The day after Thanksgiving is the single busiest day of the year for Roto-Rooter’s residential plumbers. Big holiday meal preparation and cleanup mean lots of grease and food go down the kitchen drain into the garbage disposal. Holiday guests require additional clothes washing, showers and toilet flushes, all of which put a strain on household plumbing.

Often, a house already has partially clogged drains that aren’t noticeable until holiday guests arrive and overwhelm the system and virtually every traditional Thanksgiving dish is an ideal clog culprit if it goes down the drain.

Incoming calls to Roto-Rooter, mostly for kitchen plumbing jobs, will jump 50% over an average Friday. The four-day Thanksgiving weekend represents a 21% increase over any other Thursday through Sunday period of the year. But we at Roto-Rooter will have enough plumbers on duty to handle the extra demand.

By following these recommendations, Thanksgiving hosts can avoid a visit from their plumber over the holiday weekend:

·         Never pour fats or cooking oils down drains. They solidify in pipes. Instead, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw in trash.

·         No stringy, fibrous or starchy waste in the garbage disposal (poultry skins, celery, fruit & potato peels). Disposals can’t sufficiently grind these items.

·         Make sure the disposal is running when you put food into it. Don’t wait until it’s full to turn it on.

·         Wait ten minutes between showers so slow drains have time to do their job.

·         Never flush cotton balls, swabs, hair or facial scrub pads down a toilet. They don’t dissolve and they cause clogs.