Cooking that turkey dinner and all the side dishes can not only put a strain on the chef of the house, but it can also put pressure on your plumbing.  The grease, leftovers and peels that go along with cooking large meals can clog drains and damage disposals. Calls for service usually increase on Thanksgiving Day and spike on Black Friday.  Business is usually up 50 percent more than a typical week.

Plumbers with Benjamin Franklin franchises offer these tips to keep things running smoothly on Thanksgiving:

• Never pour cooking oil or fats down your drain. Oil can solidify and clog your line. 

• Pour oil and fat into a container or jar and then dispose of it properly.

•  When in doubt, throw it out

•  Use your garbage can instead of your disposal to get rid of drippings and leftovers. Fats, bones and fibrous foods (like potatoes and celery) can clog or damage your drain and disposal.

Let the water flow

Run the water from your kitchen sink a few seconds before using your disposal and then again after using the disposal to flush the line.

Prevention pays off   

Have your kitchen drain line and plumbing lines maintained by a professional plumber regularly to prevent problems during heavy usage.

Don’t forget your bathroom plumbing

Bathrooms can also be busy places during Thanksgiving with extra visitors and extra use. Try and wait 10 minutes between showers and consider a tankless water heater to have hot water when you need it.