I am an older, disabled female and have a problem I am scared over. I was doing laundry and sitting in an office chair and the chair wheel knocked the cover to the washer drain pipe in the basement floor leaving the hole exposed (it leads to a pipe where the washer waster comes out. Just as that happened and I was pulling things out of the dryer the dryer ball rolled out and right into and down the hole.
It looks like this.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0geu6tfc6xLvJYAUYJXNyoA?ei=UTF-8&p=dryer+balls&fr2=tab-web&fr=ytff1-
There is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch outside the ball and the pipe. I tried reaching my arm down there and it barely fits and only my fingertips reach the ball and so it just spin and can’t grasp it. I tried some dowel rods but they can’t get under it to pull it out.
I tried holding the sticks chop stick style but only twice out of over hundred tries did it grasp. Once I got it half way up the pipe ((the ball is down about 15 inches floating on the water..sometimes the stick push it out of site but it eventually comes back in view of the light I am shining down there). The other time I got it all the way to inch of the top when it fell back. I am just not good at it and one of the sticks broke so kind of scared to use those as do not want to make it worst by getting something else stuck down there.
What kind of tools might I use or what techniques to get it out of there. I tired pouring a bucket of water down it hoping it would float up but it just drains real fast and the ball does not rise. when the washer empties, it pushes the ball down. I am very afraid it will get stuck down in the pipe and no longer be accessible and clog up the pipes ..all the townhouse pipes are connected I was told when moving in and if one clogs it can harm other ones.
I am scared to tell my maintenance as I do not want to get kicked out of my apartment as I am on a very small fixed income and no where else I can afford. I am afraid if they cannot get it they will have to rip pipes put of something and charge me a lot and I do not enough have enough for gas and food.
I tried the other ball that was still in the dryer with a vacuum and it did stick if I hit it in the right spot but the handle will not get low enough in the pipe to work. Plus it is pulling up water but no ball and afraid I will get shocked or ruin the vacuum.
I do have another vacuum I just bought but no more money to replace it but the suction may be stronger and it has an extension that might work.
I think a dry wet vacuum would work but I do not have one or know anyone who does.
What kinds of sticks or things could I use to get it out. What kind of technique might work, Will it jam up the pipe or just float there forever if I cannot get it out. My arm is now killing me as I hurt it when I got it wedged between a table and the lamp fell and unplugged ..can’t type without pain.
I think my brother may have better ability to get it out as he is good on those stuffed animal cranes and may be able to do the chop sticks thing but what can I use to do it. I thought maybe metal yardsticks would be better as less likely to break..if I could get something under the ball like a ladle but they are too short and do not want it falling off if I tape it to a stick. I think maybe a wire hanger but it may be too thin to be able to manipulate it enough to get the ball up.
Please help me as I am ready to cry and worried. I am scared my brother will give up as it seemed nearly impossible except for that one time I lucked out and got it to the top nearly.
If you can think of any tool or stick that might help with this and can link me to a picture if you think they sell something that may help at home depot or Lowe’s. Maybe some kind of hoe or something but may not be able to get it under the ball. Please please help. I have noone that cares enough to help here but one brother who I am calling tomorrow.
The ball looks like those in the link above..spiky plastic. and also can this mess up my pipes. would a dry wet vac work and can you rent those..do they cost a lot.
thank you so much
please note..the ball constantly spins when trying to get it up and it is also wet all the time. Even if I could reach my hand down enough one can not grab it as not sufficient room for fingers and it also spins out of grasp and cannot inch it up the wall either but the chopstick effect when it stays which is not often did work somewhat twice.
maybe if I can attach a hose to the sink I can get the water in quick enough to raise it but I dobt it as the whole washer drained and it covered the ball as the drainage was above it and pushed it down further not raising it at all.
thanks for all your sugestions. the hanger thing might work..the ball is hard so I don;t think the hook would catch. I remeber it works on magnetism so I will check if it is magnetized but I think the plastic might not cause a strong magnet to work. I was able to get a samll dowel rod on one side but not both so I ned something narrower but strong. I thought maybe a metal ruler on one side and hanger on the other. I never thought of turning it 90 degrees that might work if it is a strong hanger or maybe if one could somehow get the two hanger hooks to hook under the ball that would make like a net to secure it.
EDIT
I called lowe’s and some guy suggested taping a screw with point down on end of a stick and jabbing the ball and maybe twisting and then slowly pulling it up.
I also found a tool retail place that rents a wet dry vac for a day that may work if the other stuff fails and I do not push it in too far
My big concern is that it will go into main pipe. Will it get stuck there. a few times I pushed it down out of site and it was down ;lower but did pop back up so maybe it will not go into the main pipe but this tells me in a way that thew main pipe may be smaller than the ball if the ball did not just slip down into it when it hit the bottom. I am a little scared to do the screw thing as it would require pushing it down lower where it may go into the main pipe so I may not do that one..thanks for all the good advice and creative suggestions. If all else fails I think maybe the wet dry vac will work as my vacuum with just adequate suction did pick up the other ball that did’nt
fall down..of course I had it on the ground and could push down on it to get traction. In the pipe it may just spin but maybe if I go all the way down with it since that vac can I think handle water right?
