ASPE’s Plumbing Systems & Design Wins an APEX Award for Feature Writing

For the seventh consecutive year, PS&D has won an APEX Award for Publication Excellence. The 2009 award was for Steve Ziga’s feature article “To Protect and to Serve.” Congratulations Steve and PS&D!

It’s Official: Puerto Rico Is ASPE’s 60^th Chapter

Puerto Rico was chartered on Thursday, July 9, as the Society's 60th chapter. ASPE President Julius Ballanco and Executive Director Stanley Wolfson conducted the official chartering ceremony. The first election of officers was held, and the chapter's charter members in attendance signed the charter. (All charter members will be given the opportunity to sign the original charter.) Look for pictures and details in an upcoming issue of PS&D.

Don’t Miss the 2009 Plumbing Engineer and Contractor Technical Symposium

ASPE and Plumbing Contractors of America (PCA) have joined to present the 2009 Plumbing Engineer and Contractor Technical Symposium. This is the first time that two leading plumbing societies have combined their educational expertise into one premiere educational and professional development event. Make your plans now to attend October 22–25, 2009, in Dearborn, Michigan. With 25 program sessions in five tracks, each providing CEUs or PDHs, you don’t want to miss this milestone event. Whether you are a plumbing engineer, designer, or contractor, this is the premier educational and networking opportunity for you. Click here to register.

Register Now for the Next ASPE Webinar on Clean Agents

On Wednesday, August 5, at 1:00 p.m. CST, Jim Schifiliti will present ASPE’s next webinar, which will cover basic plan review, inspection, and system testing requirements for gas suppression systems. Cost is $69.95 for ASPE members and $129.95 for nonmembers. Participants can earn 0.1 CEU or 1 PDH. Click here to register.

PS&D Seeks Case Studies on Renovation Challenges

Have you been involved in a retrofit or renovation project that presented unique challenges in the plumbing or fire protection system design? Want to share your story with others? Send a brief synopsis of the project, including the challenges and how you overcame them, to gpienta@aspe.org. Selected projects will be featured in an upcoming issue of Plumbing Systems & Design.

ASPE Los Angeles Chapter Congratulates Plumbing System Design Graduates

The Plumbing Systems Design program, offered by UCLA Extension and ASPE’s LA Chapter, ended June 2009. Enrolled students completed three quarters of comprehensive education, consisting of more than 110 hours of class contact, homework, quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam for each quarter. 24 students participated, and the LA Chapter congratulates them for their perseverance and interest in improving their skills. The next program will start in September 2009, and registration is now open. Contact Haig Demergian (323-931-3770).

Congratulations to Scholarship Recipients

ASPE’s Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter would like to congratulate the 2009 DFW ASPE Scholarship Recipients: Mohammad Gharbieh and John Dulany. The scholarship will help both recipients obtain engineering degrees from Southern Methodist University and Texas Tech University respectively. The DFW ASPE Chapter is proud to support these in their studies.

Earn Quick CEUs with ASPE e-Learning Courses

If you're looking to increasing your skill set, learn a new procedure, or just want to increase your opportunities for advancement, ASPE e-Learning is the most convenient and affordable way to achieve those goals. We offer a complete set of e-learning courses to help you increase your knowledge or earn CEU/PDH credits.

ASPE Archived Webinars Offer CEUs

Click here to access ASPE archived webinars, which allows you to view and listen to previously recorded events at a time that is most convenient for you. Pay a small fee to earn quick CEUs.

EDUCATIONAL AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

July 18: Ride to the Rock in Chicago

ASPE’s Chicago Chapter’s annual motorcycle rally benefitting the Leukemia Research Foundation starts at Glen Ellyn, Illinois at 10:30 a.m. A stop will be made around 11:15 in Elburn, Illinois, to pick up additional bikers. All bikes are welcome and the donation is tax deductible. To participate, contact Jason McDonald (847-328-3555, ext. 204) or RideToTheRock@gmail.com.  

July 20: Meeting to Inspire a Seattle Chapter

A free networking and educational meeting to bring together those interested in starting an ASPE Seattle Chapter will be held at the Courtyard Seattle Bellevue/Downtown. Topics discussed will be how to organize a Seattle chapter, a review the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code, CSST, and rainwater harvesting. RSVP with Jeff Ingertson.

NEW! Baltimore-area HVAC Systems Seminar Being Held July 30

ASPE’s Baltimore Chapter is sponsoring the one-day seminar “Boiler Evolution: Understanding Combustion and Higher Efficiencies,” presented by Pipeline Development Co. and being held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Greenbelt, Maryland. Click here for more information.

July 31: Lake Geneva Dinner Cruise

Join the ASPE Wisconsin Chapter for a dinner cruise on the steam yacht Louise from 6–8 p.m. Cost is $80 per couple. RSVP to Robb Hopper.

July 28: Minneapolis Medical Gas Seminar

ASPE’s Minnesota Chapter is holding this class at Cedars Hall, Saint Maron’s Church in Minneapolis from 1–4 p.m. Cost is $50 for ASPE and ASHRAE members, $100 for nonmembers, and free for students. For more information, contact Alan Allmon.

August 3: Johnstown-area Golf Outing

ASPE’s Johnstown Chapter is holding its golf tournament at the Windber Country Club in Salix, Pennsylvania. Cost is $100 per golfer (includes lunch and dinner). Contact Jim Spinelli for more information.

August 6: Cleveland-area Golf Tournament

The joint ASPE/ASSE golf outing will be held at Fowlers Mill Golf Course in Chesterland, Ohio. Cost is $115 per golfer (includes dinner). Click here for a registration form (page 3).

August 17: Rochester-area Golf Outing

ASPE’s Rochester Chapter’s annual golf outing is being held at Victor Hills Golf Club in Victor, New York. Cost is $70 per golfer. Sponsorships are available. Contact Robert Wind (585-292-1590) for more information.

NEW! Wisconsin Golf Outing Being Held August 19

ASPE’s Wisconsin Chapter is holding its annual golf outing at the Broadlands Golf Club in North Prairie, Wisconsin. Cost is $80 for members and $95 for nonmembers (includes dinner). Contact Joe Herkowski by August 4 to register.

August 21: Boston-area Golf Outing

ASPE’s Boston Chapter is holding their annual golf outing at the Wayland Country Club in Wayland, Massachusetts. Cost is $100 per person for golf and dinner. Hole sponsorships are available for $100. Contact John Carter for more information.

NEW! Minneapolis Plumbing and Hydronics Product Show Being Held September 10

The ASPE and ASHRAE Minnesota Chapters are holding this all-day event at the Earle Brown Heritage Center. Free seminars on solar thermal water heating and geothermal heating systems will offer CEU credit. For more information or to register, contact Becky Soderholm.

NEW! British Columbia Golf Outing Being Held September 21

ASPE’s British Columbia Chapter is holding its annual golf outing at the Green Acres Golf and Country Club in Richmond, British Columbia. Cost is $125 per player (includes dinner). Contact Peter Way to register.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Code Change May Make California Graywater Systems Easier to Install

In response to continuing drought conditions, the California Department of Housing and Community Development has proposed more lenient graywater standards. According to the Express Terms for Proposed Emergency Building Standards, a clothes washer or other single-fixture, residential graywater system, such as a shower, could be installed or altered without a construction permit. If approved, the new code could take effect as early as August 4.

Rainwater Harvesting Mandated in Tucson

According to the Associated Press, under the nation's first municipal rainwater harvesting ordinance for commercial projects, Tucson developers building new business, corporate, or commercial structures will have to supply half of the water needed for landscaping from harvested rainwater starting next year. Read more here.

Use of 2008 NYC Construction Codes Is Now Required

The one-year interim period to use the 2008 NYC Construction Codes or the 1968 Building Code ended on July 1. On that date, the 2008 codes, which are based on the International Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel Gas Codes, were mandated by the New York City Department of Buildings for all new construction. The change represents the first major modernization of the city’s building codes in nearly 40 years. Click here to view the NYC Construction Codes.

Chicago Offering Tours of Buckingham Fountain

The Parkways Foundation and Chicago Park District are offering visitors a rare chance to tour Chicago’s Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain’s underground pump works. The 30-minute tours are offered each Friday at noon and at again 12:30 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 4. All proceeds from the Buckingham Fountain tours will benefit the restoration of Buckingham Fountain. The second phase of renovations is slated to begin during the 2009–2010 winter hiatus and will include the restoration and repair of the fountain itself, including rebuilding the lower basin, installation of a new plumbing system, repair of the electrical system, and rehabilitation of the historic pump house. Click here for more information or to register.

Changes Proposed to Standard 90.1

Proposed changes designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings covered by ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings are open for public comment. Among the proposed addendum is bh, which would require supply air temperature reset in multiple-zone HVAC systems. Other addenda include f, which would allow a number of paths to reduce building roof load; bq, which reduces additional lighting power allowances by reducing both lighting energy and the energy needed to cool the space; and bn, which requires orientation of fenestration to be considered to reduce thermal loads. Click here to read the addenda or to comment.

Researchers Achieve Major Breakthrough with Water Desalination System

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a mini-mobile-modular (M3) "smart" desalination and filtration system that can generate 6,000 gallons of drinking water per day from the sea or 8,000 to 9,000 gallons per day from brackish groundwater. The system is compact enough to be transported anywhere in the back of a van.

IAPMO Seeking Volunteers to Help Develop Model Codes

IAPMO is accepting applications from individuals wishing to participate on the newly formed Technical Correlating Committee toward the development of the 2012 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code. Applicants must submit their completed application by Aug. 17. Click here for an application form.

Change to ASHRAE Residential Standard Facilitates IAQ Improvements

ASHRAE has approved a change to its residential ventilation standard to encourage home retrofits to improve indoor air quality. Addendum e to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007: Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings allows alternative methods for meeting the standard’s requirements regarding kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. The standard currently requires fans in those rooms. An example of an alternative compliance path that is allowed under the addendum is increasing the overall whole-house ventilation rate to compensate for insufficient or non-existent bathroom exhaust.

ICC Offers Residential Sprinkler Installer Exam

The ICC Residential Sprinkler Installer Examination tests builders, plumbers, and other professional contractors on their knowledge of the sprinkler requirements in the 2009 International Residential Code. Those who pass the exam will receive official documentation of their score report from the ICC that may be presented as evidence for state licensure or other business purposes. The exam assesses competency in five areas: sprinkler components, piping components, water supply, system design, and installation. Click here for more information.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

New Lead-free Products Are Available

Bradley’s Navigator lead-free valves recently earned IAPMO certification and fully comply with current lead-free legislation. BrassCraft’s line of lead-free plumbing products is 100 percent compliant. Tomlinson Industries’ Pro-Flo products have received NSF/ANSI Standard 61—Annex G certification.   

Residential Fire Sprinkler Specification Guide Released

FBC Building Solutions' BlazeMaster Fire Sprinkler Systems has published "A Guide to Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems,” designed to answer commonly asked questions about specifying a residential fire sprinkler system. It highlights the differences between stand-alone and multipurpose systems, providing information as to where and when one should be specified over the other.

Actuators Provide Long-lasting Performance in Harsh Applications

Asahi/America Inc. now offers a complete line of corrosion-resistant quarter-turn pneumatic actuators engineered to operate on ball and butterfly valves in most harsh applications. Series 79P actuators are available in three materials: PAG (glass-filled polyamide) body; 316 stainless steel body; and cast aluminum body.