Where did the RH Go

[Don]

Hi Sarah,

I did not say your system didn't work. What I said was a DC system would
work even better.

If the client will keep the lid fully closed when the piano is not in use,
the fall board closed and has a bottom cover, the DC unit will provide
benefits to the action and pin block. The moisture either comes thru the
nose bolts or (I suspect) migrates thru the wood of the soundboard. (or both)

I do recommend room type humdifiers as well--but only to "assist" a DC
unit. If it is a choice of one or the other the DC provides much better
year round control than is generally possible with a room type. There are
exceptions, but they are very rare.

My measurements suggest that on a good quality upright that A4 may vary
about 4 cents in pitch if humdity changes by 5% (assuming the piano is
allowed to stablize at the new levels).

Do you have measurements for the summer time? Where I am I have documented
as low as 4% and as high as 84%.

I would love to have a controller for a DC type system that had much
narrower limits. I know, for example, that rare bird hatcheries have units
that are calibrated to 1/10 of one percent humidity that power an
"electronic" fan (read no blades--some sort of vibrating plate) combined
with an ultrasonic humidifer. I'd love to get my pinkies on one!

At 04:31 PM 1/12/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Don,
>
>Well, you say my system shouldn't work, but my hygrometer, mounted 1"
>beneath the soundboard, says differently.  The recorded high and low RH,
>stored in memory, are 45% and 37%, respectively, throughout the previous 3
>months.  As I said before, I'm running on lower humidity now, owing to the
>window condensation I would otherwise have.  Currently (over the past few
>weeks), I'm operating in the 37 - 39% RH range.
>
>I do agree that 1 gal/day won't cut it.  However, 10 gal/day is excessive.
>I'm in a rather cold climate and am stabilizing my humidity with about 3
>gal/day.  I'm running a 2.5 gal/da ultrasonic unit (humidistatically
>controlled), supplemented as needed with a steam vaporizer.
>
>Incidentally, my humidity is applied evenly to the entirety of *both* sides
>of the soundboard *and* action *and* pinblock.  Honestly, how does DC claim
>to do that with one of its little buckets?!
>
>Peace,
>Sarah

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.P.T.

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