Scandinavian Humidity Hassles

[Mark Bolsius]

G'day Richard,

I've had good results in pianos here in Canberra, Australia with
Dampp-Chaser.

We get into single digit RH in summer here. In a completely hostile
environment...the best thing is to put the D/C system in the piano and try
to control the room as well.
Although your institution seems to at least be trying...

Maybe the solution for your bean-counting administrative types is to get
them to pay for one system, find a studio/practice room with two similar
pianos in it, install it in one and leave the other as a control. Let the
system prove it's point. Hopefully, one piano comes out
at the other end still stable and the other continues misbehaving. Trouble
is, that the test might take a year or so to really prove the point!
Meantime everything else is still wandering wherever.

If there is an answer to convincing bean-counters, I'd love to hear it!!

"Economic Rationalism is an oxymoron!"

Mark Bolsius
Bolsius Piano Services
Canberra Australia


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>From: owner-pianotech-digest@ptg.org (pianotech-digest)
>To: pianotech-digest@ptg.org
>Subject: pianotech-digest V1997 #2080
>Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 9:46 AM
>

> Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 23:01:26 +0200
> From: Richard Brekne <richardb@c2i.net>
> Subject: Woahh Der !!
>
> Well freinds.. its fall in Bergen, and that means a big drop in
> humidity. And thats what we are in the middle of now. It started about
> 10 days ago and the first results are already in. Amoung the most
> drastic are a few grands at the University which all of a sudden have
> displayed really springe hammer rails. Inspection of a 1 year old Yamaha
> C6 today showed 2 mm of air between the bed and the keyframe on the
> right side, and a little over a mm on the left side of the action. I
> took the director up to take a look, and he seemed a bit concerned. We
> have a central humidity system, but it requires bi weekly service and
> the maintance department refuses to see the "problem" in a serious
> matter, so it gets neglected over periods of time. We scream, they come,
> then they wait til we scream again. Meanwhile the instruments are
> suffering big time.
>
> I suppose I have to re-bed the worst of these grands, but then come
> summer time the reverse will happen eh ??? nice.. I am wondering if the
> Dampchaser humidifier system is up to the job. It would be used
> primarily increase humidity during the dry season, as our summers hold
> around 50-55 % inside the building. Now its at around 30% and dropping.
> Rooms are typically 300 square feet or so for the teachers rooms where
> all the best grands are. Student practice rooms are just big enough to
> fit a 9 footer in and still have room to sit and play. Any and all
> advice is welcome, including advice on how to get through to these
> administrative types as to the seriousness of the problem.
>
> Thanks
>
> Richard Brekne
> I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
>
> ------------------------------