 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Services :
Back to the Services
Climate Protection With Dampp-chaser Products
 |
When the air is constantly too dry a piano suffers greatly; wooden bridges, action and cabinet parts become unglued; the pin block dries out, tuning pins & action parts loosen up and cracks in the soundboard appear.  |
 |
It's a matter of time before the piano falls apart in such conditions, and impossible for the instrument to hold its tuning. Also, when the air is constantly too humid a piano suffers; its tuning stability is jeopardized, metal parts rust (pins, strings etc.), felt becomes hard and wooden action & cabinet parts swell, making the action sluggish, and impossible to play (for more information on tuning stability check the section on, Tuning and Maintaining Correct Pitch).
When you install a Dampp-Chaser system in your piano, you definitely protect and increase the stability of the instrument. A piano will stay in tune as long as the level of humidity in the air surrounding the soundboard, and the pin block remains constant; Dampp-Chaser humidity control systems do this by maintaining a relative humidity of 42% in your piano regardless of the air's condition in your home. These systems consist of three main parts: a humidifier for adding moisture to the air, a dehumidifier for eliminating excess moisture, and a humidistat (control unit) which senses the level of humidity inside the piano; activating the system to add or remove moisture as needed. The components are installed out of sight, inside the cabinet of a vertical piano or under the soundboard of a grand. David Anderson and Maurice Singfield are both "Field Experts" for the Dampp-Chaser company out of Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA, and have been remedying countless piano problems with the systems for years.
One of the greatest challenges they had was to stabilize a Steinway model "O", built in 1904, for a client of theirs on the Caribbean island of Montserrat (check archive section). With a relative humidity of about 80% or more all year round, the piano was in terrible shape; the strings were corroded and many were rusted through, as well as the action was falling apart. After rebuilding it, they installed a special Dampp-Chaser company designed unit for the tropics, that included 200 watts of dehumidifier rods under the soundboard and keyboard tray.
Even if you can regulate the atmosphere in your home to within safety zone recommendations, you are still better off with the Dampp Chaser system, because it is able to achieve the ideal level of humidity for your piano more efficiently all year round.
If you are interested in having a Dampp-Chaser humidity system for your piano don't hesitate to get in touch with Singfield Piano.