• Portland experienced a 23 percent increase in plumbing issue searches in 2022 
• The terms that spiked included clogged drain and drain cleaning 
• These issues can arise for reasons involving usage and food dumping 

Plumbers may find they are not feeling quite so thankful for Thanksgiving the day after the November holiday.

Dubbed ‘Brown Friday’, it’s known as a busy day in the plumbing world courtesy of an annual surge in clogged sink drains, toilets and leaky pipes.

Portland in Oregon was awarded the title of the most clogged up city in America in 2022, according to a report compiled by Yelp. 

The company’s research revealed the city experienced a 23 percent increase in searches for common plumbing issues such as ‘clogged drain’ and ‘drain cleaning’ within the seven days after Thanksgiving.

Clogging can occur more frequently during this period due to increased toilet or sink usage, and households dumping cooking oils and food down the drain. 

Brown Friday is a day that plumbers experience a business increase because of plumbing issues like clogged drains and leaky pipes The annual day takes place the day after Thanksgiving – the same day as Black Friday

The towns in third, fourth, and fifth place include Raleigh, North Carolina, and Indianapolis, Indiana, tying at 21 percent, and Jacksonville, Florida at 18 percent. 

Sacramento, California, Boston, Massachusetts, and New Orleans, Louisiana share a three-way tie at 15 percent, while Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Phoenix, Arizona tie at 14 percent.

Although Portland is the number one most clogged city, California is the state that is featured most on the list with a total of five cities: Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Los Angeles is ranked number 18, but Yelp concluded that the California city had the highest number of Request a Quote submissions for plumbing projects between November and December 2022.

However, their 2022 clogging issues are different from Portland’s since the city only amounted to a 12 percent increase in plumbing searches. 

The chart indicates that the four other towns in the top five most clogged cities are Virginia Beach, Raleigh, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville

Yelp trend expert and vice president of community expansion Tara Lewis released some tips to help households avoid contributing to the Brown Friday business surge.

People should pay more attention to the kitchen since it will be one of the most popular rooms in a home on Thanksgiving Day.

Water usage and food scraps can cause massive problems with pipes, so washing plates thoroughly and using a sink strainer to prevent clogged drains is essential. 

Dinner goers should still remember that bathrooms are a crucial factor on Thanksgiving, especially toilets. 

One of the reasons why a toilet gets clogged is because of unsafe things like cooking oils and diapers being flushed down the drain. 

Lewis suggests the party host leave a note reminding guests to only flush safe items down the drain. 

She also said using all bathrooms available at the house will be better since doing so will decrease the chances of clogging a toilet.

Clogged sinks are a common problem because of water usage and food scraps going down the drainWhen the temperature outside is 32 degrees or under, watch out for frozen pipes

Party organizers who have time to look around their houses should watch out for water usage and keep an eye on the weather.  

Leaky pipes, one of the popular Brown Friday problems, can happen because of a sudden increase in water usage.

It’s important to keep track of the water usage not just in sinks and toilets, but also in dishwashers or showers since they too are connected to pipes.

The weather can also make a difference. 

If the temperature outside hits 32 degrees or below and ice forms on pipes, they can fail or even break. 

People have a better chance of preventing this if they let faucets drip, experts said.

This method will keep water circulating and help prevent pipes from freezing in cold temperatures. 

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – When people reach for disinfectant wipes to protect themselves from the coronavirus, we are reminded to throw them in the trash and not to flush them down the toilet.

These wipes and other toilet paper substitutes can lead to an increase in clogged plumbing in San Jose.

Those still hard to find, disinfectant wipes that kill cold and flu viruses are now widely used for wiping door handles, countertops, TV remotes, and other touch sensitive surfaces.

They shouldn’t be flushed in the toilet, but it still happens, says Colin Heyne of the City of San Jose.

“We’re seeing an increase in service requests, mostly for cleaning people. That is the underground sewer access in their homes. Fortunately, we are not seeing an increase in sewer drains,” Heyne said.

While disinfectant wipes are great at killing most bacteria and viruses, they don’t break down as easily as toilet paper.

In large quantities, they can plug pipes, secure sewers, and cause major problems for sewage treatment plants, says Jennie Loft of Environmental Health.

“It won’t flush, it won’t go through the system, it won’t dissolve properly like toilet paper, it will get stuck in your pipes. We have devices that shield the cloths and any solid materials that get through the system. Therefore we would like to ask residents not to put this material in the toilet at all, ”said Loft.

In relation to this lack of toilet paper in recent weeks, there has also been an increase in clogged pipes and cleaning with materials even more problematic than wipes.

“We’re also seeing more non-flushable items like cloth, T-shirts and cotton fabrics. When people run out of toilet paper, we want to make sure they use something else,” Heyne said.

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The dramatic video, captured Friday morning by the Novato sanitary district, shows water spurting from sewage treatment plants clogged with cloths and many other used cloths all over the floor.

“We were basically faced with a deluge of towels,” said General Manager Sandeep Karkal.

RELATED: Coronavirus Map: Updated Numbers of COVID-19 Cases, Deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area

Wipes don’t break down in sewer systems and have been clogging pipes and sewage plants for years, but officials fear the problem will suddenly get much worse.

Sewage gushed from a manhole cover on a street in San Rafael earlier this week.

Mike Prinz, general manager of Los Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, blames what he calls “non-flushable” which clogged the pipes and caused the spillage.

RELATED: How to Properly Clean Your Home During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Prinz says it’s important that people stop flushing products that aren’t made to go to the bathroom. In addition to cloths, paper towels and serviettes should also not be washed. Your own home can also be at risk.

“The pipe you’re blocking may actually be your own pipe, and in that case your toilet won’t flush, your shower won’t drain, your sink will reset,” said Prinz. “We are obviously facing a really difficult time, but things could get worse if you had a backup for your house too.”

Novato Sanitary District uses a slogan to remind people not to use their toilet as a trash can. “Just flush the three Ps. Pee, Poop and TP (toilet paper).”

The California Water Resources Board says that towels should never be flushed, even if the label says they are flushable.

The mess caused by the wipes in the Novato sanitary district was in a restricted access area and there was no danger to the public.

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