7 TO 10 TOMORROW MORNING ON MY58. WE ARE NOW JUST HOURS AWAY FROM THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS. MANY PEOPLE ARE ALREADY GETTING READY MAKING THE FOOD THAT YOU CAN MAKE AHEAD RIGHT NOW AT HOME, AND PLUMBERS ARE GETTING READY TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY CALLS. SACRAMENTO MADE THE TOP FIVE LIST WITH THE MOST PLUMBING SEARCHES THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING LAST YEAR. KCRA 3’S MARICELA DE LA CRUZ HEARD FROM A PLUMBER ABOUT THE MOST COMMON ISSUES. YOU’VE HEARD OF BLACK FRIDAY. BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BROWN FRIDAY? A LOT OF IT IS ALSO GREECE JUST BEING THROWN DOWN THE DRAIN. IT’S THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING WHEN PLUMBERS SEE A SURGE IN CALLS, ALL THANKS TO CLOGGED DRAINS. WE TRY TO KEEP A CLEAR SCHEDULE ON THESE DAYS JUST SO THAT WE CAN PRIORITIZE THE CALLS THAT ARE COMING IN, AND WE DON’T OVERBOOK EVERYTHING COMING, YOU KNOW, TO THAT, TO THESE DAYS. THE MAIN CULPRITS GREASE AND FOOD SCRAPS LIKE VEGGIES, EGGSHELLS AND POTATO PEELS. IF YOU END UP GETTING A BIT OF FOOD ON IT, IT COULD HELP IT TO PUSH IT OUT. IT GIVES IT THAT BIT A BIT OF PRESSURE, GRINDING IT AND MAKING IT INTO SMALLER PARTICLES. BUT IT’S NOT MEANT FOR US TO PILE STUFF IN IT AND THINK THAT IT’S JUST GOING TO BE LIKE A BLENDER. PLUMBER SAMUEL PLATERO SAYS MANY PEOPLE TRY TO GET AHEAD OF THE CHAOS BY SWAPPING OUT THEIR DISPOSAL’S THIS WEEK, BUT EVEN THEN, A BAD CLOG DOESN’T JUST HIT YOUR HOUSE, IT CAN BACK UP THE CITY’S SEWER SYSTEM. A LOT OF THESE OLD HOMES, THEY DON’T HAVE THIS NEW SMOOTH PLASTIC PIPE. THEY HAVE ALL THESE GALVANIZED AND CAST IRON WHICH THEY BUILD UP THESE EDGES INSIDE, ALLOWING THEM TO CATCH ANYTHING COMING DOWN. MARICELA DE LA CRUZ KCRA. 3 NEWS OTHER MOST CLOGGED CITIES ON THE LIST LAST YEAR INCLUDED SAN DIEGO, SAN JOSE, S
Sacramento braces for ‘Brown Friday’ plumbing emergencies
Updated: 7:47 PM PST Nov 26, 2025
As Thanksgiving approaches, Sacramento plumbers are preparing for “Brown Friday,” the day after the holiday, when clogged drains from food scraps and grease lead to a surge in service calls.Last year, Sacramento ranked among the top five cities with the most plumbing searches the day after Thanksgiving, due to clogged holiday drains.”We try to keep a clear schedule on these days just so that we can prioritize the calls that are coming in and we don’t overbook everything coming to these days,” said Samuel Platero, a Sacramento-area plumber.The main culprits of these plumbing issues are grease and food scraps, such as veggies, eggshells, and potato peels. Many people mistakenly believe that pouring hot water down the drain will fix the problem, but plumbers advise against this approach.”If you end up getting a bit of food on it, it can help push it out, and it gives it that little bit of pressure grinding it and making it into smaller particles, but it’s not meant for us to pile stuff in it and think that it’s just going to be like a blender,” Platero said.Platero explained that they clear out their schedules every Thanksgiving because they anticipate three times the normal number of service calls. This week, however, many people are preparing by swapping out old garbage disposals before the holiday chaos.But even then, a bad clog can affect not just individual homes but also the city’s sewer system.”A lot of these old homes – they don’t have this new smooth plastic pipe. They have all these galvanized and cast iron, which they build up these edges inside, allowing them to catch anything coming down,” Platero said.Other nearby cities on the list of plumbing emergencies include San Francisco and San Jose. Plumbing emergencies on a holiday are more expensive than standard repairs, so the cheapest fix is to avoid putting anything other than water and soap down the sink.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
As Thanksgiving approaches, Sacramento plumbers are preparing for “Brown Friday,” the day after the holiday, when clogged drains from food scraps and grease lead to a surge in service calls.
Last year, Sacramento ranked among the top five cities with the most plumbing searches the day after Thanksgiving, due to clogged holiday drains.
“We try to keep a clear schedule on these days just so that we can prioritize the calls that are coming in and we don’t overbook everything coming to these days,” said Samuel Platero, a Sacramento-area plumber.
The main culprits of these plumbing issues are grease and food scraps, such as veggies, eggshells, and potato peels. Many people mistakenly believe that pouring hot water down the drain will fix the problem, but plumbers advise against this approach.
“If you end up getting a bit of food on it, it can help push it out, and it gives it that little bit of pressure grinding it and making it into smaller particles, but it’s not meant for us to pile stuff in it and think that it’s just going to be like a blender,” Platero said.
Platero explained that they clear out their schedules every Thanksgiving because they anticipate three times the normal number of service calls. This week, however, many people are preparing by swapping out old garbage disposals before the holiday chaos.
But even then, a bad clog can affect not just individual homes but also the city’s sewer system.
“A lot of these old homes – they don’t have this new smooth plastic pipe. They have all these galvanized and cast iron, which they build up these edges inside, allowing them to catch anything coming down,” Platero said.
Other nearby cities on the list of plumbing emergencies include San Francisco and San Jose.
Plumbing emergencies on a holiday are more expensive than standard repairs, so the cheapest fix is to avoid putting anything other than water and soap down the sink.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel