In-floor heating & pianos

[Dr. C.D. Lindblom]

A former customer who is buying a house in Germany is worried
about the effect of the "Fussbodenheizung" (heating coils in
the floor instead of radiators or air ducts) on her grand piano
and harpsichord.  She was told by a piano dealer in Munich that
this kind of heating is "death to wood of any kind" and that at
the very least she would have to put an insulating mat underneath
the instruments and humidify the air (Damppchaser, etc.).

Does anyone out there have personal experience with the effect of
this type of heating on instruments?  Is the dealer's advice
valid or exaggerated?  (By the way, the owner is a professional
musician with high-quality instruments which are used and
maintained regularly.)

Please reply by e-mail to the address below, unless you think
the information would be of interest to the list.  Thanks for
all the wonderful info on Pianotech!
                              Dan Lindblom.
lindblom@saturn.montclair.edu