Running Amok in a Plumber's Crack

Comparison of drainage pipe slope

So-called "mommybloggers" were all the rage there for a few months (a meme? a memelet?). Now we're never gonna claim to be qualified to give a mommyblogger crap about any of their stock topics like diapers, makeup, cheating husbands or fad diets – no, that would be hypocritical. On the other hand, when a mommyblogger starts trying to explain a visit from her plumber yesterday (desperate for something to write about? no products to write glowing reviews about?), she's on our turf - and she'd better not get all stupid.

Get all stupid is just someone who calls herself "Abby" did over at InfoBarrel in her article "How to Fix Your Basic Kitchen Plumbing Problems." It's pretty clear from the text that Abby had a leak under her sink and decided to "educate" her readers on plumbing basics. The problem being that she was saying things like

"Draining waste water is a bit more complicated for a few reasons. First, there is no pressure through which to force out waste  and grey water. Instead, this process must rely on gravity which means that drainage pipes should maintain roughly one-quarter inch grade reduction for every three feet of vertical line..."

Ummm, excuse us? a "one-quarter inch grade reduction for every three feet of vertical line"? WTF is that supposed to mean? First, grade isn't measured in inches because it's slope (rise over run, inches over feet), so the text makes no sense. And second, waste pipe grade is measured against horizontal length, not "vertical line."

What our Dumbass of the Day wanted to say was something like "drainage pipe should drop roughly 1/4 inch in every foot of horizontal run."  Far be it from us to correct her at the site, though, because that's just "mean." Or, given the topic, maybe it would be crappy of us...

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