Is complete 5-Part Dampp-chaser unit always necessary?

[Farrell]

Hi Jeanne. Interesting responses so far. One was that it may be OK to only
install the dehumidifier with humidistat

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeannie Grassi" <jgrassi@silverlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 9:36 PM
Subject: FWD: Is complete 5-Part Dampp-chaser unit always necessary?


> Dear List,
> This came to me for your consideration from Ryan Sowers, RPT:
>
> >>As technicians we try to educate our clients so that they can take the
> best
> care of their pianos. I have attended several classes on humidity control
at
> conventions and talked with experienced technicians whose opinions I
> respect. Combined with my a bit of personal experience with these systems
I
> have become convinced that they are of substantial enough benefit that we
> are doing our clients a disservice if we are not actively promoting these
> products. However there is an aspect of humidity control that I do not
> understand.  Is the humidifier component beneficial in environments where
> the relative humidity never drops below 42%? Since the humidifier is the
> most expensive portion of the system and also the only part that requires
> routine maintenance it is tempting to recommend installing the
dehumidifier
> and the humidistat only.  I called dampp-chaser and asked them if they had
> studied the effectiveness this and they said no and that the only system
> they recommend is the complete system. Here in the Pacific Northwest the
> indoor humidity practically never goes below 42 % except in cases where
the
> client has wood heat. I believe in the value of humidity control, but am I
> wasting my client's money recommending the 5 part system when a simple 2
> part system might be as effective?
>
> Sincerely,
> Ryan Sowers RPT
> Puget Sound Chapter<<
>
>
>
> Jeannie Grassi, RPT
> Associate Editor, Piano Technicians Journal
> mailto:jgrassi@silverlink.net
>