Thanksgiving's Plumbing Peril: The Dreaded 'Brown Friday'
Thanksgiving in Canada is a cherished time for large family gatherings, long meals, and heartfelt conversations. However, this surge in household activity puts your kitchen sinks and toilets to the ultimate test. Professional plumbers are acutely aware of this seasonal spike in emergencies, dubbing the day after the holiday the notorious 'Brown Friday.'
Dave Jones, a master plumber from Cincinnati and vice president of strategic initiatives for Roto-Rooter, confirms this annual phenomenon. "We definitely see a spike in calls compared to just about any other time of the year," Jones stated. The more guests you host, the higher the chance that someone will inadvertently dispose of food or waste in a way your plumbing cannot handle.
The Biggest Culprits: Kitchen Sinks and Toilets
According to the experts, two main areas bear the brunt of the holiday strain.
Clogged Kitchen Sinks: The star of many Thanksgiving sides, the potato, is also a primary villain. "Potato skins are really the biggest culprit [of Brown Friday] that we see," Jones explained. Their stringy, fibrous nature causes them to congeal inside pipes, becoming "sticky, almost like glue." While your garbage disposal might grind them up, the drain lines further down often can't handle the accumulation.
Kelly Ireland, a plumber based in Philadelphia, adds that overloading the disposal is a common mistake. "The No. 1 call" during this period is for clogged kitchen sinks, often caused by a combination of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and fats from turkey and gravy. Ireland warns, "Do not ever use the garbage disposal as a food trash can."
Clogged Toilets: With a house full of guests, bathroom habits can vary widely. Clogged toilets are the other most frequent post-Thanksgiving service call. Ireland strongly advises homeowners to remove any wipes or paper towels from bathroom counters. Even if marketed as flushable, flushable wipes 'should never be flushed,' she emphasized. These wipes can snag on rough spots in older pipes, creating a major blockage downstream from the toilet itself.
How to Prevent a 'Brown Friday' in Your Home
Thankfully, avoiding a plumbing catastrophe is straightforward with some careful preparation.
For your kitchen, be extremely selective about what goes down the garbage disposal. Avoid turkey bones, celery stalks, banana peels, and, most importantly, potato skins. Jones recommends running the disposal with small amounts of food and plenty of running water to ensure everything washes down properly. When in doubt, throw it in the trash.
To prevent toilet troubles, proactively manage your guests' experience. Both Jones and Ireland suggest removing any potential clog-causing items from sight. Take wet wipes out of the bathroom entirely. If you have many children visiting, consider removing small decorative items from the back of the toilet that could be knocked in.
For an extra layer of protection, Jones recommends pouring a biodegradable enzyme product down your drains before the big day. This helps break down organic matter already present in your pipes, preventing the holiday feast from being the final straw. As Ireland notes, plumbing issues are usually "a compounding problem," and the large gathering is often what "just puts you over the edge."
Taking these preventative steps requires a few extra minutes of effort, but it is a small price to pay to ensure your holiday is memorable for the right reasons—the quality time with family, not an unexpected and stressful plumbing emergency.
