The blinking red "pads" light just came on my Dampp-Chaser. As luck would have it, my tech is scheduled to come out next Thursday (the 11th). Is it okay to wait for him to change the pads? Or should I try to do it myself? (I actually have a set of spare pads on hand.) How complicated is it? Or, perhaps the better question to ask is just how bad could I mess things up if I try to do it myself? Getting the tech out here sooner is not an option as this is the busy time for him.

Thanks!

Okay... when I got home both the "add water" and "pads" lights were blinking. I added the water, looked and saw the red light was still blinking. So then I posted my question here. About 15 minutes later, though, the red light went off.

At any rate, it looks like it'll be fine until my tech comes out next week.

So, er, never mind...

Corrosion from the evaporation process has built up on the pad and heater strip which the pad is draped over. I had the red light come on once. I crawled under the piano and removed the water basin from the brackets so I could actually look insid. There was debris from my hard water caked across the pad. I peeled it off and cleaned the thin heater elements that the pad draped over. Put a new pad in and replaced the basin under the piano, filled it with water and it was fine. You need to clean the element that contacts the pad.

There is a special water conditioner that is worth using if you have even moderately hard water. Warning - use only the Dampp Chaser brand of water conditioner - other brands can (and have) corroded and ruined the system.

Thanks, Jurgen... I've been using a combination of distilled and tap water. I may switch to completely distilled water just for that reason.

I'm assuming the water conditioner you're talking about is something else besides the stuff from Dampp Chaser that I already put in to prevent mold? Or is it the same thing?

Monica,

Get the chemical from DamppChaser, or from your technician. I got 2 years out of the bottle that came with my DC system. All you do is add a cap full every time you water the piano.

I just purchased a new supply when the piano was tuned around Thanksgiving (the day after in fact). It cost a whole of $10 plus tax.

John

You know, as I read these Dampp Chaser posts, it reminded me of something. Before any of you put your fingers inside of the humidifier to check the depth of the water inside, unplug it. I can't count the times where I haven't done this and gotten a real small not really jolt but, you could feel the electricity running into your arm.

Aaah! Do not put salt into your system! The instructions say explicitly NOT to put salt into your humidifier tank, because it's corrosive and will ruin your system. Monica, you are already using the solution that came with your system. You can use ordinary tap water with this, or distilled water with a quarter-cup of tap water, or just distilled water with a capful of the bottled stuff every time you fill the tank. The pads are supposed to be changed twice a year and will eventually get caky and gunky. Just ask your tech to change them. (I imagine you shouldn't use softened water either, since it contains salt.)

??

Jerry, I believe one of the changes that came with the new H-5 humidistat, is a reduced amount of current in the low-water sensor.

Oh good! Thanks!

In a pinch, take off the crusted pad, and put it in a pan that has about a 3 to 1 ratio of water to vinegar, and bring to a simmer. The solution will foam and remove the crustiness. You may have to add more vinegar if some crustiness remains.

Monica, I changed the pads on mine just a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty easy actually. I just unplugged the wires and lifted the tank down off it's hangers. It was really crusted up pretty badly so it was quite a job to scrape all the crud off. I have now changed to distilled water with just a tiny bit of tap water to provide the conductivity. The DC conditioner fluid does not include the chemicals necessary to conduct electricity so a small amount of tapwater is still required. I'm sure salt would work but I wouldn't use it if the directions say not to. You are right - salt is corrosive.