Another heater bar without a control...

[Alan R. Barnard]

Oooooh. No offense but where did you get that chip on your shoulder.

There have been so many installed by so many people over so many years ...
from whence doth arise your negative opinion?

I became a believer based on performance in restoring pinblock strength from
"not tunable" (-20 in/lbs) to at least "very adequate" (40+)

I put one in a 1903 Steinway "O" grand. It had a few pins that wouldn't hold
between tunings and had soundboard cracks so wide you could watch the dog
playing under the piano through them. Two months later (not a seasonal
change). Pins much tighter, cracks almost disappeared--no gaps. And that's
in a grand--they really shine in uprights.

You need to install a few to get your own "testimony."

Now installing only the heater rod, that's a sin!

By the way, that Steinway had been "rebuilt" by some outfit in Kansas City.
The owner paid a fortune to have it shipped and returned, new hammers, new
damper felts, new strings, painted frame, etc. But they never even mentioned
the soundboard or pinblock to her and put the strings in with the original
#2's! And several of the pins were left a quarter inch, or so, too high and
too loose. Amazing.

How's that tuning pin, Monsieur? Ah, Too Loose, Latrec.

Oh, sorry.

AB in Salem

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Wynne" <rustraze@optonline.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2002 8:50 PM
Subject: Another heater bar without a control...


> Well, add one more to the list!
>
> I can't count the times I've shown up at a new customer's house and found
> this scenario.  The previous tech installed a heater bar with no
humidistat
> and not even any instructions to the customer to unplug it in the
> winter.  It even has a label stating not to use without the control.  I'm
> not a big fan of these systems and I believe that Dampp-Chaser, et.al.,
can
> be held liable for damage to pianos caused by misuse of their
> products.  I'm aware that there is a DC muckity-muck who subscribes to
this
> list so, I put these questions out there:
>
> 1)  Why don't they manufacture heater bars with keyed plugs that will only
> plug into a humidistat - not an electrical outlet?  The warning label
> obviously doesn't cut it.
>
> 2) Is there any INDEPENDENT study published that backs up the claims that
> are made regarding these system's supposed beneficial effects on
> pianos?  When I say independent, I don't mean a study paid for by
> Dampp-chaser.  The company has a vested interest in the results and would
> not publish a contrary report.  I also don't mean a study performed by
> techs who are proponents of the equipment.  They has a similar vested
> interest as well.
>
>
> Any takers?
>
> Matt Wynne
>