Plumbing Industry Braces for Annual 'Brown Friday' Surge as Holiday Preparations Overwhelm Home Systems

The plumbing industry is preparing for its busiest period of the year as service calls are expected to surge 50 percent above average during the Black Friday timeframe, a phenomenon the industry calls Brown Friday. The day-after-Thanksgiving rush overwhelms American drains nationwide as turkey grease, starchy side dishes, and holiday guests create perfect storm conditions for backups and clogs. According to Paul Abrams, spokesman for Roto-Rooter, many homeowners don't realize their drains are already partially compromised before the holiday season begins. The holiday rush serves as the trigger for existing plumbing issues to become full-blown emergencies, making preventative service before guests arrive a smarter approach than emergency calls when sewage backs up into homes.

During the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, Roto-Rooter averages a 21 percent surge in service requests. The most common culprits include turkey drippings and cooking grease that solidify inside pipes like candle wax, rice and pasta that break down into clogging gel, overtaxed systems from multiple showers and toilet flushes with holiday guests, and tree root intrusion in main sewer lines that erupt when drain volume increases. A holiday sewage backup represents more than just inconvenience—it can spoil precious family holidays and ruin celebrations. Roto-Rooter's 7,000 service technicians nationwide are working and on-call through the entire holiday weekend, including Thanksgiving Day itself, to handle emergency calls. The company's strategy combines both proactive and reactive approaches to the annual plumbing crisis.

Customers can book services through November at rotorooter.com or by calling 1-800-GET-ROTO. Many branches are offering pre-Thanksgiving maintenance packages to help homeowners avoid the rush and potential disasters. For those facing emergency situations during the holiday, Roto-Rooter guarantees rapid response and no surprise service fees. As part of its commitment to communities nationwide, Roto-Rooter is celebrating its seventh annual Giving Thanks Food Drive throughout November. Customers can save $55 with the donation of a non-perishable item to the food drive through participating Roto-Rooter branch offices or at rotorooter.com/fooddrive. Homeowners can also learn clog-prevention tips at rotorooter.com/blog. With 24-hour availability and service in most major U.S. markets, Roto-Rooter aims to keep homes running smoothly before, during, and after the holidays.