Black Friday no holiday for plumbers

The day after Thanksgiving is Roto-Rooter's busiest day of the year. In fact, the folks at Roto-Rooter refer to it as Black Friday—an all-hands-on-deck day as plumbers repair drain pipes and garbage disposals done in by the remains of the day.

"Potato peels, rice, and pasta become very sticky and gel-like when they begin to break down inside a drainpipe or garbage disposal," says Paul Abrams, a spokesman for Roto-Rooter. Celery, pumpkin pulp, sweet potatoes, and other stringy and fibrous foods are culprits and so are grease, poultry skin and bones. Add in a house full of guests who push the plumbing to the max and you can see why the day after Thanksgiving keeps plumbers busy, especially since the drains are often partially clogged to start with. To avoid hanging out with your plumber this holiday weekend consider these clog-preventing tips from Roto-Rooter.

• Don't put fats or cooking oils down drains.
  
• Do remove grease from pans with paper towels then toss.
  
• Don't put stringy, fibrous, or starchy waste in your garbage disposal.
  
• Do make sure the disposal is running when you toss in food.
  
• Don't wait until disposal is full to use it.
  
• Do ask weekend guests to wait 10 minutes between showers so slower drains have time to drain.
  
• Don't flush cotton balls or swabs down the toilet. They cause clogs since they don't dissolve.