Be Excellent To Each Other

Three year old decided to put a ball in the bath, I didn’t notice and inevitably it has got jammed in the plug hole. It’s exactly the right size to get properly stuck. I was alerted when daughter told me while she tried to fish around in the plug hole. I couldn’t reach it except with my fingertips so tried to see if I could squeeze a knife past it to wedge it back up and of course I just pushed it in further.

What do I do?!

Can you superglue something to the ball so you can lift it out?

Or use a vacuum cleaner nozzle?

Wait... is the bath also full of water?

There’s still water in the bath and I think it’s too jammed for the vacuum anyway.

Is the ball popable ?

Cut it with a knife or use a skewer?

Nope, solid rubber bouncy ball. Corkscrew can’t reach it.

I think if I try a sharp knife, it will push it even further in and the knife won’t grip it to pull it back out.

Can you siphon bath water into toilet, remove side panel of bath, take pipe out, push ball through with stick, replace pipe, replace side panel, party time?

Is that my next option? I’ll need to have a look, I guess that should be possible though?

The plug hole bit might be the smallest/thinnest bit of the pipe so you may be able to push it right through and catch it at the other end.... However, you might not and it might be jammed forever.

If you can't cut it up and get it out with a knife then Malia's idea seems best. Good luck!

Possible you could arrange a long run of cling film over the nozzle end so you can put it down to the ball then remove/tear the film as you turn the vacuum on and push? Depends how expensive your vacuum is if it does get water up it I guess!

Sink plunger but start with it plunged if you see what I mean, then pull it up quick. Failing that you could try hot glue on the end of a stick to get a hold of it.

The good news: your bathroom has a feature pool

The bad news: you’ll have to shower from now on

Siphoning the bath water out is going to be pretty tricky unless the bath is set pretty high up, though?

Have you tried something like a bath plunger? If you turn the rubber cup inside out (or flatten it as much as is possible) before placing it you’ll hopefully create a vacuum rather than plunging it further down.

Edit, sorry, @markg was posting as I was, and explained it better

Also, but waiting until you've resolved the situation and relaxed,

So does the plug not have a grate of any kind? It's gone right down into the pipe?

I would say that if you can prise the side of the bath away the pipe underneath should simply unscrew. Take a washing up bowl or something to catch the remaining bath water as you do it. The bath panel will click back in and might need some putty but that's a future issue.

Depends where in the pipe the ball is really, got a photo?

Drain the bath somehow. Straighten out metal coat hanger. Heat the end till it glows. Shove it into ball and let it set. You may have to do a couple of pieces of wire at once. Don’t pierce the pipe!

I don’t have a plunger, think I’ll need to send someone out to look for one tomorrow.

Let’s get some photos up in ‘ere for consideration!

Completely disassemble the bath piece by piece, keeping the ball where it is

Reassemble the bath somewhere else

Now the ball is out of the bath

(You’ve had some excellent suggestions here so I’ve got nothing to add.)

Oh, that’s a lot deeper than I was envisioning. Hmm. Plunger still seems worth a shot to try and avoid dismantling the plubboing.

Might just turn the bath into a water feature and list the house.

Is that the technical term for a bouncy ball stuck in the drain?

Tie string or wire around a screw head, long screwdriver, screw goes in ball, pull

Oh, I like this idea! What’s the risks here...it pushes it too far in. But if it reaches the trap, I should be able to get the screw in, yes?

The thread and sub reminds me of a Smiths song.

I'd stick a corkscrew in and pull, like a cork from a fine bottle of ball-bath wine.

Priority should be to drain the water. I'd try and poke a hole in the ball. When the water's gone you can unscrew the trap and fish out the remains at your leisure

Currently you'll be pulling up on the weight of the water as well as the ball

Balls. Literally.

You're going to have to move house, sorry.

What dissolves bouncy balls? Maybe caustic soda does?

I was going to suggest a solvent but I imagined whatever was strong enough to melt a rubber ball would probably not be something you'd want on the plumbing plastics/bath.

Yeah the plumbing is plastic so I don't think I'll find something that works on one and not the other.

This is the conclusion I've reached. Turn it into a water feature and list the house.

I'm sorry, I don't have anything useful to add, but this thread has proper made me chuckle, so thank you.

How have you got on with this?

I’ve went into the bathroom to check and confirmed that it is in fact still filled with water. Wife has bought a plunger. I’ve been in meetings most of the day so will tackle it later on.

When you have the bath situation sorted don't forget to stick "The Plunger of Shame" on the offending Wean's heed.

The bath is empty. The plunger isn't doing anything, it's not creating a seal so when you pull it up it just comes off the surface. If you slowly try and push it down it does that ok. Must be a rubbish plunger.

Put all the plugs in in all the other sinks in the house, then put your head down the loo and blow really hard. This will create pressure in the drainage system and pop that ball right out.

If that doesn't work, Mimi's idea of superglue and a stick is probably your best bet now?

A bit of water should help it to seal, maybe enough to just cover where it sits. Then just pull it up as quick as you can.

Can you grease the ball with some washing-up liquid to help it move into the plunger's loving plungy grip?

Roll a dexterity check. If it passes you can slip your fingers around the ball and tug it free. If it fails then you die

Have you got any long drill bits?

We need photographs around the tub? How’s access to the pipe work? Unscrewing a pipe isn’t hard IF you can actually get to it.

Lock the child in the bathroom and refuse to let her out unless she has the ball.
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