Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

Wayne,
Do you have a hygrometer?  Giving recommendations without 
measurements is like shooting in the dark.  Rather ineffective except 
for certain movie stars...

It sounds like the best fit for your needs (provided humidity is that 
high consistently) would be DamppChaser's dehumidifier-only systems 
that contain heater bars and a hygrometer to control them.  A heater 
bar without control is piano damage happening every long period you 
leave it plugged in.  Undercovers and stringcovers would work 
together to further protect the piano and make the system more stabile.

A full system would require maintenance in the form of adding water 
and if the actual measured humidity is lower you may want to go that 
way.  You would want to use a beeper system as no-one (not even 
residential customers) will bother to maintain water levels without 
aural stimulation.  In an institutional setting that would require 
some education as some ignoramus take-charge-types will just unplug 
the system rather then deal with it.

Good Luck,
Andrew Anderson, Artisan Piano

At 09:46 PM 7/30/2007, you wrote:
>Dear Paul,
>The camp is only open two months of the year. The winters here are 
>very long and rugged. All the pianos are stored in a seperate room 
>where there is a minimal amount of climate comtrol.
>
>Right now,the 1919 A Steinway is in an uninsulated auditorium for 
>the summer. There is a Damp-Chaser heating bar inside.  Is this 
>sufficient for the summer. The camp also wants dampchasers in a few 
>other uprights in the practice rooms in the back of the audtorium. I 
>would say that the humidity near Lake Champlain is about 60-80% most 
>of the summer.
>
>All the pianos at the camp have been donated, and are old but good 
>quality instruments for the most part. Right now they have a 1940's 
>vintage Baldwin in great working order but very dirty, and it is 
>being stored outside! I told the camp director to get the piano inside ASAP.
>
>Look forward to your advice.
>
>Wayne Williams
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:paulrevenkojones at aol.com>PAULREVENKOJONES
>To: <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>Pianotech List
>Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 2:43 PM
>Subject: Re: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration
>
>Wayne:
>
>You might not have enough information. I certainly don't. What are 
>the other seasonal conditions? What is the condition of the pianos 
>as you find them from summer to summer? Is there any temperature 
>and/or humidity control in the facility in which the pianos reside?
>
>"If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie)
>
>
>In a message dated 07/27/07 13:00:39 Central Daylight Time, 
>wwilliams11 at nycap.rr.com writes:
>Hello:
>I mentioned this in another email in regard to the Damp-Chaser product. I
>just tuning a Steinway grand and upright at a YMCA camp that operates only
>two months a year, July and August. The camp is on Lake Champlain in New
>York State, and the camp Director, a music teacher, says the summers are
>very humid. Teh grand alreaddy has a "heating bar". Do the painos, given the
>climate, warrent a complete Damp-Chaser system?
>
>Wayne Williams
>Schroon Lake, NY
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "R Barber" <bassooner42 at yahoo.com>
>To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
>Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 2:36 PM
>Subject: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration
>
>
> >  The owner has double-paned windows, weather-stripped doors, drapes-
> > generally equipped to protect his niche from the environment, but prefers
> > open windows.  There is no central humidity control.  There is usually a
> > 24-hour on-shore breeze, so the typical climate will be high RH, about 95%
> > of the year.  RH ranges between 55-100% daily, but occasionally there is a
> > breeze from the off-shore direction when RH drops to 20% or below,
> > sometimes for a few days at a time.
> >  I've heard two votes for the wet, and I'm tending in that direction.
> > Thanks for you input!
> > Richard Barber
> >
> >> 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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> >
> >
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