[pianotech] Damppchaser comment was justify pitch raise

[David Love]

There is a cost factor to.  Stabilizing the humidity in the home overall is
a lot more expensive than running a damp-chaser system.  

 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Tom Driscoll
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 4:56 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Damppchaser comment was justify pitch raise

 

Mark wrote:

Subject: Re: [pianotech] justify pitch raise

 

Hello,
 
My name is Mark Perry, and I am an aural tuner and rebuilder. <SNIP>  
As for the piano life-saving system, while they work well when properly
installed, I have seen them poorly installed buzzing on the soundboard,
dumping massive amount of humidity into the piano soaking the felt, I have
also seen them work to crack a soundboard.  they MUST be installed
correctly, and with the understanding that proper maintenance is a MUST.  I
almost never recommend the piano life-saver system in a home.  It is always
better to regulate the humidity in the room.  The moisture king system works
to do this quite well.  I even have some customers who have gone to the
expense of installing a humidity system into their heat pump.  this is far
better for every aspect of the home as well as the piano.  Either way, if
you install the life-saver system, be sure to do a good job for the sake of
the piano.
 
God Bless,
Mark


  _____  


  Mark,

I agree about the need for correct D.C. installation. Without detail I have
seen some configurations that at best are ineffective. 

 

I almost never recommend the piano life-saver system in a home.  It is
always better to regulate the humidity in the room.

 

This is where I respectfully disagree.Here in  New England we have humidity
swings from 20% to 80% in homes without a whole house climate control
system.

Combined with open floor plans  room humidifiers generally fight a losing
battle . A large percentage of homes here have baseboard heat and no central
air and are without  ductwork making the installation of a humidity system
too costly for most.

April can be rainy and cool and I find very high humidity in homes and the
people with sweaters on. They are certainly not turning on the A.C. and with
a sometimes swampy early spring a piano can go 20 cents sharp in a few weeks
. Throw in a cold December and the R.H.- pitch  will drop in the opposite
direction just as fast 

 

With a few notable exceptions my "home" clients keep their systems well
maintained --I.E. fill fhe thing and add the capful of D.C. juice when the
light goes on. I take care of the pads etc.It is the institutional
installations that are alway's dry or unplugged in my experience. One
prestigious private school here  has tried the music teacher ,the custodian
and even a student to be in charge of the filling without success.

 So my experience is the opposite .I almost never recommend a system for
institutions and have a long list of stabilized pianos in home
installations.

 Just my take--Your mileage may vary.

Best wishes,

Tom Driscoll

I  

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