Damp Chaser ...Again

[Don]

Hi,

This "protcol" of large humidity swings will ensure the piano is always out
of tune. A 5% change in relative humidity does cause pitch at A4 to swing 4
cents. Of course the tenor moves more so the octaves sound rotten. And the
break becomes super obvious. It also means you can line your pockets with 4
tunings a year instead of one concert level tuning (1.6 cents pitch change
in a year, on upgrights). You can also regulate and tighten all the screws
once a year..more money yet for the client to pay.

The protcol also means the client gets to pay ten cents an hour in many
locations for electricity, in the summer, and in the winter they can spend
an hour a month cleaning the humidifier, not to mention what cfc's and
their replacement gases are doing for the environment. Oh, I forgot, they
don't bother to clean the humdifier--so get to risk legionaires disease and
have a humidifier that doesn't work--until they go and buy a replacement
filter, whereupon it works for about a month, or less if they live in a
hard water location.

At 09:53 AM 8/3/02 -0700, you wrote:
>This is my protocol exactly; let's make it clear that step 2 means a ROOM 
>humidifier or dehumidier, set away from the piano, and "tuned" through 
>experimental usage so the hygrometer stays between 45% and 60% almost all 
>the time.
>
>Only in severe micro-climate-related instances would I recommend a 
>Dampp-Chaser system in my practice.  And NEVER a rod without a 
>humidistat; and, I don't trust those 100%.  It makes me nervous as hell 
>to have a heat source inches from a beautifully preserved (by living in a 
>Mediterranean climate) Steinway soundboard.  Makes me shudder to think 
>about it, actually.  It  may be a totally different story in Omaha or Ann 
>Arbor, but I don't practice there.
>
>Best of luck and work to all..........
>David Andersen
>Malibu, CA
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.

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REGINA, SK
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