Retrieving screwdriver from toilet drain pipe?

[hallerb]

i have some copper lines now 60 years old that are paper thin and leaking in places. nothing last forever i just wish they had been heavier from the get go

[Tom The Great]

I was shocked at this too! I saw on This Old House San Fran have bans on PVC waste lines. I'm guessing some copper lobby group has deep pockets. :D

tom @

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Only marginally related, but if you haven't seen the movie "Snatch", go rent it. Amazing. You'll thank me.

[Ivan Vegvary]

The strong unions in San Francisco have made sure that the City is always about 30-40 years behind the rest of the country regarding building codes. Vested interest. It is what keeps us from having affordable health plans etc. Interestingly the rest of the cities in the S. F. Bay Area have broken semi-free of the union dominance and their codes are quite modern, at worst some of them are typically one update (four year cycle) behind.

Ivan Vegvary

[Steve Barker LT]

think earthquake. plastic breaks, copper bends.

[Tom The Great]

imho:

I wonder, if you do enough damage to a building to be concerned about 'bending' piping, I think you don't have to worry about broken pvc piping. That building should be evacuated.

later,

tom @

[Bob F]

For that reason, I've been buying thicker copper as I replace piping.

Bob

[Stormin Mormon]

What's the type of pipe? Later in the thread, we're told it's copper, but I am not sure that was you writing. If it's copper, get the biggest magnet you can from the hardware. Also buy a plumber's drain snake. Atach the magnet to the snake with several tie straps (cut the loose ends off). Send the drain snake down. Use some common sense, and some of your other five senses to figure out when you stuck the screw driver. Withdraw it up the pipe very slowly.

I've never done this. But I did score a free screw driver and pair of diags someone dropped into the wall. Cept, with this moment I used a magnet and string.

[Dan_Musicant]

:> :> have you considered a bulldozer? level home and start over :> :>

:> :> i am sorry this stiory is priceless and after today i needed a good :> :> laugh :> :>

:> : :> :Bulldozers are for babies. Douse the place with gasoline and break out :> the :> :hot dogs. :>

:> Oh, gee, now you're bringing back memories of Goodfellas and Office :> Space (pyromaniacal episodes in those flicks). :>

: :Only marginally related, but if you haven't seen the movie "Snatch", go rent :it. Amazing. You'll thank me.

I own it on DVD. Only watched it once, though, over two years ago. Have to rewatch it. Snazzy British comic action thriller with very snappy dialogue is my recollection. Very impressive.

[Mike]

Or using a set of torx screwdrivers =)

[sue]

I have an object lodge in my toilet. I have tried the plunger, auger, and strong acid. No results, I can still hear it rolling around. I have been thinking about trying to use a magnet to get it out. This is the first time, I seen anyone considering this attempted stunt of desperation! Did you try the magnet and did it work? thanks

[Thomas]

replying to Winston, Thomas wrote: I read no solutions to this post, but I too had the same problem tonight. I dropped a 7" screw driver down the toilet pipe while cleaning the flange after removing the toilet.

I tried magnets, pushing it through, etc, etc. Nothing worked. Here is what DID work! (I got the driver out!!!)

I used 130 lb test fishing line and tied 5 fishing hooks 4/0 to the end of a

1/4" plumbing snake. I fed it to the point where I felt the driver, and just played with it, over and over, and then brought it up. This lasted about 10 minutes. Alot of back and forth, but, eventually I hooked it just right an it came right out....surprised the heck out of me too!

So there you go. What I just offered actually worked. Wish you all the best in your efforts. This was not clean or fun. But when I saw that driver! I was all ear to ear!!!

Thomas

[blakelund2]

My story/problem is even better. I dropped a dental pick down toilet drain 8' up from the basement slab. It shot down the vertical pipe and then tur ned horizontal under the basement slab. The pipe under the slab is cast ir on. ANY SUGGESTIONS on how to fish out the metal dental pick???