Dampp-Chaser in action?

[Michael Magness]

NO, the humidstat goes where Dampp-Chaser suggests under the sounding board!
I have installed several systems with 3 rods(one 48-50W & one of the shorter
25W) under the sounding board as the diagrams show in their literature. A
humidifier and the humidistat. The 3rd bar a 48-50W goes under the keybed,
plugged into the humidistat and controlled by the same. An undercover is a
great addition to this for a home setting.
I put a system like this in a 7'2" Boston in a church about a year and a
half ago but instead of an undercover I suggested a fulldrop cover for the
entire piano. It costs more but does a much better job of retaining the
"conditioned" air in and around the piano. In this instance the church is
cement floors with cement block and brick clad built into the curve of a
bluff overlooking a small river that feeds into the Mississippi about a mile
away. It gets no sun on it's roof after 3PM even in summer! With the setup I
installed it doesn't vary more than 5 to 7 beats summer to winter(sorry I'm
still an aural tuner, can't give it to you in cents). I've done similar
setup's in other churchs with similar results.
Yes Cy, you're right the rod gets hot on the knees but most pianast's aren't
as big as you and I and their knees don't brush up under the keybed like
ours do. (It's Mike w/the gray ponytail from your old chapter)

I agree with John that the root cause of sticking action centers is tight
centers but in a new piano that's a given. You're choice is to go through
the entire action easing each action center for high humidity or install a
Dampp-Chaser system as I've described which will, alleviate that problem
until they "wear in" and also help assure the owner will not have a cracked
soundboard, twisting shanks, loose flanges and the myriad of other problems
caused by the rise and fall of humidity and you can make a tidy profit! As I
see it, it's a win/win situation.

By the way one more thing, some will ask why 48-50A's? I live in an area
near the Mississippi were the humisity can fluctuate greatly from nightime
to noon and I want the strongest protection possible for my customers. The
cost difference between the 50W the 25W or 35W is not much and as long as
it's controlled by a humidstat why not have the strongest protection
possible?  For those unaware of it, fulldrop covers are available on request
from Paul Jansen & Son Oshkosh, WI web and phone are in the PTG Guide
to Resources & member directory under benches among other listings.


On 8/11/07, Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>
> And put a humidistat inside the action cavity to control the rod under the
> keybed. Yes?
>
> Terry Farrell
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > On pianos which had a DC on grand keys, the pin blocks failed due to the
> > drying.
> >
> > If the purpose is to keep the action dry in a damp environment then
> > install the DC
> > under the keybed and let the heat rise that way. Directly under the
> > block...no.
> > --
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jon Page
> >
>
>
>


-- 
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070811/4c65efad/attachment.html