Climate Control; DC thoughts and concerns

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Clyde,

> Are you a piano technician?  Or do you mean that a piano technician will
be
> installing the Dampp-Chaser components for you?  I understand that
> Dampp-Chaser's warranty is void if not installed by a piano technician.

I'm an NARPT -- not a registered piano technician.  That's OK.  I've lived
my entire life with voided warranties.  I can hardly recount how many pieces
of equipment I've modified for use in scientific research.  In the end, I
don't feel as though I'm missing much.  Warranties usually aren't worth the
trouble.  I presume DC warrants the equipment but not the labor, right?

> > Finally, it appears to me that the heater bars and humidifier would be
> > alternately fighting each other in the complete system.
>
> Both are never on at the same time.

It would be somewhat like a heating/AC system in which the AC came on just
as soon as the heater switched off, and vice versa.  The result would be
*really* low humidity.  In the DC system, with the humidifier and
"dehumidifier" cycling, the temperature of the system would rise,
irrespective of season.  How warm do these things typically get?

> > It seems to me a much better approach would be to humidify the area.
<snip>  I
> > figure I could humidify the house to a minimum of 40% RH, using a
whole-house
> > humidifier/humidistat system.
>
> Yes, I think most or all of us would agree that IF it is practical to
adequately
> control the whole room, that is better.  But notice the "if."  It is my
> understanding that trying to raise the room humidity to 40% in the dead of
> winter is risky and may result in condensation, not only on the windows
but
> inside walls as well, where it could be causing unseen damage.  Others may
be
> able to answer this better than I.

This would be a temporary measure only, since I will eventually (3 years
max?) be moving to coastal Virginia -- the land of mold, mildew, and
dehumidifiers.  Any advice would be welcome from anyone with experience with
whole house humidification.  I'm only talking about an extra 10 or 15% RH,
which does not seem like a lot to me.

Thanks for the advice!

Peace,
Sarah