Ball stuck in furnace exhaust pipe

[ballinpipe]

So this be a weird one. My friend’s 2 year old was visiting and while we were on our rooftop deck, he went over to the furnace exhaust pipe and dropped a tennis ball in. The pipe is 3 inch PVC. It has a small bend just as it heads under the roof, and then seems to go straight down past that. I’m unable to see the ball. I have tried to use a household vacuum attached to a 24 foot hose but am having no luck. I’m somewhat confident I get a hold of the ball but then at that last bend I lose suction. On the furnace side of things (which is located on the first floor), there is a 2 inch PVC pipe that heads into the ceiling. I believe the 2 inch pipe is too small to accommodate the tennis ball, so I feel it is somewhere above in that 3 inch pipe. Any thoughts on how to tackle this? Thanks

 

[Dana]

You can probably get it out with a drain clearing snake. Use one that has barb spring on the end. The barb will either penetrate the ball (which would be easy-fishin' ) or it'll auger on by it, but it's fat enough that once it's by the ball you'd likely be able to pull slowly and still get it out. A tennis ball is 2.7" in diameter and a 3" pipe, so you have roughly the cable diameter's clearance. It'll be a friction pull, but it should make it.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

If you can open the 2 inch line, maybe blow with an electric leaf blower.