Dampp Chaser question

[Roger Wheelock]

Hi Jonathan,

There are a few possibilities here.  First let's assume you have a Smart 
Heater Bar.  As Conrad and Patrick pointed out you could be getting mineral 
deposits on the sensors of the Smart Heater Bar.  They will interfere with 
conductivity and result in the red light continuing to flash.  These 
deposits appear to be related to water hardness and can vary in how 
difficult they are to remove.  We have seen some tough ones but have always 
been able to scrape them off with a pocket knife.  (In our H5 humidistat, 
coming out next summer, the sensor wires will be replaceable.)  Another 
option is that the sensor wires have been turned a bit and only one is in 
contact with the pads.  The sensor wires need to be positioned at the 
topmost position on the bar.  A third option is that there is a problem with 
one of the components.

When there is "red light won't stop flashing" problem one must determine 
whether the failure is in the humidistat or the Smart Heater Bar.  A 
challenge with this diagnosis is that the red light only flashes when the 
humidifier outlet is energized.  (This was an engineering limitation in the 
design of the H3 and H4 Humidistats, solved in the new H5.)  Thus a 
technician could call on a piano owner who said that the red light wouldn't 
stop flashing and find that the red light was off.  This means that the 
humidistat is in the dehumidification mode and must be switched to where it 
is calling for humidity.  I use a small portable hair drier for this.  I 
keep it about 3 inches from the vent holes hiding the sensor switch and the 
humidistat shifts in less than a minute usually.

Once the red light is flashing you can perform a simple test.  Unplug the 
Smart Heater Bar.  Unplug the dehumidifier and plug it into the humidifier 
outlet on the humidistat.  If the red light shuts off the Smart Heater Bar 
needs to be replaced.  If the red light stays on the humidistat is the 
culprit.  Remember to plug the dehumidifier back into the dehumidifier 
outlet on the humidistat when testing is complete.

If one has a basic humidifier heater bar, you can still encounter the "red 
light won't stop flashing" problem.  To keep the red light suppressed, H3 
and H4 humidistats require that a continuous electrical pathway go out the 
humidifier outlet on the humidistat through the humidifier heater bar and 
back into the outlet on the humidistat.  A failure in a basic humidifier 
heater bar can leave you with a flashing red light.  However, if you run 
into this situation you need to complete the same diagnostic test described 
above to see if the problem is in the heater bar or the humidistat.

I hope this helps.  For additional technical assistance please feel free to 
call us at 800-438-1524 M-F 8-5 Eastern time or email me at 
roger@dampp-chaser.com.

Thanks,

Roger

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jonathan stuchell" <jstuchell@verizon.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 2:11 PM
Subject: Dampp Chaser question


Hello list,

                  I replaced the blue pads for a grand Dampp Chaser 
humidifier tank and the red 'replace pads'  light keeps blinking.  The pads 
are wicking and I dont know what the problem is.    Any ideas?    thanks, 
Jonathan Stuchell