Damp Chaser in old upright

[John Ross]

Initially, I believe only the heating rods were available, initially. People
were informed to have them on only during periods, of high humidity.
They would forget, and some pianos, got too dry. The humidistat was
then made available, then the humidifier. Now we have full systems
available, that can be customized for most situations.
I would definitely recommend the full system, for most areas. As with
everything, there are exceptions. I.e. areas that are always dry, and ones
that
are always humid.
You never specified if it was a full system, and if it was,all working
properly?
If it had been there for 25 years, it is probably just a heater bar.
I don't think that a 25W, heater would have caused that much damage,
there has to be other additional heat.
Regards
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
piano.tech@ns.sympatico.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: "jstuart1" <jstuart1@pdq.net>
To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 8:34 PM
Subject: Damp Chaser in old upright


> I am currently repairing the action to an old upright built in 1911.
> This piano has had a Damp Chaser or similar product in it for almost 25
> years. This is the first piano I have seen that has such a system.
> Almost all of the sticker felts have come loose, a couple of jacks have
> become unglued and the catcher buckskins were dry rotted so badly that
> just a touch causes them to fall off clean to the wood. I have seen wear
> in these old uprights but while there is definitly wear I have never
> seen so many glue joints just let go like this. I am curious if this is
> a result of the Damp Chaser system having been in the piano for over 25
> years constantly heating the inside.
>
> I am merely a beginner but this is the first time I have seen this. This
> piano has been in a family home since it was originally purchased in
> 1911 and never stored in a garage or other such area. Instead of
> moisture damage which I have seen, this appears to have been plain dried
> out.
>
> JStuart
>
>