The day after Thanksgiving is said to be the busiest plumbing service day of the year. To help you avoid an emergency call, WTOP spoke with an expert for tips.
While most people think of the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday, thanks to holiday season sales at stores, plumbers have another name for it: “Brown Friday.”
The day after Thanksgiving is said to be the busiest plumbing service day of the year. To help you avoid an emergency call, WTOP spoke with an expert for tips.
Patrick Garner, a third-generation master plumber and director of operations at Cardinal Plumbing Heating & Air in Northern Virginia, said the nickname is no joke. “’Brown Friday’ is a real thing,” he said. “Who doesn’t love a good plumbing joke?”
Why so many calls?
Garner told WTOP several factors contribute to the surge in plumbing calls, as more guests mean more cooking. And more cooking leads to more scraps down the garbage disposal on Brown Friday.
“You’ve got the easy stuff, like grease, right?” said Garner.
Eggshells and potato skins are among the worst offenders, with Garner singling out the absolute worst one: “Celery is incredibly fibrous. When that comes down the drain, it’s breaking into these tough little strings, not unlike dental floss. That celery will bind up that disposal.”
Garner suggests placing a trash can next to the sink and using that instead.
Toilet troubles
Flushable wipes are another offender Garner said he often encounters on “Brown Friday.”
“I am convinced whoever invented flushable wipes was a plumber, because they know that no wipes are flushable.” He added that they are not flushable and urges those who use them to “not put those down your line.”
Garner also recommends knowing where your main shut-off valve is and how to use it.
“It’s one of the biggest safety devices that you have,” he said. “It’s a device that’s usually in your mechanical room, close to your water heater, and it just turns the water off to the entire house.”
The strangest call
In his dozen years of experience, Garner said his strangest service call involved a guest who clogged a toilet by pieces of turkey.
“They were bringing in bits of turkey and flushing it down, because it was so dry and they were so embarrassed that they didn’t want to insult the host,” he said. “That person just cost them a lot more money and a lot more embarrassment.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.