3" cut off wheel dropped down 4" pipe, cant get it out-help!

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Ian Rydquist

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OK, long story short, I dropped a 3" cutoff wheel attached to a steel mandrel down the 4" toilet drain pipe in my basement bathroom. Its the original plumbing from 1959. The drain drops 2 vertical feet and does a 90 degree turn. Im not sure where it goes after that, possibly to below the main junction. I believe its the lowest pipe in my house. Ive run a hose with a magnet attached to the end about 4-5 feet in and was unsuccessful at retrieving the wheel. Im out of ideas short of calling a plumber to get it out. Any ideas?

Also if the wheel made it to the junction will this be a blockage problem, or is there a chance of it washing down to the sewer?
Thanks
 

Ian Rydquist

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so I found another thread with some info on this,( I should have looked first) Ill try the small clean out tool with a magnet taped to it. Any other advise on the subject would be apprecieated
 

hj

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That 3" wheel will get suspended just below the middle of a 4" pipe, so it will NOT get "washed" down to the main sewer, but it WILL catch anything that tries to go past it. A plumber with the right snake, MIGHT push it all the way to the city's main where it would be their problem, but if it did not work all that would happen is that he might push it to a location where it would HAVE to be dug up and physically removed. Right now it should be close to the opening, IF your attempts did not push it further away. It might be time for a Ridgid "mini see snake" to see where it is.
 

Cacher_Chick

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If it only goes down a couple of feet, I would reach down there and snap a couple of pictures to get a better of idea of how it is sitting in the pipe. With a small webcam and light, you might be able to run a live feed so you see what you are doing while pulling it out.
 

Ian Rydquist

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Thanks for the suggestions folks, I got the see snake down there and we found the wheel lodged on a small root ball about 10 ft down the main. Right now its sitting flat on the bottom kinda like an open valve. The plumber who looked at it said the only way was to dig it up. So I tried the shop vac, no luck, tried opening up the end of a small drain cleaner to a 3" spiral in hopes to snag the wheel, still no luck. I was thinking of blasting it down with one of those black pressure blasters that you put on the end of a hose, or just taking a chance and hoping it doesnt become a problem.

Was also wondering if anyone has heard of 10' mechanical fingers
 

Cacher_Chick

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If you had the camera and some patience, you could pull it out with a piece of stiff wire with a hook bent on the end.
 
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