In New England we experience a degree of what you are talking about. Our winters are tough, but I've come to believe that our summers are tougher. The systems really work but don't be afraid to increase power. A humidfying bucket and the standard 35 watt rod just won't do it in your area. Often I run across installations that are doomed to fail because the humidistat is mounted too close to the humidifier or even right above a drying rod. Try to locate the control unit at least 6" from either. Install as much drying power under the piano's soundboard as you can, three rods minimum, at least 100 watts, preferably more. One fifty watt rod behind the keybed, a thirty-eight and a twenty-five triangulating the perimeter of the soundboard. I mount the humidifier in the center of the triangulated rods, suspended from the bottom of the frame, not the top as indicated in the literature. This pattern has worked very well for me. If I need two buckets under the piano, say for a Steinway B or Yamaha C7 I can fit them side by side right in the middle on a single set of rods, trying to find a hanger support to a beam in the middle somewhere in between the buckets. Heh this works. The church has its own set of problems complicating matters, the lack of heat during the week all winter. That can't help the tuning. Check to make sure the outlet is always live, not hooked to a light switch. David Sanderson Littleton, MA PIANO BIZ@aol.com
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