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I had a new Damp Chaser installed in a newly purchased 10 year old upright piano in October. For the first month or so the relative humidity read around 40% inside the top lid of the piano.

I did not check until recently and now I keep getting readings in the low 20s. The meter seems to be working.

The piano tuner just checked it and didn't find anything obviously wrong with the DC.

Any suggestions as to what may be happening and what I can do if it's a Damp Chaser problem?

Well... let us assume that the DC is in proper working order and the tank is full of water...

However the DC system is located at the bottom of the piano (below the key board) while you are measuring the humidity at the top.
Question: Do you normally keep the lid open or closed ?
Question : can you move the humidity meter to the bottom of the piano and check the humidity there
Question : has there been some large change in the humidity and/or temperature of the environment

I suspect you are seeing the true relative humidity in the region above the sound board and below the lid. 20% is a likely relative humidity in heated winter air when the moisture content is much reduced compared to warm summer air.

The Dampp-Chaser unit cannot be expected to maintain humidity in a large enough space that it can circulate around the edges of the piano case and into the region of the upper surface of the sound board. Increase in humidity by the D-C is a pretty local phenomenon. Keeping the lid closed may help a bit, but I wouldn't expect much.

1. The lid is closed.
2. I would have to remove the bottom cover to place the meter down there.
3. No changes in the environment.

Why would I get 40% in October and 20% now with outside temperatures and amount of central heating being about the same?

Hi Gabe:

I believe you need to measure underneath. Also, your heating is on, and it is dry outside and your ambient humidity in the room is very low. Ask your tech to stop by a few times when he's in the neighbourhood to monitor.

Good luck!

Steve

20% seems to be way too low. Not very reassuring. But what we've been told here in past discussions about DC systems is that they apparently work and that everyone is happy with them. Hence, you're supposed to be happy and ignore the 20% reading!

Most likely, most people here will sing the praises of DC because they've been happy with them. That's fine. Can't blame them. I don't think they are lying. Some will be critical because they don't think the system is 100% reliable. In the end, look at the numbers of your hygrometer. They speak the truth (given the hygrometer works properly which it seems to do).

Is your piano stable? Is the action behaving properly without squeaks? Is the tuning stable?

If you really love your piano, I'd look into treating the whole room which is a much better choice than the DC in my opinion. DC are mere make-shift solutions. They do not have the same capability of proper whole-room treatment. Also, your body will enjoy the benefits of room treatment too! And, it is not that expensive either.

Your question seems relevant to something that was asked in an old thread. No need to look back there; I think this thread answers that old one more than vice versa.

(I've referenced this new thread over there.)

SeilerFan's above post is great, and don't miss it -- but be sure you get that he's being a little sarcastic/ironic at the beginning!

Thanks Steve,

I just put the meter near the bottom. Let's see what happens. If there is still a problem I will keep my tech informed.

Gabe

Have you checked your meter? Hygrometers are notoriously poor at low humidity levels. There's a five-year warranty on the system. Your installer is the best one to make sure it's operating correctly.

--Cy--

I'm staying out of this one. Mark C has been very tolerant of me up until now and I'm not going to push my luck

....and I gotta say the same in return!

Did anyone else in this thread mistake that Gabe had a grand piano?
In an upright piano, no way should the humidity be that low on the inside.
What's the point of the DC system then??? The pinblock, upper soundboard/treble bridge is drying out no different then without the system

As a piano retailer and technician (having installed DP's myself), in most scenarios I now promote the Venta-Airwasher humidifier. Cheaper, much simpler to make use of, cater to the entire room/space and the added benefits of cleaning the air and helping respiratory systems - can't go wrong.

That's a myth at best. The size of particles that the Venta airwasher can filter out of the air (I think 10 microns is what Venta claims) is much larger than most allergens like pollen. The Venta "washes" dust out of the air but it cannot clean the air from those irritants/allergens/pollutants. You could also "clean" the air from dust by using a vacuum cleaner. Ventas are expensive humidifiers without a shutoff/hygrostat. They are not really air purifiers.

To me, dust is dirt too. The venta helps reduce it. That makes me sneeze less.
My children sleep better at night and one of my boys no longer deals with nose bleeds from the dryness. My DC didn't help with dust, sleep or nose bleeds.

I don't know the Venta intimately because I've never had one, but from what I understand, it's sort of analogous to the old "Amphicar" which (I'm not making this up!) was both a car and a boat:



It was a great "idea".....but, trouble was, while it could travel on both land and sea, it wasn't real good at either thing.

If you want to both humidify and purify the air, you're better off having different machines for each, and which do them better than the Venta.
(That's what I do anyway....)

Mark, the start of your comment, well, it doesn't really fit with the ending statement.

I can accept that a venta is not necessarily ideal for everyone but should definitely be considered when contemplating a DP.

BTW, you'll all be happy to learn that Toronto has an agnecy called "Hippo Tours". This is a bus that tours the city, then dives into Lake Ontario to tour by 'sea' (lake actually).

http://www.torontohippotours.com/photos5.html#top

You don't think we can know anything from what we hear and read, and from FACTS that we know? Would you have wanted me to have lengthened my post with everything that I know about the Venta, to prove that I know enough to have said what I did?

Well now I am curious, yes. You don't need to go into what is said in their brochure/online material (everyone can access that themselves) and I've told you my personal experiences with the Venta units - so sure, let's here your additional FACTS regarding the units.

The Venta has been discussed a great deal here, giving facts as well as impressions. I'm judging from facts. SeilerFan (who has posted on this thread) has been one of the main people giving the info.

I'll leave it at that, because I'm not interested to get into further details. But I promise you that I had a basis for what I said, and that it's exactly what I have indicated: knowledge, although not expert and not from personal use.

P.S. Link to a prior discussion:
about the Venta.....
Other threads (as well as this one right here) have talked about the mediocre air filtration.

I guess you mean "hear." If that's the case, here are some facts:

Consumerreport