Buy rods from Moisture King. I never have, but I see they are for sale.
Ron N
------Original Message------
I'm located in the what's called the "South Bay" area of L.A. Our weather is actually very pleasant most of the time. I'm close enough to the ocean so I seldom get the wild swings of temperature and humidity of the inland valleys. I don't install many of these systems here since in my experience, they do little to keep the pianos I service this area in tune any better than they would fare without one.
The one problem I do encounter is rust. Some of my customers are close the ocean, or in a spot where's there's fog in the winter. In a vertical, I'll typically install a heating rod, with a humidistat if they're not too close the ocean but without the humidifier. In a grand I'll install only a string cover. I don't use the fancy ones that you can order. I've got nothing against them aside from the price--and the velcroed batons which I find a pain to deal with. Schaff sells perfectly adequate wool fabric for string covers and I carry a bolt with me. Lay it out on the lid, chalk the outline and cut it to fit. Place a single baton over the bass section and tie it to the plate struts. The fabric is stiff enough it doesn't drape onto the treble strings. When you service the piano you can easily remove the cover and shake it for cleaning. It's simple, inexpensive and actually quite effective. Forty years of experience has taught me that the cheap polyester "baize" that yard-good stores sell, though it looks the same, will not do the job. The cheap stuff is transparent to humidity; all it does is keep the dust off. (Which is probably helpful--I believe that the buildup of dust on the strings contributes to them rusting, giving the moisture something to cling to, so to speak.) I never could understand the rationale for installing a damp chaser under the soundboard to prevent rust on the strings of a grand, but that is often how customers tell me they were sold one. Exactly how is that going to help, being tucked away under there? Incidentally, I find the wool fabric useful in the shop as well. In drawers where I store tools, drill bits, string reels--anything that is likely to rust--a piece laid on top will help with this.
The last time I phoned Schaff to order some damp chasers, they would not sell the heating unit unless I bought the humidistat along with it. Now I'm sure that in most cases that is a good idea, but that's not really what I wanted them for. I explained that I have customers who live in places where it's always damp. Apparently they don't trust me to make that decision. I don't know if this is Schaff's idea or Dampchaser's, but with all due deference to our benevolent overlords, I suspect that this new policy is more influenced by the desire to pump up sales figures, and not solely due to a wish to correct our inappropriate use of their product. I've never heard them complain about people selling them with false promises of how they'll keep the piano in tune forever, or cure sticky action centers, or keep grand strings looking shiny.
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I Cecil Snyder
Torrance CA
310-542-7108
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