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Glass shards in the drain - advice?

Raident
9 years ago

While I was brushing my teeth just now, my hand slipped and the rinsing cup dropped into the sink, shattering into a thousand shards. I picked up as many of the shards as I could, but several (10ish maybe?) of the smaller shards slipped down the pop up drain.

Before I do anything that could potentially make the situation worse, I figure I should ask you folks what the best course of action would be at this point. Thanks in advance!

Comments (30)

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    Just remove the P trap (put a bucket under it!) and clean it out. Not a big deal to do. It should just unscrew.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    Yes, you can do it. Love that P trap. I've had to rescue dropped earrings more than once.

    -Babka

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    Just in case you aren't familiar with the drain parts, here's a diagram to help you to understand. Remember that the trap will be full of water. That's what keeps the sewer gas out of your house. But, it's easy to take apart to find that glass.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    Fugetaboutit.

  • Fori
    9 years ago

    I'm with Treb. It won't hurt anything in there, and easy or not, nobody likes fiddling with the trap.

    I'll mess with my trap when I have to, but not a day sooner. :)

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    But, it will catch hair and start a clog. I'd much rather deal with a small issue than extracting a sasquatch from the drain!

  • enduring
    9 years ago

    I say follow LWO's diagram and remove the P trap to get at the glass now, rather than later.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    Even I have removed P traps and I am not a talented plumber. When you replace it just make sure the threads are clean and don't over-tighten the nuts.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    If the water was running when the glass was shattered or afterward, the trap has evacuated any glass shards.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    After you attach all the parts, fill the sink with water then open the drain. IF you have a leak the p-trap will leak. If you perfectly align the threads on your parts and just hand tighten them, plus a quarter turn, all should be well.

    Just to be sure, put a plate with a towel on it under the trap and check it in the morning. Dry towel equals success.

    -Babka

  • Olychick
    9 years ago

    I'd not want to possibly leave glass for another homeowner or plumber to deal with in the future. I wouldn't think it would be something someone would expect to find that could potentially cause injury.

  • pprioroh
    9 years ago

    Just undo the trap.

    REMEMBER NOT to run the water to rinse when the trap is out. Can't tell you how many times I've taken a trap off, cleaned it out, and then decided to rinse it out before I put it back on..... :)

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    pprioroh- LMAO. Been there, done that. With a head slap.

    -Babka

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    Traps aren't designed to stop earrings or shards of glass. They are designed to stop poisonous sewer gas from entering the living space in conjunction with proper plumbing venting.

    If anyone has ever retrieved anything from a trap, it was pure luck, not design.

  • jedobaTX9b
    9 years ago

    Living in a beach town, I can't tell you how many times I have found drains stopped up by sand in the trap. Since glass is made from sand, and therefore heavier than water, it would also likely be stuck in the trap unless the surface area was large enough, and the glass thin enough.
    I recommend cleaning it out.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    Trebruchet- It happened to me twice. No water was running as I watched one earring go down, then the other time it was a relatively heavy earring that sat in the p-trap after I washed my hands. Not just luck, but taking care of the situation very soon after the event.

    -Babka

  • grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
    9 years ago

    One very small consideration is in regards to the washers listed on that diagram: if old enough, they're brittle, they're hard, and they're not going to go back nicely. That means drips.

    Go buy a couple if you're looking at a trap more than half a dozen years old. It's a trivial precaution since you don't have to go after that broken glass (if any) any time soon.

    Also, for another reason to leave things alone as suggested above, many traps are made of a chrome plated brass that's paper thin. If you've ever used drain cleaning chemicals, you might find a corroded trap that's so fragile it could crumble in your hands, so don't mess with it unless it's during plumbing store hours.

    Happiness in this house is understanding that if it ain't broke, you don't fix it.

  • klem1
    9 years ago

    Babka said,
    " pprioroh- LMAO. Been there, done that. With a head slap."

    Well I'll bet you never carfully caught the water standing in trap then reached up and dumped it in the sink. ROTFLMAO

  • pprioroh
    9 years ago

    Oh you would bet wrong! LOL. Done that as well :)

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 years ago

    "If you've ever used drain cleaning chemicals, you might find a corroded trap that's so fragile it could crumble in your hands, so don't mess with it unless it's during plumbing store hours."

    Some of the best advice I've heard here in a while.

  • carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
    9 years ago

    Hi - FWIW, I always put a dishpan or bucket under the trap before removing it.....

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    since most time in the bath is bare foot ...

    i have never used glass in there ...

    i wouldnt bother to go after them ..... if the shards are as small as you think ... i mean... you said they were small slivers.. didnt you ... they should have flowed out with the water ....

    this is one of those projects... as most plumbing projects are.. that SHOULD BE a 5 minute job ... 7 hours later.. and 4 trips to the hardware store ... and you are down there.. on your knees... praying... its finally done this time ...

    yes.. it should be a short easy job ... lol... would i bet my shiny nickle on it.. nope ...

    ken

  • kudzu9
    9 years ago

    ...and, after you decide what to do about the shards -- if anything -- switch to a metal or plastic cup.

  • klem1
    9 years ago

    â¢Posted by kudzu9 (My Page) on
    Fri, Dec 26, 14 at 13:35
    ...and, after you decide what to do about the shards -- if anything -- switch to a metal or plastic cup.

    Good idea. And since it's much more likly to happen in the kitchen,use no glass there either. Your grandchildren will be thankful non of granny's dishs were broken before they inherited them.
    I wonder if hearing that makes op feel better.

  • jellytoast
    9 years ago

    Why take off the trap if you don't have to? It's not like a diamond ring fell down there! It's just few shards of glass. If you develop a clog down the road, remove the trap then. Otherwise, why waste the time and effort for a "possibility" that may never materialize?

    (lol, klem1)

  • enduring
    9 years ago

    I wonder what the OP ended up doing; not a word from them, lol.

  • Raident
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the advice offered so far. I actually haven't done anything yet - these past couple days, I've been too occupied with wrapping presents, cleaning up, preparing food, going to parties, etc. etc. to do much else, so I've just been keeping this dilemma at the back of my mind. I'll probably be occupied up until New Years, so do keep the suggestions coming!

    To provide a bit more info, the glass that shattered was made from tempered glass (a 12oz Duralex Picardie, to be precise), so most of the shards are fairly polished circles/squares/rectangles. The biggest ones that I retrieved was about the size of a penny (but much thicker, of course), the smallest were barely more than a grain of sand. The ones in the drain that I could see (they were perched atop the little rod that the pop-up drain rests on) were of the rectangular variety, and were about as long as the diameter of a penny but only about 1/4 as wide.

    The water was indeed running at the time of the accident, but the tap is pretty low flow - at any rate , the water pressure is nothing impressive, to say the least.

    The building itself is officially a couple months short of 3 years old (I'd imagine the trap is slightly older, given how buildings are "born" the day of the ribbon cutting ceremony, and interiors are usually worked on in the months before that). I've never used any drain cleaning chemicals, but I can't say whether or not the original owner, who lived here for the first year, has.

    Finally, Happy New Years, everyone!

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    If flushing the shards thru is not a problem, you could try filling the sink and then pulling the plug to get a good rush of water flow thru the drain that might move things along.

  • raenjapan
    9 years ago

    Do you have a shop vac? I'd just suck those right back out the sink drain.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    If you can actually see some of the glass, try some tweezers and see if you can grab a hold and pull them out.