‘Brown Friday’ keeps CA plumbers busy each year. How to avoid holiday problems

Carrots. Potatoes. Whipped cream.

These staples of a Thanksgiving feast can make or break the meal — and they could break your home’s plumbing if they get caught in garbage disposals and drainage pipes.

Plumbers in California are often inundated with emergency calls involving home-cooked food during the holiday season, according to Tom Booz, scheduling manager at Mainline Plumbing in Modesto.

That’s especially true on the Friday after Thanksgiving, known to plumbers as “Brown Friday.”

“The day after Thanksgiving consistently brings a 50% spike in service calls — making it the busiest day of the year for the industry,” Roto-Rooter said in a Nov. 20 news release.

Plumbers also see a 21% boost in calls from Thursday through Sunday over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the company said.

“Thanksgiving is a perfect storm for plumbing emergencies,” said Paul Abrams, Roto-Rooter spokesperson, in the release.

Why is the day after Thanksgiving called ‘Brown Friday’?

Why Brown Friday?

“It’s a tongue-in-cheek term for the surge in calls for clogged toilets, backed-up drains, and other plumbing emergencies right after Thanksgiving,” Roto-Rooter said.

It’s also a play on Black Friday, the popular holiday shopping day.

Jimmy Kimmel spoke about Brown Friday on his late-night television show Tuesday, Nov. 25.

“I, for one, choose to embrace Brown Friday,” Kimmel said. “Is it repulsive? Yes, it is. But it reminds me of what we have in common. One nation, under God, living in a country with such a plentiful bounty we can eat to the point where our toilets are so full professionals need to be called in.”

Why are plumbing problems worse after Thanksgiving?

The Thanksgiving holiday puts an extra strain on plumbing for a variety of reasons.

“With homes full of guests, extra showers and marathon kitchen sessions, pipes and disposals are pushed to their limits,” Abrams said. “Add in greasy turkey drippings and food scraps, and it’s no wonder drains clog and toilets back up.”

Kitchen sink clogs, jammed garbage disposals, main sewer clogs and toilet clogs are the most common problems on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Roto-Rooter said.

“Another thing to remember is to keep small kids’ toys away from the bathroom,” Booz told The Bee. “We get so many calls every year saying ‘My grandkids stuck a toy down the toilet.’ ”

What goes in your garbage disposal?

You can put vegetable scraps, fruit pits and corn cobs down your garbage disposal, as well as most leftovers, according to Consumer Reports.

Cooked meat, small bones and ice are also okay to drop down the drain.

What doesn’t go in your garbage disposal?

According to Consumer Reports, you should avoid putting fats, oils and grease down your garbage disposal to avoid clogging your drains.

“Probably don’t pour grease down the drain,” Booz said.

That’s his No. 1 tip to avoiding plumbing problems around the holidays.

The same goes for creamy foods such as peanut butter, ice cream and butter.

Starchy foods, which can break down into a drain-clogging mush, also are a bad idea.

Consumer Reports recommends tossing vegetable peels and fibrous veggies including celery, corn husks, artichokes, edamame pods, asparagus and rhubarb in the trash instead of down the drain.

Eggshells, shellfish and coffee grounds also can cause problems if dropped in the garbage disposal.

How to avoid plumbing emergencies

Here are some general tips from Roto-Rooter and Mainline Plumbing to avoid plumbing problems:

• Scrape plates before rinsing and keep large chunks of food out of the garbage disposal. Make sure to run lots of water when using the disposal, too.
• Don’t pour fats or cooking oil down the drain, where they can solidify in pipes. Use paper towels to wipe grease from pots and pans, then throw them in the trash.
• If your home is full of holiday guests, try waiting 10 minutes between showers to let slow drains do their thing.
• Cotton balls, swabs, hair, tissues and wet wipes don’t go in the toilet, where they’ll dissolve and cause clogs. Throw them in the trash.
• Keep kids’ toys far away from bathrooms. These items “tend to find their way in toilets,” Booz said.
• Keep a plunger available near the toilet to remedy any clogging as quickly as possible.
• Know where your main water shut off valve is.
• If your home runs on a septic tank, check to make sure the tank is not full and can handle having guests over.  

If you already have plumbing issues, try to get them fixed before guests arrive for the holidays, according to Roto-Rooter.

“Often, the case is that a house already has partially clogged drains that go unnoticed until holiday guests arrive and overwhelm the system,” Abrams said.

That’s why it’s a good idea to do some recon before guests arrive, Booz said.

“With family visiting, kids running around, and the kitchen working overtime, your bathroom is about to be the most-used room in the house,” Mainline Plumbing said in a Facebook post. “Nothing derails a holiday faster than a toilet that won’t flush, won’t stop running, or decides to overflow at the worst possible moment.”

What to try before calling a plumber

Before you call a plumber for help, you should figure out if it’s really an emergency, according to Armstrong Plumbing of Sacramento.

Call a plumber immediately for a burst pipe, sewage backup, water heater leak, overflowing toilet that won’t stop and flooding causing floor damage, the company suggested.

You’ll need to contact your local plumbing company soon if you have no running water at all.

Minor leaks, slow drains or dripping faucets can wait for a regular service appointment.

If you have a major leak, shut off the water to avoid more damage.

You can shut off individual valves for toilets and appliances, or the main valve to the house for a burst pipe. That’s usually near your water meter.

Look for standing water and be wary of electrical hazards, according to Ace Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning of Sacramento.

“Water and electricity don’t mix,” the company said. “If you’ve got a leak close to an outlet or circuit breaker, there’s a risk of fire — and worse. As well as water conducts electricity, there’s something else that conducts it even better: you.”

If it’s safe to do so, mop up any standing water using towels, buckets or a wet-dry vacuum to prevent further damage, Top Rank Plumbing of Sacramento said.

Above all, remain calm and assess the situation, the company said.

How much will an emergency plumber cost you?

Emergency plumbers typically charge 1.5 to 3 times the normal rate, Angie’s List said, although this can vary depending on the location and plumber’s experience.

You also may be asked to pay a holiday, weekend or night premium.