tuning with Dampp-Chaser

[Farrell]

Just one thought Charles. If you are using one of the little $30 hygrometers out there, I would not attach too much significance to an indicated 7% drop in RH. That is likely pretty close to the accuracy of those things at best. I think they are are really only meant to give you a reading on whether it is super-humid, really dry, or somewhere in between. I wouldn't count on anything less than maybe 10% (or more) reading change as being meaningful.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles Neuman" <piano@charlesneuman.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2002 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: tuning with Dampp-Chaser


> Now I'm pretty convinced that one of the main things that affects the
> performance of the D-C is drafts, as has already been pointed out to me.
> 
> I reported before that the D-C seemed to have trouble keeping the humidity
> up when the room was below 30% humidity.  Today it was around 35% and I
> had the temperature in the room at a stable 68 deg F. The humidity in the
> piano was around 42%. Perfect. Then, since it was a nice day out, I opened
> some doors. I still had a heater going in the piano room, so the
> temperature didn't change. However, the open doors caused a lot of air to
> move around. Then the humidity in the piano dropped to around 35%. So I
> think the air moving around was the cause.
> 
> And drafts could explain why it was having a hard time when the humidity
> was really low. When I was getting those low humidity levels in the room,
> it was because the heat was on a lot because it was cold out. While I
> didn't feel any big drafts, I noticed that my feet were really cold. That
> means there was cold air seeping into the room, hence air moving around. I
> think that was causing the problems.
> 
> I'll definitely try a back cover. Also, I might consider filling the crack
> at the top of the knee board with that gray foam rubber stuff that
> hardware stores sell to place around air conditioner window units. I'd
> also really like to have a removable top cover under the lid so that I can
> open the lid while I play but not affect the humidity when I do so.
> 
> Charles
> 
>