. Today we are going to look at some of the most common piping problems and how they can be fixed.

Leaking Pipes

Leaks are some of the most common piping problems in any plumbing system. Pipes can start leaking because of many different factors or reasons. A metallic pipe can start leaking due to severe corrosion, which can undermine its structural integrity. A pipe can also start leaking if it’s damaged by a physical hazard. You can be nailing something to your walls and you accidentally puncture a pipe installed inside the walls. Outdoor pipes can be damaged by all kinds of agents including animals, tree roots, bad weather, vandalism, and so on. Old pipes can start leaking simply because they are worn out by old age. All these hazards can cause any of your pipes to start leaking. The leaks can be minor or heavy. For minor leaks, you can try to stem the water loss using plumber’s tape or any other readily available material. For heavy leaks, you should call a professional plumber as soon as possible to avoid a flooding problem in your house.

Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes usually occur during the cold season. This is when the water flowing in your pipes freezes due to extremely low temperatures experienced during the cold winter season. The frozen water or ice blocks the flow of water in the pipes. But because there is more water coming through, there is massive pressure buildup in the frozen pipes. This can cause the pipes to crack and burst causing a very serious problem in your house. You can prevent frozen pipes by insulating all outdoor pipes and also by leaving the thermostat on during the cold season. And if you suffer frozen pipes, you should call a professional plumber who handles pipe thawing in DC to fix the problem before the frozen pipes burst and flood your house.

Clogged Pipes

Pipes can clog because of many different reasons. The problem can be caused by the aforementioned frozen pipes. Drainage and sewer lines clog due to obstruction by solid waste inside the pipes. Underground sewer lines are sometimes clogged by tree root infiltration. You can try to unclog your pipes with a plunger or any other DIY solution. But do not hesitate to call a professional plumber if the clog persists.