Retrieving screwdriver from toilet drain pipe?

Posted by Winston on January 5, 2007, 3:26 pm

Yes, I'm a dumbass. This has become quite apparent, so there's no need
to remind me.

Long story short, I dropped a 10" screwdriver tip-first down an open
2nd floor toilet drain pipe, and it is now stuck at the base of a
45-degree bend just under the basement ceiling. I know it couldn't have
gotten any further than this point, due to 2 sharp 90-degree bends that
follow the 45-degree bend. Unfortunately, I can't see it from the drain
opening because I can't look down the pipe due to a slight offset just
past the toilet flange. Do you know of any specialized plumber's snakes
or other tools that could be lowered into the pipe to grab the
screwdriver somehow?

Posted by on January 5, 2007, 3:32 pm

You could probably take the magnet from a junk hard drive and put a
piece of electricians fish wire on it to get down there and retrieve
it.

Winston wrote:

> Yes, I'm a dumbass. This has become quite apparent, so there's no need
> to remind me.
> Long story short, I dropped a 10" screwdriver tip-first down an open
> 2nd floor toilet drain pipe, and it is now stuck at the base of a
> 45-degree bend just under the basement ceiling. I know it couldn't have
> gotten any further than this point, due to 2 sharp 90-degree bends that
> follow the 45-degree bend. Unfortunately, I can't see it from the drain
> opening because I can't look down the pipe due to a slight offset just
> past the toilet flange. Do you know of any specialized plumber's snakes
> or other tools that could be lowered into the pipe to grab the
> screwdriver somehow?

Posted by Dan Espen on January 5, 2007, 4:41 pm

bamboo@localnet.com writes:

> Winston wrote:

>> Yes, I'm a dumbass. This has become quite apparent, so there's no need
>> to remind me.
>> Long story short, I dropped a 10" screwdriver tip-first down an open
>> 2nd floor toilet drain pipe, and it is now stuck at the base of a
>> 45-degree bend just under the basement ceiling. I know it couldn't have
>> gotten any further than this point, due to 2 sharp 90-degree bends that
>> follow the 45-degree bend. Unfortunately, I can't see it from the drain
>> opening because I can't look down the pipe due to a slight offset just
>> past the toilet flange. Do you know of any specialized plumber's snakes
>> or other tools that could be lowered into the pipe to grab the
>> screwdriver somehow?

> You could probably take the magnet from a junk hard drive and put a
> piece of electricians fish wire on it to get down there and retrieve
> it.

I'm not sure every homeowner has one of those junk hard drives,
but I think that's a good suggestion.

If you haven't ripped open a broken hard drive,
I recommend it. There are magnets in those things that are
insanely powerful. Just be careful handling them.
It's not hard to hurt yourself with them.
You will pinch your fingers before you know it.

They aren't made to be opened, I found drilling out the
security screws worked best.

Posted by Mike on January 10, 2007, 11:51 am

> bamboo@localnet.com writes:

>> Winston wrote:

>>> Yes, I'm a dumbass. This has become quite apparent, so there's no need
>>> to remind me.
>>> Long story short, I dropped a 10" screwdriver tip-first down an open
>>> 2nd floor toilet drain pipe, and it is now stuck at the base of a
>>> 45-degree bend just under the basement ceiling. I know it couldn't have
>>> gotten any further than this point, due to 2 sharp 90-degree bends that
>>> follow the 45-degree bend. Unfortunately, I can't see it from the drain
>>> opening because I can't look down the pipe due to a slight offset just
>>> past the toilet flange. Do you know of any specialized plumber's snakes
>>> or other tools that could be lowered into the pipe to grab the
>>> screwdriver somehow?

>> You could probably take the magnet from a junk hard drive and put a
>> piece of electricians fish wire on it to get down there and retrieve
>> it.

> I'm not sure every homeowner has one of those junk hard drives,
> but I think that's a good suggestion.
> If you haven't ripped open a broken hard drive,
> I recommend it. There are magnets in those things that are
> insanely powerful. Just be careful handling them.
> It's not hard to hurt yourself with them.
> You will pinch your fingers before you know it.
> They aren't made to be opened, I found drilling out the
> security screws worked best.

Or using a set of torx screwdrivers =)

Posted by JoeSpareBedroom on January 5, 2007, 3:36 pm

Presumably, you've already been through the obscenities, two glasses of
scotch, and your wife doesn't know about this yet. I would get to Radio
Shack to pick up the biggest donut-shaped magnet you think you can slip down
the pipe without losing it. If the screwdriver's not tightly wedged, this
should do the trick. To hold the magnet, I'd take a piece of 12 or 14 gauge
3-conductor house wire, strip it back, and pull out just one conductor. I've
used that stuff as a snake in the past because it can be sort of shaped to
get around bends. Just be damned sure you put enough twists in it so the
magnet doesn't come loose. If you need something more flexible, use some
good quality nylon rope, and use a real knot, like a bowline to fasten the
magnet.

Good luck. Times eight.

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