Phone dropped down chimney :-(

[somebody]

No - it wasn't me honest!

Long story short, a friend was giving me a hand to remove my chimney stack yesterday and managed to drop his phone down it.

The trouble is the fireplace is bricked up and in a newly plastered and decorated room. As you can imagine I'm not at all keen on knocking through the fireplace to retrieve it.

The stack is down to loft floor level, so I guess it's probably around

5m to the bottom. Problem is of course, there is a what looks like a bend/kink or shelf at the bottom heading off to one side.

I initially thought about drain cleaning companies who have remote camera equipment and possibly a remote grabber, but no luck on the grabber. The camera bit is easy to find, but I can't find a hand type grabber to follow it :-(

Any ideas?

TIA

P.S. As always it's not the monetary value of the phone, it's what is stored on it that matters. Someone

[Steve]

Is the bluetooth switched on?

Steve

[Adrian C]

If it is, get to transferring contacts data quick before the battery runs out ;-)

-- Adrian C

[cucumber]

Wait until Monday and get Santa to pick it up on his way back up.

[Stuart]

Any of the neighbours got small kids that need some cash for Christmas ...?...lol

[Cicero]

=============================== There should be a vent at the lowest point of the chimney to prevent damp. If there isn't one there, kill two birds with one stone - create a vent and recover your mobile. It shouldn't make much mess to cut out a single brick and it will save you future trouble from damp.

Cic.

[Ed Sirett]

If the stack is on an outside wall you might be able to break through from the outside, almost certainly just a single brick thickness.

[dg]

Good idea, but it assumes that the OP has been a good boy this year.

dg

[tiscali]

you must be on the 3 network if you have to climb on your roof to get a signal

[somebody]

Hi Ed,

Unfortunately, no it's on the inside (average 3 bed semi with the chimney in the middle of the house for back/front room).

Both the back and front rooms still have the chimney breasts but are freshly plastered and painted.

Thanks anyway,

[somebody]

Hi Cic,

No there are no vents. Both fireplaces were bricked up knowing that the stack would be coming down to loft floor level. Once the stack is down, the typical damp/condensation problem is no longer an issue.

But thanks anyway for the suggestion.

Regards

[somebody]

That's a damned good idea - but I have no idea :-(

Neither my phone nor my laptop have bluetooth. Failing any other solutions I'll see if I can get someone round with Bluetooth enabled equipment sharpish (before the battery goes).

Many thanks,

[somebody]

In message , tiscali writes

:-)

Nah, we were both trying our bestest 'look like a proper builder impersonations'. Incidentally, I actually managed to win by doing the 'stare at the revolving mixer with your arse hanging out whilst smoking a ciggie' thing.

He on the other hand thought that simply wearing a camo jacket[1] and sucking through his teeth would do it... little did he know!!!!

Cheers

[somebody]

In message , cucumber writes

If the stack was still there I'd agree. But following the tears from my daughter "how will Santa deliver my presents without the chimney" we resorted to leaving a sign at the top of the scaffold giving him directions to her bedroom window.

I suppose I could pull a few of the (new) roof tiles giving him access to what is left of the stack.

That wasn't such a bad idea cucumber - we'll give it a go :-)

Cheers

[John]

No help to the OP, but that made me laugh!!

John

[somebody]

[warning to all - sick joke mode on] Yet another good idea, unfortunately they're all under my patio :-( [/back to normality (ish)]

I was actually quite surprised how small the actual chimney outlet really is given it's total size.

The chimney is divided into two at the outlet through the house (ie at

90deg to the ridge), but somewhere/somehow twists 90deg to be divided across the house for front/back rooms. Outlet end (at the top) and for about the first 4 - 5m, each of the two 'sections' are literally only about 10x10 inches.

Believe me, SWMBO is absolutely ecstatic about the weight she put on

*last* christmas. (A) She can't fit down the chimney and (B) I'd have to dig a bloody great hole for her to join the others under the patio :-(

Cheers

[Adrian C]

If your dropped phone had Bluetooth you'd have to pair the devices, which means manually typing a password key on both of them, and also hitting a synchronise button. Given that one is out of reach I think the idea is sadly moot....

Think you'll be best knocking out bricks.

-- Adrian C

[Vortex]

If you call the 'phone....does it ring and can you hear it? (you know wine glass on the wall....proper espionage stuff)

If yes, you should be able to triangulate it's location pretty accurately and use "keyhole surgery" to remove it.

A strategically placed Christmas card with Blu tak and you won't even be able to see the evidence.

David

[FGoogle]

Magnet on a string? (or are they too much plastic these days)

[somebody]

In message , Vortex writes

As I said to Mr Droppy Phone "if SWMBO gets home to find building work in the front room, you'd be the lucky one 'cos you'd only be dead. I'd be strung up for Christmas and *still* have to live with her afterwards :-(

Cheers Someone