Thanksgiving is the one day of the year when your plumbing systems across Ohio work harder than ever. More cooking, more guests, more dishes, and more trips to the bathroom mean your pipes, drains, garbage disposal, and toilets face a perfect storm of stress. One wrong move—like pouring grease down the sink or overloading the disposal with potato peels—and your holiday can go from grateful to grim in minutes.
At Dor-Mar, we’ve rescued hundreds of Columbus-area families from Thanksgiving plumbing disasters. This survival guide shares the most common problems we see every Black Friday morning, simple DIY fixes you can do today, and exactly when it’s time to put down the plunger and call the professionals.
Be thankful this year for reliable plumbing—and follow these tips to keep it that way!
The Top 5 Thanksgiving Plumbing Emergencies (and How to Avoid Them)
1. Grease and Fat Clogs: The #1 Post-Turkey Day Culprit
Nothing destroys drains faster than hot turkey fat, gravy, and oily pan drippings poured straight down the kitchen sink. Even if it’s liquid when it leaves the roasting pan, grease solidifies as it cools, coating the inside of pipes and creating blockages that snare everything else.
Quick DIY Prevention
- Let grease cool slightly, then pour it into an empty soup can or jar. Seal and toss in the trash once solid.
- Wipe pots, pans, and plates with paper towels before washing to remove excess fat.
- Run hot (not boiling) water + a few tablespoons of dish soap down the drain after doing dishes to help flush remaining oils.
Pro Tip
If you already have a slow drain:
Pour ½ cup baking soda followed by 1 cup white vinegar down the drain, wait 15 minutes, then flush with a full kettle of hot water. This often clears minor grease buildup.
2. Overworked Garbage Disposal Jams
Garbage disposals are not trash cans. Every year we pull out pounds of potato peels, celery strings, onion skins, and turkey bones that families thought “a little bit won’t hurt.”
Foods That Should NEVER Go in the Disposal
- Potato peels (they turn into paste)
- Celery, corn husks, artichokes (stringy fibers wrap blades)
- Onion skins (they slip past blades and clog the trap)
- Grease, oil, or fat
- Bones, fruit pits, seafood shells
- Rice, pasta, or oatmeal (they expand with water)
How to Safely Use Your Disposal During the Holiday
- Run only cold water (hot water melts fat, which re-solidifies downstream).
- Feed food slowly—never stuff it full.
- Run the disposal longer than you think (20–30 seconds after the grinding stops).
Unjam a Disposal Safely
- Turn off power at the breaker or unplug under the sink.
- Never put your hand inside—use tongs or pliers to remove debris.
- Locate the red reset button on the bottom of the unit and press it.
- Insert an Allen wrench into the hex hole on the bottom and turn back and forth to free the blades. Many disposal models include a special allen wrench to turn the disposal manually to help release any jams.
If it still won’t run or hums but doesn’t spin, call Dor-Mar. Hidden damage could cause the motor to burn out.
3. Toilet Overload from Extra Guests
A house that normally has four people suddenly hosting 14 means toilets get flushed far more often—and with more toilet paper than they’re designed for.
Prevent Toilet Clogs
- Place a small trash can with a liner in every bathroom and politely ask guests to throw away feminine products, wipes (even “flushable” ones), paper towels, and facial tissue.
- Double-check that only human waste and toilet paper go in the bowl.
- Keep a plunger in every bathroom—guests are often too embarrassed to ask.
Plunging Like a Pro
Use a flange plunger (the one with the extra flap), not a cup plunger. Create a tight seal, push gently once to remove air, then pull back sharply followed by forceful plunges. Repeat 10–15 times. Still clogged? Time to call.
4. Dishwasher Backups and Drain Line Clogs
Running the dishwasher three or four times in one day can overwhelm older drain lines, especially if food particles weren’t scraped off plates first.
Dishwasher Survival Checklist
- Scrape plates into the trash (not the sink!).
- Run only full loads to conserve water and reduce strain.
- Use the hottest water setting your dishes can handle to help melt fats.
If water backs up into the sink when the dishwasher runs, you likely have a clog in the air gap or drain hose—call Dor-Mar for same-day service.
5. Hot Water Tank Can’t Keep Up
Nothing ruins pie-baking and post-dinner showers like running out of hot water. With extra guests showering and multiple loads of dishes, demand skyrockets.
Boost Your Hot Water Supply
- Lower the thermostat to 120 °F a few days before (safer and actually provides more usable hot water).
- Stagger showers and dishwasher cycles.
- If your water heater is over 10 years old, consider a tankless upgrade—perfect timing for year-end rebates (more on that in next week’s blog!).
Your Thanksgiving Day Plumbing Emergency Plan
Even with the best prevention, accidents happen. Here’s what to do if disaster strikes on turkey day:
- Know where your main water shut-off valve is (usually in the basement near the water meter or where the line enters the house).
- Keep Dor-Mar’s 24/7 emergency number saved: (555) 123-4567
- If a drain is completely blocked or sewage is backing up, shut off the water and call immediately—waiting can lead to thousands in water damage.
Dor-Mar offers true holiday emergency service—no triple-time holiday fees, just honest pricing year-round pricing.
Be Thankful for Reliable Plumbing This Holiday Season
Working plumbing is one of those modern miracles we only appreciate when it’s gone. This Thanksgiving, take a moment to be grateful for hot showers, flushing toilets, and drains that swallow everything without complaint—and show that gratitude by treating your system with a little extra care.
Call Dor-Mar at (866) 947-1800 or book online in under 60 seconds using the
BOOK NOW button above.
From all of us at Dor-Mar, we’re thankful for amazing customers like you who trust us to keep your home running smoothly year after year.
Have a happy, clog-free, leak-free Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
The Dor-Mar Family
Serving Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, and all Central Ohio communities
P.S. Traveling for the holiday? Schedule a “house sitting” plumbing check before you leave—we’ll make sure everything is winter-ready while you’re away enjoying family.
Don’t Gamble with Winter Comfort—Act Today
Every day you delay increases the chance you’ll be calling for emergency service at 2 a.m. when it’s 5 degrees outside. Technicians are busiest (and most expensive) in January and February.
Right now, while the weather is still mild, is the perfect time to get your furnace professionally tuned and ready for whatever winter throws at us.
Schedule Your Pre-Season Furnace Checkup Today
Call Dor-Mar at (866) 947-1800 or book online in under 60 seconds using the BOOK NOW button above.
Winter waits for no one—but with Dor-Mar on your side, you’ll be warm, safe, and saving money all season long.
Stay warm,
The Dor-Mar Team
P.S. Still not convinced? Ask about our Home Comfort Membership—two precision HVAC tune-ups per year (fall furnace + spring A/C), annual hot water tank maintenance, priority service, and discounts on repairs for one low annual price.
