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NASCLAMech/Plumbmedium5% of exam part

A 2 in. horizontal sanitary branch is laid out in a ceiling space. Which minimum slope is commonly required for small horizontal drainage piping?

Correct Answer

D) 1/4 in. per ft

Small horizontal drainage piping, such as 2 in. pipe, is commonly sloped at 1/4 in. per ft. Other choices are too flat for small sanitary branches or steeper than the usual minimum.

Answer Options
A
1/8 in. per ft
B
1 in. per ft
C
1/2 in. per ft
D
1/4 in. per ft

Why This Is the Correct Answer

Small horizontal drainage piping, such as 2 in. pipe, is commonly sloped at 1/4 in. per ft. Other choices are too flat for small sanitary branches or steeper than the usual minimum.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A: 1/8 in. per ft

Choice A (1/8 in. per ft) is rejected because 1/8 in. per ft is a different drainage slope than the pipe size in the item; the accepted slope is 1/4 in. per ft. The cited answer is 1/4 in. per ft.

Option B: 1 in. per ft

In mechanical and plumbing, 1 in. per ft is the wrong selection for Drainage slope: 1 in. per ft is a different drainage slope than the pipe size in the item; the accepted slope is 1/4 in. per ft.

Option C: 1/2 in. per ft

The trap in C is 1/2 in. per ft. That selection is wrong because 1/2 in. per ft is a different drainage slope than the pipe size in the item; the accepted slope is 1/4 in. per ft; Small horizontal drainage piping is commonly sloped at 1/4 in. per ft.

Memory Technique

Treat drainage slope like a labeled shelf; only the matching condition belongs with 1/4 in. per ft.

Reference Hint

Open Pipe and Excavation Contracting, 2011; use the index entry or section for "Gravity drainage pipe slope for small sanitary branches" to confirm that Small horizontal drainage piping, such as 2 in.

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