'Brown Friday': America's Most Clogged Up Plumbing Cities After Thanksgiving Revealed

As the day to celebrate Thanksgiving fast approaches, a less-known tradition has now gained prominence as a result of the festivities and has been dubbed "Brown Friday."

Thanksgiving Day, a long-standing holiday that falls on Thursday, has prompted plumbing companies to adopt the unofficial term as they prepare for the busiest day of the year when they will be dealing with post-Thanksgiving plumbing emergencies.

A recent survey of data points has revealed the city with the most plumbing emergencies on Thanksgiving Friday.

After a careful review of several data points, Yelp, the popular business review platform, released its list of America's most clogged-up plumbing cities on "Brown Friday." 

The list shows the cities where post-Thanksgiving plumbing emergencies are most prevalent after an analysis of millions of queries relating to emergency plumbers was carried out.

Topping the list this year is Portland, Oregon, which saw an increase of 23% in searches for common plumbing issues on Brown Friday time, as compared to the seven days before Thanksgiving Day and searches made seven days following Thanksgiving Day in 2022. 

The city also ranked for searches like "clogged drains" and "drain cleaning" in November and December 2022. 

Other cities like Virginia Beach, VA, Raleigh, NC, Indianapolis, IN, and Jacksonville, FL, also made the top five, experiencing a significant uptick in plumbing woes during the post-holiday period.

According to plumbing service Roto-Rooter, the day after Thanksgiving always sees a significant spike in calls for plumbing-related issues, earning it the tongue-in-cheek moniker "Brown Friday." 

The holiday, known for its vast array of rich foods across American homes, can put a strain on household plumbing systems, leading to clogged drains, leaky pipes, backed-up toilets, and other plumbing nightmares.

Known as "Black Friday" amongst retailers and shoppers across the U.S., the day has left plumbing companies across the country gearing up for the anticipated surge in service calls, which goes as high as 50% above the average Friday.

"Often, the case is that a house already has partially clogged drains that go unnoticed until holiday guests arrive and overwhelm the system," says Paul Abrams, a spokesman for Roto-Rooter, adding that Thanksgiving weekend averages a 21 percent increase over any other Thursday through Sunday period during the year. "Even more problematic is that virtually every traditional Thanksgiving dish is a drain-clogging culprit," he said.

The plumbing services website, Roto-Rooter, offered tips for homeowners to prevent their party from abruptly stopping due to a plumbing emergency. 

Homeowners are advised to be mindful of what goes down their drains and toilets and to dispose of food waste and grease properly.

"Try to address any plumbing problems before the holiday and before guests arrive," the company shared. "However, in the case of holiday plumbing emergencies, don't hesitate to ask a plumber, upfront, about extra holiday service fees."

Other helpful tips include "Never pour fats or cooking oils down the drain. Wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw it in the trash."

They also wrote, "Avoid putting stringy, fibrous, or starchy waste in the garbage disposal," noting that "Poultry skins, celery, fruit, and potato peels, for example, cannot be sufficiently broken down."

"Make sure the disposal is running when you put food into it. Don't wait until it's full to turn it on," the website notes, adding that "For homes hosting weekend guests, it's a good idea to wait 10 minutes between showers so slow drains have time to do their job."

The plumbing service stressed, "Never flush cotton balls, swabs, hair, or wet wipes down a toilet. They don't dissolve and will cause clogs. Place a waste basket in the bathroom so these items won't be flushed."

You can see the complete list of tips here.