Dampp-Chaser

[Clyde Hollinger]

Brian and Debbie and the list,

I guess I'll throw my two cents in here.  For one entire year I recorded
the humidity level wherever I tuned a piano.  I charted them all, about
800 records.  I probably still have it somewhere, if I would know where
to look!  These records showed that it's fairly common to find humidity
in the 25% range in the winter and up to 85% in the summer, and I found
extremes beyond that.  

Airconditioning systems will typically lower the summer humidity to the
60+% range, assuming it is hot enough to keep it running pretty
regularly.  A cool rainy day, when the AC won't run, can drive the
indoor humidity way up there!  As far as room or system humidifiers go,
I suspect the number of homes with them are in the minority.  And if you
try to keep your humidity at, say, 40% in the winter, you're going to
get window and/or wall condensation, which won't do your house any
good.  It is going to be the very rare building that will keep the
humidity within a 10% range, as the Dampp-Chaser system does (38%-48%).  
The first couple systems I installed I sold with fear and trepidation,
because I really didn't believe in them, but I didn't know what else to
do.  There was nothing I could do to keep some pianos in tune.  One of
those clients, a lawyer's wife and a music teacher, was also skeptical
but went along with me when I agreed to give all her money back if she
wasn't satisfied.  She says there's no way she would part with it now. 
That was five years ago.  

I sell every complete system with a one-year satisfaction guarantee or
your money back.  I've never been asked to remove one.  But I don't try
to sell a system to every client.  If they don't see the need for it,
they're going to feel that they've been had, and I want people to be
happy with me, not mad.

Clyde Hollinger, RPT
Lititz, PA

btrout@desupernet.net wrote:
> 
> I'd be curious about what kinds of levels are prevalent throughout the
> seasons in some of these homes that have the air conditioning on in the
> summer and the humidifier running in the winter.  If they really do keep
> a relatively steady relative humidity somewhere near 40-45%, then I
> would think that kind of environment would actually be better for a
> piano than a relatively unsteady environment with a complete humidity
> control system, and in all honesty, I can't see a point in installing a
> humidity control system that will never be used!