Brown Friday: Why The Day After Thanksgiving Is So Busy For Plumbers

What’s the busiest day of the year for plumbers? Surprisingly, it’s the day after Thanksgiving, colloquially known in plumbing circles as Brown Friday. Plumbing systems undergo a lot of stress on Thanksgiving due to decadent meals and extra guests. The result is typically a backup or clog that turns your Black Friday a shade of brown. Learn more about Brown Friday plumbing problems and how you can avoid calling a plumber on your day off.

What Is Brown Friday?

The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday” in retail circles, but it is “Brown Friday” for plumbers. It really is the busiest day of the year for Roto-Rooter, whose 7,000 service technicians and plumbers across the country will be on the job battling America’s clogs. It’s the day homes often experience drain or sewer clogs due to increased activity. 

The major types of clogs we see at Roto-Rooter around Thanksgiving are (in ranking order):

• Kitchen sink clogs/jammed garbage disposals
• Main sewer clogs
• Toilet clogs
  
  

Why Is Brown Friday the Busiest Day for Plumbers?

Brown Friday plumbing problems often emerge because of three main factors:

Large Holiday Meals

When cooks get busy in the kitchen preparing a feast, lots of food and scraps end up down the kitchen drain and into the garbage disposal.

• Grease down the drain. Hot drippings may be in liquid form when poured down the drain, but the liquid will solidify like candle wax once it cools down inside the pipes. 

• Starches down the drain. Rice and pasta swell when introduced to water. Worse, they’ll break down into a starchy gel and clog the pipes. 

• Bones and skin down the drain. Toss in some poultry skin and a bone or two, and you’ve got a sewer or drain clog of monumental proportions.
  
  

Extra Guests

Many Thanksgiving hosts have overnight guests who take showers, baths, flush toilets, and might even do a laundry load or two. This extra strain on the plumbing system is like the proverbial last straw that breaks a camel’s back.

Chances are that the house already had a partially clogged drain or two, but the problem was not altogether noticeable yet. However, once a few more guests show up, the drains become overwhelmed. It’s hard to unclog drain problems like this naturally.

Existing Sewer Line Problems

Worse, the actual problem might be past the sink drain down in the main sewer line under your front yard. Tree roots grow into the pipe at the joint and catch everything that goes down the drain, like:

• Grease
• Toilet paper
• Food scraps
• Wet wipes

Eventually, every drain in the house backs up with raw sewage. It can be a very nasty mess that threatens to ruin the holiday mood of even the most delightful host.

"Often, the case is that a house already has partially clogged drains that go unnoticed, until holiday guests arrive and overwhelm the system,” said Paul Abrams, spokesman for Roto-Rooter. Hectic houses full of people and frantic hosts quickly and easily lead to plumbing problems throughout the holiday season. “Even more problematic is that virtually every traditional Thanksgiving dish is a drain-clogging culprit,” Abrams continued.

Thanksgiving Tips to Avoid a Brown Friday Plumbing Fiasco

Thanksgiving hosts can avoid a visit from their plumber over the holiday weekend by following these clog-preventing tips:

• Never pour fats or cooking oils down drains. They solidify in pipes. Instead, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw them in the trash.
• Avoid putting stringy, fibrous, or starchy waste in the garbage disposal. Poultry skins, celery, fruit, and potato peels, for example, cannot be sufficiently broken down.
• Make sure the disposal is running when you put food into it. Don’t wait until it’s full to turn it on.
• For homes hosting weekend guests, it’s a good idea to wait ten minutes between showers so slow drains have time to do their job.
• Never flush cotton balls, swabs, hair, or wet wipes down a toilet. They don’t dissolve and will cause clogs. Place a waste basket in the bathroom so these items won’t be flushed.
• Try to address any plumbing problems before the holiday and before guests arrive. However, in the case of holiday plumbing emergencies, don’t hesitate to ask a plumber, up front, about extra holiday service fees. As always, know your DIY limits. Often, minor plumbing problems turn into plumbing catastrophes if not handled properly.
  
  

Need Brown Friday Plumbers During Your Thanksgiving Holiday?

All of the extra Thanksgiving activities may be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back and causes a big, nasty sewer backup just in time to ruin your holiday. If you think your sewer may be partially clogged, why not have the Roto-Rooter pro snake out your sewer now as part of your routine fall plumbing maintenance and avoid a catastrophe on Thanksgiving?

Incoming calls to Roto-Rooter for service will jump 50 percent above the average Friday. The four-day Thanksgiving weekend averages a 21 percent increase over any other Thursday through Sunday period during the year. Roto-Rooter is prepared with additional staff to address the expected increase in calls and jobs, saving customers from long waits and outrageous holiday service charges.

FAQs on Brown Friday Plumbing Problems

How does Brown Friday differ from Black Friday?

Black Friday is all about shopping deals. Brown Friday is what plumbers call the day after Thanksgiving, when toilets and drains back up from heavy holiday use.

What’s the reason plumbers call it 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.

What term do plumbers use for the day after Thanksgiving?

Plumbers often call it Brown Friday because it’s their busiest day of the year. They’re frequently dealing with clogged toilets and sewer backups.

Why do plumbers get so many service calls on Black Friday?

The combination of guests, large meals, and lots of toilet and sink use leads to clogs and overflows.