SAN ANTONIO – Thanksgiving is a day of food, family, and football for most. However, historically, for plumbers, it means more business.
The day after Thanksgiving for shoppers is Black Friday, but for plumbers, it’s the infamous “Brown Friday,” given the high demand for service.
“We get a lot of stopped-up drains, so about 10 times as many as we normally get for drain calls, and a lot of it could be preventable,” said Clay Saliva, general manager of George’s Plumbing.
Thanksgiving meal prep and the clean-up are hard on the plumbing system. Saliva said they find everything from bones to eggshells to potato skins in the garbage disposal, and the biggest culprits are grease and oil. Throw in large family gatherings or groups using the restroom a few times, and that can cause problems.
“The drain is like a tree. You have the main trunk line, and then you have all the branches that go to the different fixtures, so whether it’s the kitchen or the toilet, when you start to overuse it, you overload the system,” said Saliva.
If you start to see overflowing water or hear bubbling or gurgling, the first thing to do is cut the water to that fixture, according to Saliva. The second is to call your preferred plumber.
Saliva said the best way to avoid a clog is to flush out your toilets and garbage disposals often.
“Turn on the water and then turn on the disposal and then put the food down it. And you want to give your disposal and the drain a good drink of water to flush everything down,” said Saliva.
