Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration

[Wayne M. Williams]

Hello:
By stable environment I am talking about a more-or less- consistant temperature. We are talking here about 85-90 degree summer weather with a similar humidity count. Now, the 50 degree winter storage temp is much kinder, but a complete system means a humidifier that needs to be tended. This won't happen at the YMCA camp for sure. Therefore,  my guess is that this situation is similar to the golf course piano. If the piano is kept at 50 degrees during the winter, the summer humidity is the real problem I need to deal with. Would it be best just to dehumidify the pianos in the summer since the winter temp is really no threat to the dryness during the wintertime?

Wayne Williams 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Magness 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 9:18 AM
  Subject: Re: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration


  I'm in the Midwest, Wisconsin, right on the Mississippi and deal with both extremes of humidity, lack of it and have situations such as you describe, customers who winter elswhere leaving the heat on the lowest setting. I have currently a Kohler & Campbell(a Samick product) not quite 3 years old that has been kept in that type of environment in a new twindominium on a golf course. It already has a small crack in the sound board, in the "dead" area along the bass edge causing no problems but it's there! My suspicion is that the heat being down at 50 degrees allows a certain higher level of humidity to stay in the piano. When the temperature drops into the subzero's and the heat runs much more often suddenly drying it out, voila, a crack! We have had several mild winters in a row with only a few days of near zero weather until last winter when we had a couple of weeks of subzero days in a row. I just took over care of this piano but I'm fairly certain that's when it cracked. 
  For the difference in cost, versus the time, effort and dismay of the customer at a crack in their soundboard, if it were me, I'd do the complete system.

   
  On 8/8/07, Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com> wrote: 
    There has been a lot of discussion on this thread, but I have yet to read that relative humidity (RH) monitoring has been done in the piano environment (indoors where the piano is - in all seasons). It may not matter much what the weather report says the RH is outside. How can you design a DC system without knowing what conditions you are trying to correct? I live in central Florida very near the gulf and my house never really gets above 60% or 70% RH. Your environment may be similar. And in the winter when everyone knows the RH drops to 2% in NY, well keep in mind that is in a heated environment - your 50 degree environment may be much kinder. 

    You say that "Some techs on this sight say that the pianos need a year-round stable environment before you would even considera any Damp-Chaser system." I don't see the sense here. If the environment is stable - and near a moderate RH - then why would you even want a DC system? 

    Monitor the RH and then devolop a plan to achieve your goals.

    Or - just stick a rod or two in there plugged into a humidistat, forget about the humidifier if the place is abandoned during the winter, and fuggetaboutit!

    Terry Farrell
      ----- Original Message ----- 

      Thank you for replying. When I say the weather is humid around Lake Champlain., I mean it stays around 60-80% most of the summer in addition to the hot weather according to my hydrometer. The pianos are kept in a room for the winter that averages around 50 degrees. Some techs on this sight say that the pianos need a year-round stable environment before you would even considera any Damp-Chaser system. I think the heating bar on their Steinway along with a hydrometer would work for the time being. What do you think? 

      Wayne Williams



  -- 
  Michael Magness
  Magness Piano Service
  608-786-4404
  www.IFixPianos.com 
  email mike at ifixpianos.com 


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