Black Friday Is a Big Day... for Plumbers

Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, but retailers and shoppers aren’t the only ones keeping busy after Thanksgiving.

According to Roto-Rooter, Black Friday is the single busiest day for their residential plumbers. While the volume of guests may cause some problems in the bathroom, the kitchen is home to most issues. The company says its kitchen calls generally jump 50% the day after Thanksgiving.

Don’t Put That Down the Drain!

Indoor plumbing is an amazing invention, and your kitchen sink can make cleanup a breeze. Pour in liquids or use the disposal to grind up scraps. Then, turn on the water and it all gets magically swept away. That is, except when it gets stuck in the pipes.

Yes, the No. 1 culprit for plumbing problems after Thanksgiving is homeowners trying to use their sink or garbage disposal as a garbage can.

Keep the water flowing smoothly by remembering these things should never be going down your sink, even if you have a garbage disposal:

Fats
Cooking oils
Potato and onion peels
Fibrous vegetables like celery and pumpkin
Bones
Skin from poultry

In the bathroom, the only thing going down the toilet other than what comes from your body should be toilet paper. That means cotton balls, swabs, feminine hygiene products, cleansing cloths and similar items need to go into the trash. So should wipes that are labeled “flushable.” Don’t believe it.

Keep Drains Clear Through the Holidays

Next, if you are having visitors, be aware of the demands you are putting on your plumbing system.

Ask guests to wait 15 minutes between showers to allow time for the drains to clear. Also make sure you have clean and empty trash receptacles in each bathroom so visitors won’t feel they have to flush away anything.

And after dinner, when your guests are helping with cleanup, put a garbage bin front and center so everyone knows to scrape the dishes there. If you do use your garbage disposal, start the water and disposal first before emptying plates of food into the sink.

Fix Slow Drains Right Now

Finally, if your drains are running slow, they are probably already partially clogged and primed to cause a major holiday headache.

You may be able to clear partially clogged pipes on your own using a store-bought drain cleaner. However, if your drains continue to run slow, it may be time to call in the pros. Sure, it will cost a little money, but you’d better believe you’ll pay more if you need to make an emergency call on Thanksgiving night or Black Friday.

So clear out your drains now, use some common sense strategies on Thanksgiving day and for the love of all that is good in the world, don’t dump the grease from the deep fried turkey down the drain.

This post originally appeared on Money Talks News.

More from Money Talks News:

Image: iStock