Plumbing Solutions – Kids Dropped Something

Sep 18
14:36

2010

Andrew Stratton

Andrew Stratton

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At one point or another, everyone runs into some type of plumbing problem. If you have small children, those problems can be pretty unique. For some reason, kids sometimes like to see what will happen if they flush some type of toy down the toilet. If the object is small, it can be a harmless issue, but if it get stuck and keeps the toilet from working correctly, there can be major problems.

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Figure Out What Happened

With kids,Plumbing Solutions – Kids Dropped Something Articles it can be tough to get a straight answer. At the very least, you just want to know what was put into the bowl. After everything is handled, then sit down with them and talk to them about why they shouldn't try to flush anything other than what belongs in the toilet. If you can't get an answer from the kids, see if you can look into the bowl and see any part of the object. Common items that get sent down there are crayons, action figures, and toothbrushes, but it could just depend on what game they were playing before had.

Try to Get It Out

While this may not be appealing, you are going to need to stick your hand in there and try to pull it out. Use rubber gloves that can reach half way up to the elbow. If you can, try to wiggle the object around until it becomes loosened. You can then remove it. Obviously, before the object is returned to the kids, because it was removed from the plumbing, it needs to be disinfected and cleaned before it is returned.

This is the perfect time to have a conversation with the kids. If they are younger, you may just want to let them know that it isn't a good idea. If they are older, give them a brief explanation of how the plumbing in the home works and how dropping a toy in the toilet can cause a major problem. If they understand your explanation and know what a plumbing system really does, they will probably be less likely to want to send anything else down any drain of your home.

Call for Assistance

If you can't get the object out, or it is trapped further down in the plumbing system, you may need to call for some help. If you feel confident in your home improvement skills, you can try to send something like a snake down into the bowl to get to object out. If you do this, make sure that you have a snake that won't damage any part of the porcelain. If that doesn't work, you may have to remove the toilet completely to try and recover what every the kids dropped down in there.

If you aren't sure about doing any of these things, or you aren't sure what the best course of action is, you can always call a plumbing company to come in and handle the situation. When you call them, let them know what you think is down there, when it happened and what you have done to try to recover it. Then, let the experts come in and take care of everything.

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