You’re familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday – but have you ever heard of Brown Friday? This infamous day occurs the day after Thanksgiving but has nothing to do with shopping. Instead, it refers to the busiest day of the year for plumbers. And the reason is Thanksgiving.
We spend most of Thanksgiving Day prepping, cooking, and baking. And when all is said and done, there’s the cleanup which often involves lots of food scraps going down the kitchen drain and garbage disposal – many of which have no business being there in the first place such as grease, poultry skin, vegetable peels, bones, and more. Of course, there’s also the overuse of bathroom facilities with all those extra holiday guests. Put it all together and you have a recipe for a plumbing disaster.
You can help prevent a visit from your favorite plumber over the holiday weekend by following these clog-preventing tips.
- Never pour fat, oil, or grease down the drain. Once cooled, they solidify in pipes and can lead to a tough-to-budge clog. Instead, wipe grease from pots and pans with paper towels and throw in the trash.
- Avoid putting stringy, fibrous or starchy waste in the garbage disposal as it cannot be sufficiently broken down. Throw them in a compost pile or in the trash.
- Don’t wait until the disposal is full of food before turning it on. Start the disposal, turn on the faucet, and toss food scraps in a bit at a time. Leave the faucet running for at least 10 seconds after the disposal stops grinding.
- If you’re hosting weekend guests, it’s a good idea to wait ten minutes between showers so slow drains have time to catch up.
- Never flush tissues, paper towels, cotton balls, swabs, hair, or wipes down the toilet. They don’t dissolve like toilet paper does and can lead to nasty clogs.
- Try to address any plumbing problems before hosting a holiday gathering. It’s the best way to prevent minor problems from becoming costly plumbing emergencies.
From our family to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy, and worry-free Thanksgiving. And should you need a plumber during your holiday weekend, or any time of year, Anthony’s Plumbing is at your service.
