Top tips to avoid plumbing issues on Thanksgiving Day

It’s a little known fact that the day after Thanksgiving tends to be one of the busiest of the year for plumbers. With the plumbing system working overtime during traditional family get togethers, plumbers report more call outs than at any other time of the year.

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Beau Means, operations manager at Benjamin Franklin Plumbers in Wichita, Kan., told realtor.com that he is typically twice as busy as normal on the day after Thanksgiving. Indeed, the day has attracted such infamy among plumbers they now refer to its as “Brown Friday”, in a tribute to the masses of grease and other substances clogging up the drains and pipes that they have to deal with. If this also happens in your home, you may contact a plumbing company like lavergneplumbing.com/anacortes-wa/ to efficiently handle this problem.

However, plumbers say that two of the most common plumbing issues are actually quite avoidable.

First, they warn homeowners to watch what they throw down the drains. Things like turkey bones, vegetable peelings (like potato skins and onion peels), eggshells, and corncobs will clog kitchen sinks and disposals, plumbers told realtor.com. If you need plumbing services, there should be a few local plumbing companies like Craftsman Plumbing you can call. You may visit their website to get their contact information.

Also on that list, plumbers say: Never use the drain to dispose of grease, oils, or fats. They can harden and then back up the drain and then can be very difficult to remove. Let the fats and grease harden and then throw them in the trash can instead.

Second, plumbers say to watch for bathroom clogs. Having more guests in the house means the toilet and showers are getting used more frequently. Make sure guests don’t flush feminine products, wet wipes, dental floss, and cotton balls down the toilet, realtor.com said. These items could potentially clog a toilet. Put it in writing with a taped sign if you want to avoid an awkward conversation.

Also, plumbers recommend guests space out showers by about 10 or 15 minutes so the drains have time to clear. You could also use a shower strainer to catch any loose hair.

“With the flurry of cooking and entertaining happening at homes and businesses close to and on Brown Friday, people often forget about these common plumbing mistakes that could end up causing them a major headache,” says Matt O’Rourke, president of Z Plumberz.