Black Friday busiest day for plumbers

CINCINNATI, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. plumbers say Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is their busiest day of the year, thanks to holiday meals and guests.

Big holiday meal preparation and cleanup mean lots of grease and food go down the kitchen drain. Holiday guests require additional clothes washing, showers and toilet flushes, straining household plumbing.

"Often, a house already has partially clogged drains that aren't noticeable until holiday guests arrive and overwhelm the system," Paul Abrams, a spokesman for Roto-Rooter, a 24-hour plumbing company, said in a statement. "Virtually every traditional Thanksgiving dish is an ideal clog culprit if it goes down the drain."

Plumbers get 21 percent more calls over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend than any other Thursday-Sunday period of the year. But plumbers and drain cleaners are prepared and have more workers on duty because this happens every year, Abrams said.

To avoid the chances you'll need to call a plumber:

-- Don't pour fats or cooking oils down drains. They solidify in pipes. Instead, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw the towels in the trash.

-- Don't put stringy, fibrous or starchy waste such as poultry skins, celery, fruit and potato peels in the garbage disposal . Disposals can't sufficiently grind these items.

-- Wait 10 minutes between showers so slow drains have time to work.