[CAUT] Topping up the tank

[Mark Cramer]

Hi Stan,

we're not needing precise, so much as simple and convenient.

Seeing we can't expect students to be on-call for 70 blinking lites, it is
very simple to instruct them to "pour until the trickling sound stops"....
it's that easy, and I don't think we need to change a thing!

However, as students have pointed out, at some pianos the "trickling" is
easier to hear than others.

So, what I really, really would be interested in, is the simplest way to
make the trickling sound just a little louder. (maybe like the ABS vent
stack through the guest-room closet at the lake... okay maybe not that
much!)

I was even thinking about those tiny metal bells the "well-informed"
tourists wear to keep the bears away  :>) , why not tie a pair of those to
the end of the filler hose?

If I try this, I'll let you know.

As for how high to fill the tank?

In fall when we re-install the tanks, the students are asked to make sure
the slit in every filler tube is about 1" below the clamp, that will be the
level where the trickling sound stops.

Of course, if they want to tempt fate and risk over-filling, then I like
Fred's idea just fine.

Mark Cramer,
Brandon University


PS Hey man, let's play some golf!














-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf Of
Stan Kroeker
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 1:40 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: [CAUT] Topping up the tank


Fred, Mark,

Employing the 'aural' method of water depth sensing, will the end of
trickling sound always result in a precise depth in the reservoir?
Of course, this depends on the length of tubing in the reservoir but
can you simply add a measured amount of water after the sound stops?
ie:   trickling sound stops:   add exactly one-half litre more to
bring level within 1 cm of top?   Or ... perhaps this measured amount
could correlate to the moment the light stops blinking?

If this works (the reservoir would have to be perfectly level, of
course), you could simply mark a line on the watering can to indicate
the 'top-up' amount.  How close to the top of the tank do you dare to
fill, Fred?

Regards,

Stan Kroeker

On Jun 6, 2006, at 3:47 PM, Fred Sturm wrote:

> Hi Mark,
>     I can hear the end of the trickling sound okay, but I like to
> "push the envelope" and add another half a liter or so beyond, to
> take care of the last day of those two weeks between fillings
> during dry periods. Me, I have no help and have to fill the darned
> things myself. Once every two weeks I can handle.
>     It's a matter of learning how much water to add beyond the
> point where the sound diminishes to nothing, and the precise timing
> of the end of the trickle noise. Of course, this depends on the end
> of the tube (its setting in relationship to the top/bottom of the
> tank) being consistent from piano to piano. I overfilled precisely
> two times (we have hard water, so it left plenty of evidence in the
> form of minerals). Fine enough for me, but if you are training
> student help, you'll want something more concrete.
>     There are plenty of possibilities, including installing one of
> those beepers at just the right level (probes set at just below the
> target water level), with a switch in its cord. Turn the switch on
> so it is beeping when you start to fill, then stop adding water
> when it stops beeping. And remember to switch it off now, to avoid
> annoying the sensitive ears of the piano prof between services <G>.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
> fssturm at unm.edu
>
>
>
> On Jun 6, 2006, at 1:20 PM, Mark Cramer wrote:
>
>
>> Question: Since you listen to the (faint) trickling sound when
>> filling
>> tanks, how hard should it be to make the filling process "noisier"
>> i.e.: add
>> somthing that rattles around at the end of the tube... ?
>>
>> or for that matter, why not a simple float that rises with the
>> "tide" until
>> it blocks the end of the filler tube?
>>
>> We really should be able to solve this thing.
>>
>> best regards,
>> Mark Cramer,
>> Brandon University
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf Of
>> Fred Sturm
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 9:36 AM
>> To: College and University Technicians
>> Subject: [CAUT] Undercover - hooks and grommets
>>
>>
>> Hi all,
>>     Here are some pictures, as promised earlier, of my method of
>> attaching an undercover, using hooks and grommets. It's the first
>> such installation I ever did, and is an "under the beams"
>> installation (before the new tanks which fit between beams), and with
>> 48" (50w) rod (extends beyond the fabric - a neater job can be had
>> with 38w, less wrinkling of fabric). Took me less than an hour to
>> install, and really doesn't look too bad. I am better at it now, and
>> can make a neater job of it for a fancy living room. This is in a
>> faculty studio, and not at all in view. I was experimenting, and the
>> grommets were added after a trial with tape, staples, and a hole. I
>> find now that, with grommet squeezing pliers, I can just use the
>> grommet to hold the fabric (create the "hem" and attach to the hook),
>> and don't need the reinforcement of tape. The grommets in the picture
>> were applied using a hammer, with punch and shaped anvil. The results
>> were not very consistent, and it was much more time-consuming than
>> pliers. $15 for the pliers was well worth the expense.
>>     Besides ease of installation. what I like about this system is
>> ease
>> of removal and replacement. Literally seconds to get it out of the
>> way to service the tank and pads, and seconds to replace it. The
>> observant among you might notice the tell-tale signs of over-filling
>> the tank. I listen to the fill noise more carefully now. I manage to
>> get two weeks between filling by maxing almost to the top of the
>> tank.
>>     If anyone has questions, I'll do my best to answer, or perhaps
>> take
>> some different pictures. This was a hard set up for photography, as
>> it is rather cramped (two B's next to each other), but it's the only
>> undercover I have ready access to. The others I have installed are in
>> private clients' homes.
>> Regards,
>> Fred Sturm
>> University of New Mexico
>> fssturm at unm.edu
>>
>>
>
>