I flushed my diamond ring down the toilet we are on a septic tank everyone keeps telling me it is gone.?

Question

Is there any way to get it out?

Answer 1

If you're willing to go get it, it's either in your septic tank or the pipe between the toilet and the septic tank. The cost and sentimental price will have to be greater then the cost of getting it.

Answer 2

I have just had a similar incident and this is what I am doing.

I had a plumber come to my home and use a video system to inspect the toilets and main to confirm the ring is not stuck within the trap of the toilet or hung up inside the system of the house. Toilets have traps capable of catching the ring and the waste lines within your home also can catch items as they pass through the system. The fee for this was $165 USD. Unfortunately, the ring is was flushed outside the home.

Next I contacted my local hardware store, and after getting the expected...you did what??? Suggestions ranged from using a magnet (won’t work unless the ring has a lot of ferrous metal) to pumping out the system with a professional service. Neither was exactly what I was thinking, and most services I spoke with would not guarantee recovery.

Here is what I am doing. Fortunately, I have a two tank septic system, I am in the process of pumping out the first tank into the second using a small sump pump with a screen. Next I plan on using a swimming pool poll with a net to try and fish out the ring. If that doesn’t work, I will hire a local septic service to put someone in the tank and look for it One company said it would run between 120 and 240 depending on how long it takes. Only a trained professional operator should attempt to enter the tank. DO NOT GO INTO THE TANK!

I’ll post again with an update.

Answer 3

You can have your septic tank pumped, but searching through everything to find it will be a real mess. There may be 500 gallons of sludge there. Think of oh, 10 bath tubs full of sludge. Do you want to search through that?

When they pump a septic tank, it goes into the back of a big tank truck. When they empty that, they typically spread it out over a field somewhere. You could walk that field for a long, long time looking for the ring. Running everything through a strainer would be a long, slow, dirty process. Not impossible, but it would be a lot of work. And then it's possible that the ring is still on the bottom of the septic tank, and they didn't get it. Or maybe it's in the tank, still, and didn't get rinsed out. Or the pump mangled it when the crew pumped the tank.

My suggestion would be to call your insurance company instead, and see if you're covered.

Answer 4

bmwest has a good start if the toilet was flushed with no other material and there has been no other activity in the line. most likely it has made its way to the tank. ALL septic tanks have manholes often they are covered and only the tube for cleaning out the tank has been brought to the surface to pump it out. as for the pump damaging it they are like huge vacuums and the material does not go through the pump it just sucks out the air in the tank unless it gets overfilled and in that case the operator has to dismantle his pump in order to get it functioning again. depending on where you are your septic service people may just haul the sludge down the road and broadcast it on a farmers Field. some places require that it is hauled to waste water treatment plants. In the first case you can ask where he is going to spread it and go out a couple days later when the water has dried off and use a metal detector to find it in the Field. In the second case if you have an honest operator at the treating station they can check their screens for you they may be able to treat your batch with a little extra care. it would end up in the sludge tank and then it gets discarded in the same manner . Out on the Fields.

Answer 5

Oh My Gosh!!
That just panicked me. I have been here,Smile Well they say septic that means there's a really green spot in your back yard that's where the septic is usually at under about 5 to 6 feet dirt. this need dug up,Then the septic guy needs called in they have screens on the ends of the plug that sucks all that stuff up. masks and slowly draining the tank . And whala!! There's your ring.
You just have to be logical and figure the value of the ring, My ring was priceless. It does cost to have this Septic drained, so was it and important ring or just a ring. I feel for you though.What a horrible feeling huh? okay hope this has helped Good Luck.
Merry Christmas!

Answer 6

Unfortunately - Everyone who has posted so far is correct. You will have to weigh the value of the ring and compare it to the cost of retrieving it. Although this is not an impossible task - it would definitely be very labor intensive and quite costly. My only advice at this point would be to remove the toilet and inspect the line. If you have not flushed the toilet since the initial loss of your ring - it is possible (slim, but possible) that your ring was heavy enough to stop somewhere in the line. As far as retrieval is concerned - that may take a pro. I have heard of some companies running small cameras through the pipes to look for similar items. I would call local plumbers to see what they think. Good luck.

Answer 7

Unfortunately not, If it has passed thru the toilet system, it's resting in your septic tank and only way into those is to dig it up and break it open. Sorry for your loss.

Answer 8

It is somewhere in your plumbing or septic system. You can start by disassembling the toilet, the various pipes and traps, then remove the cap on your tank and search the materials inside.

Answer 9

It would be more costly to remove it from the septic tank than to replace it...unless this is a huge diamond ring. If its insured you should be able to cover the loss that way. Hopefully you planned ahead.
I'm really sorry to hear this, it is one of my worst fears.
Keep your head up...

Answer 10

I am sorry for your loss, I have had very senimental jewelery stolen, and it was emotionaly painful. Still, I would rather have your ring replaced than deal with all that mess. Excuse the pun. Just consider it gone, and get on with your life. That's my thoughts. :) Good luck! Arum