Hello! I’m Jason McDonald, ASPE’s Vice President, Membership. I joined ASPE in 1994 and am currently a member of the Chicago Chapter. I ran for the position of VPM because I wanted to help other plumbing engineering professionals realize the value of joining our Society.
You might be thinking, “Why should I pay $190 per year in ASPE dues? I mean, what’s in it for me?” In answer, I want to point out a couple of the many technical benefits available to ASPE members, which you can find in the Members Only section of ASPE’s website.
At aspe.org, hover over Membership & Global Community in the main menu and then click on Members Only. You’ll need to be signed in to the website to access this content.
ASPE Tables Book and App
ASPE’s Plumbing Engineering & Design Handbook of Tables was published in 2008 as a tool to help members with pipe sizing, equations, and more. It’s more than 2,000 pages—the last bathroom reading you will ever need! In this book you will find tables related to drain pipe and domestic water pipe sizing, pipe flow capacities, conversions, and SO much more. The book is available in the ASPE Bookstore, currently $169.95 for ASPE members and $259.95 for nonmembers.
For those who have an iPhone or iPad, the information in this book is available as a free download in the App Store. Just search for “ASPE Tables V4.” There is a catch, though: If you want the app to be usable (i.e., content to be unlocked), you will have to register/activate it with your ASPE membership credentials.
If you do not own an iPhone or prefer something computer or laptop based, ASPE has you covered there, too. For ASPE members, the Tables App is available for download to your Mac or PC. To get it, click on the PED Handbook of Tables App icon in the Members Only section. Wherever you are, you can have these tables at your fingertips!
For you nonmembers still reading, to get the Tables book you can buy it for about $260, or for $190, you can become a member of a wonderful organization and have the pipe sizing tables available to you on your iPhone or computer for no additional cost. If that tempts you, click here to join ASPE today: aspe.org/membership-global-community/join.
Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook
The PEDH comes in four volumes—a symphony in four parts, if you will:
- Volume 1: Fundamentals of Plumbing Engineering
- Volume 2: Plumbing Systems
- Volume 3: Special Plumbing Systems
- Volume 4: Plumbing Components and Equipment
Every four years, each volume is updated. ASPE members can be part of the revision process. As someone who oversaw a handbook update as Committee Chair and who even nervously edited a chapter, I can tell you that it was both a rewarding and educational experience. All ASPE members have the opportunity to participate in PEDH updates. If you are interested, talk with your Chapter Vice President, Technical or send a message to [email protected].
As part of their membership, ASPE members receive the most recently updated volume each year. (Note: This is not available to Student and Retired members paying reduced membership dues.) Nonmembers can purchase the Plumbing Engineering Design Handbooks from the ASPE Bookstore, currently $259.95 to $299.95 each. There are substantial discounts for ASPE members who want to purchase additional copies.
Something many ASPE members may not know is that the PEDH volumes are also available as PDF downloads for no additional cost. This is available to all ASPE members, including Student and Retired members. Go to the Members Only section and click on the Plumbing Engineering Design Handbook, Volumes 1–4 icon. You will be redirected to the ASPE Education portal, where you can complete the download process. (I will likely talk about ASPE Education in another column.)
What you just read about are technical benefits available to ASPE members today. These are just a couple examples of ASPE membership benefits that add substantial value to your annual dues. In future columns, I will talk about more benefits of ASPE membership. In the meantime, if you have any membership questions or ideas, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Not an ASPE member? Join ASPE today!
