Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration

Farrell mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com
Sun Jul 15 06:25:25 MDT 2007


My recommendation would be to know the typical range of relative humidity 
(RH) the house (?) experiences. If the house is a old wood frame, windows 
are often open, no central air or heat, then sure, pick the "wet"-calibrated 
Dampp-Chaser humidistat to match the outdoor environment. But many modern 
homes are well insulated from their outdoor environment and RH ranges in 
them may have little to do with outdoor RH ranges. Not only are modern homes 
well insulated from the outdoors (heat AND humidity), but any home also has 
it's own humidity sources - cooking, showers, etc.

IMHO, if you are going to err at all, and being that you plan to install a 
full system (are you sure its gets dry in the home?), I would go with the 
"normal" humidistat. Another consideration might be if the instrument is old 
with a sagging soundboard and less-than-tight tuning pins, you might want 
the "wet"-calibrated Dampp-Chaser humidistat to help the piano out a bit.

Also, have you checked to see whether the home has a central humidity 
control system?

Many things to consider. At least the piano is getting a DC system - always 
a good thing!

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message ----- 
> Do you think a "wet"-calibrated Dampp-Chaser would be a wiser choice than 
> the standard calibration for a client on a foggy coast? Installation to 
> include string cover + undercover, complete Dampp-Chaser (not just rods), 
> to cover off-shore dry spells.
>
> Thanks,
> Richard Barber
> Santa Clara Valley, CA 




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