JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Black Friday is the biggest day of the year for retailers, and also for plumbers.
Calls to plumbers spike on the day after Thanksgiving because pipes get clogged with all the food and grease from the night before.
"This Friday we'll probably do 30-40 just kitchen sink stoppages," plumber Bill Fenwick said.
Fenwick said grease is often the main culprit.
"Grease is liquid and it's warm, but when you leave it in a dish and later on you see it congeal, that's what does in the drain pipes," Fenwick said.
Fenwick said pouring grease and other food down the drain is a quick way to create a plumbing problem that you may not be able to fix.
"Drano will help, but sometimes it hardens up though if it doesn't clean the line up and makes things even harder to unstop," Fenwick said.
He said if you notice your sink stopping up, don't stick anything down there. The first thing you should do is try to fix the problem with a plunger. If that doesn't work, call a plumber.
One way you can keep the water flowing this Thanksgiving is, don't pour fats and oils down the drains. They'll turn solid and create clogs.
"Wash your dishes off with a paper towel to get as much grease as you can," Fenwick said.
Also, avoid putting stringy, fibrous or starchy waste down the disposal. Make sure the disposal is running before you add food. Run water as you use the disposal. And finally, use the garbage can as much as possible.