Hi Terry, In Regina that would amount to 8 watts per hour for the humidity rod and 50 watts to 60 watts for the dehumidifier rods. If we assume 24 hours at the highest number thats 1440 watts. Cost for electricity currently is $0.10 cents Canadian. This allows the client to save 3 out of 4 tunings in a year. A bargan I'd say--no matter what the tuning price. When DC systems were originally designed the cost factor of having a "null" point was extremely prohibitive. The unit was a standard mass produced "honeywell" controller. There is another factor to be considered as well. The temperature inside the piano might well vary much more with a unit that had a "null" setting causing more instability in pitch. The existing systems with bottom covers and back covers work so well that even in an extreme climate like Regina pitch variation over a one year period is 2 cents or less on any note--unless the piano is being "over" used i.e. 6 to 8 hours of hard playing a day. I don't see the constant "on" setting as a detriment, but as a factor in making the piano more temperature stable. Remember R.H. is affected by temperature change. At 04:54 PM 2/8/2003 -0800, you wrote: >I have always wondered if the D.C. Humidistat turns "off" or goes into a >kind of "sleep mode", when the correct parameters of RH are achieved. Guess >what/ It stays on 24/7, no matter WHAT the RH! > Regards, Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T. mailto:pianotuna@accesscomm.ca http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/ 3004 Grant Rd. REGINA, SK S4S 5G7 306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC