Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration

[Wayne M. Williams]

Dear Paul,
The camp is only open two months of the year. The winters here are very long and rugged. All the pianos are stored in a seperate room where there is a minimal amount of climate comtrol.

Right now,the 1919 A Steinway is in an uninsulated auditorium for the summer. There is a Damp-Chaser heating bar inside.  Is this sufficient for the summer. The camp also wants dampchasers in a few other uprights in the practice rooms in the back of the audtorium. I would say that the humidity near Lake Champlain is about 60-80% most of the summer.

All the pianos at the camp have been donated, and are old but good quality instruments for the most part. Right now they have a 1940's vintage Baldwin in great working order but very dirty, and it is being stored outside! I told the camp director to get the piano inside ASAP.

Look forward to your advice.

Wayne Williams
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: PAULREVENKOJONES 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 2:43 PM
  Subject: Re: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration


  Wayne:

  You might not have enough information. I certainly don't. What are the other seasonal conditions? What is the condition of the pianos as you find them from summer to summer? Is there any temperature and/or humidity control in the facility in which the pianos reside? 

  "If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie)


  In a message dated 07/27/07 13:00:39 Central Daylight Time, wwilliams11 at nycap.rr.com writes:
    Hello: 
    I mentioned this in another email in regard to the Damp-Chaser product. I 
    just tuning a Steinway grand and upright at a YMCA camp that operates only 
    two months a year, July and August. The camp is on Lake Champlain in New 
    York State, and the camp Director, a music teacher, says the summers are 
    very humid. Teh grand alreaddy has a "heating bar". Do the painos, given the 
    climate, warrent a complete Damp-Chaser system? 

    Wayne Williams 
    Schroon Lake, NY 
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: "R Barber" <bassooner42 at yahoo.com> 
    To: <pianotech at ptg.org> 
    Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 2:36 PM 
    Subject: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration 


    >  The owner has double-paned windows, weather-stripped doors, drapes- 
    > generally equipped to protect his niche from the environment, but prefers 
    > open windows.  There is no central humidity control.  There is usually a 
    > 24-hour on-shore breeze, so the typical climate will be high RH, about 95% 
    > of the year.  RH ranges between 55-100% daily, but occasionally there is a 
    > breeze from the off-shore direction when RH drops to 20% or below, 
    > sometimes for a few days at a time. 
    >  I've heard two votes for the wet, and I'm tending in that direction. 
    > Thanks for you input! 
    > Richard Barber 
    > 
    >> My recommendation would be to know the typical range of relative humidity 
    >> (RH) the house (?) experiences. If the house is a old wood frame, windows 
    >> are often open, no central air or heat, then sure, pick the 
    >> "wet"-calibrated Dampp-Chaser humidistat to match the outdoor 
    >> environment. But many modern homes are well insulated from their outdoor 
    >> environment and RH ranges in them may have little to do with outdoor RH 
    >> ranges. Not only are modern homes well insulated from the outdoors (heat 
    >> AND humidity), but any home also has it's own humidity sources - cooking, 
    >> showers, etc. 
    >> 
    >> IMHO, if you are going to err at all, and being that you plan to install 
    >> a full system (are you sure its gets dry in the home?), I would go with 
    >> the "normal" humidistat. Another consideration might be if the instrument 
    >> is old with a sagging soundboard and less-than-tight tuning pins, you 
    >> might want the "wet"-calibrated Dampp-Chaser humidistat to help the piano 
    >> out a bit. 
    >> 
    >> Also, have you checked to see whether the home has a central humidity 
    >> control system? 
    >> 
    >> Many things to consider. At least the piano is getting a DC system - 
    >> always a good thing! 
    >> 
    >> Terry Farrell 
    >> 
    >> ----- Original Message ----- 
    >>> Do you think a "wet"-calibrated Dampp-Chaser would be a wiser choice 
    >>> than the standard calibration for a client on a foggy coast? 
    >>> Installation to include string cover + undercover, complete Dampp-Chaser 
    >>> (not just rods), to cover off-shore dry spells. 
    >>> 
    >>> Thanks, 
    >>> Richard Barber 
    >>> Santa Clara Valley, CA 
    >> 
    >> 
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