Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Dampp Chaser, different instalations

Hi, my question is concerning HOW the Dampp Chaser system are installed. One piano technician told me that having the two rods installed under the soundboard is not as efficient as installed inside the piano above the strings (I have also seen videos of pianos on Youtube with similar installations). I'm thinking of buying a new piano in the months to come and also instaled a humidity system. One other thing I notice is that the tuning is stable but overall seem to be on the sharp side (Humidity in London is 50-70%).
I wanted to know which is the best way to install the system?

Thanks,

Dampp Chaser's Piano Lifesaver Systems (as they are now called) are installed underneath the soundboard in grand pianos. The dehumidifiers (rods) produce heat, which rises, helping to stabilize the moisture content of the soundboard. Installing the dehumidifiers above the strings sounds ineffective to me, unless one is trying to control the moisture content of the piano lid.

You wonder why some techs complain about the systems when they can't follow the instruction. Warm air rises, that is why you installed it below the soundboard.

Is the op referencing a vertical piano??

I thought heat increased the air's ability to hold moisture.

The system has to be install by a technician, wholesaler will not sell to non-tech. Check Dampp-Chaser website for a certified installer in your area

"Relative humidity" is where the problem arises.
e.g. if it is winter: your piano is in a closed room and the heating is switched on then the heated room will have air which can hold more moisture, thus there will be a tendancy for moisture to move out of the wood in the piano.
There is no more moisture in the room but the air, relative to the previous temperature, is drier.
In countries which have hot and dry summers this is where there can be problems. However, that said modern and specialist wood curing facilities have largely done away with this problem.

Have you ever used a blow dryer to dry your hair? How about a clothes dryer? Ever Hung your wet socks by the fireplace to dry them out?

good results under the soundboard with an enclosing to avoid the dry air to escape.
For a 70% raise the DC are efficient, but I stress the piano owners to use a string cover that makes a moisture and heat barrier without changing the tone really notoceably.. Unfortunately I did not have much success. the piano owner is supposed to protect his instrument. if the room is not that large, moisture can be regulated in the place, which is better. But even the ones that install DC, they want to be able to look at the soundboard and plate, even when the piano is closed when they play 90% of the time

too bad, as this string cover goodie is one of the best accessory I have seen. Friends use a simlar setup for rental concert pianos in Normandy, so the strings corrode less fast.

Don't worry the instructions that come with the unit are very, very detailed with lots of information about how to properly install it.
Although that doesn't seem to stop some techs from messing it up completely.

I installed mine without a problem at all.

But be warned that if you do it yourself your biggest problem will be that you will have the usual suspects on here telling you that you are completely incapable of doing anything except picking up the phone and have somebody else do it for you (BS) and that you will void the warranty (true).

(Although by the sounds of it the one tech you are already talking about is well on his way of making a mess of it in my opinion)