"If you want to know the truth, stop having opinions" (Chinese fortune cookie) In a message dated 07/30/07 22:36:49 Central Daylight Time, wwilliams11 at nycap.rr.com writes: 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. This is the first major problem. Can you find a way to convince your people to store the pianos in a climate controlled venue? Even a commercial storage facility might be better. 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. Who knows. What's the history of pitch variation over the seasons? Your Steinway is getting killed more quickly than it needs to be, and your people should be told that they are risking a very valuable asset. At best pitch instability, at worst the junking of the piano after the rim delaminates from dry winters. 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. They are wanting to throw good money at a problem that needs more information and deeper thought. Damppchaser heater bars in the summer are probably ok, but the real problem is overall climate control year-round. 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. I hope the horse isn't out of the barn on that piano. Typical behavior, though. Good luck. Paul 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 >> >> >> * Previous message: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration >> * Next message: Coastal Dampp-chaser calibration >> * Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] >> >> More information about the Pianotech mailing list > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: > 269.10.22/922 - Release Date: 7/27/2007 6:08 AM > No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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