Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Need advice on installing a Dampp Chaser on a Yamaha DYUS5

Hello,

I received a brand new Yamaha DYUS5 about a month ago. I want to have the back side Dampp Chaser installed, model #BSV9PS, instructions here:

https://www.pianoteksupply.com/asse...20Backside%20Vertical%20Instructions.pdf

I have found an excellent piano technician who is working out how he will go about installing the system. It does not look like an easy job. The main problem is the need for a hole through the edge of the soundboard, and there is one for the Disklavier cables which he hopes to be able to use for all of the cables for the Dampp Chaser. If that does not work, a hole may have to be drilled in the bottom of the piano. Here are some pictures:












All advice and suggestions are welcome. Has anybody installed one of these systems? On a Disklavier? The black box on the back is the power supply. The buckets will go on the back between the posts and the warming rods will also be mounted there.

The humidifier control unit will be mounted inside the piano and all of the cables will have to be run to it.

Nobody?

I wouldn't put one in. There are a lot of things going on with power and heat in the piano already. Adding more heat and water may not accomplish what you want.

I have not, but it would not stop me from trying.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

Thanks for the replies. I don't think there is much heat being generated, given that the piano will only be played by the Disklavier mechanism for perhaps an hour or two a day. I'm worried about maintaining the soundboard by controlling the humidity in the piano. It is too difficult to control the humidity of the room. This system had a speaker cloth-like covering that fits over the back of the piano and the buckets and heating rods go on the back. I believe that Dampp Chaser said that this system works the best but it is bought the least. The typical system has buckets of water in the piano.

I don’t have any personal experience with it, but I was told by a Dampp Chaser person that the back system is the one for uprights with a player system inside in order to keep the bucket and the rod away from other electronics. The existing hole seems large enough to feed all the cables to be plugged into the humidistat inside the piano, but you could bring in your tech for a fit check. I wouldn’t personally worry too much about a new hole if needed.

Yes, I suppose the worst case is that a hole has to be drilled in the bottom of the piano. My tech has been over to measure things and puzzle out a way to make the system fit into the piano. Someone at Yamaha had told my tech that they had tried to put the system into a DYUS5 but gave up. It's not an easy job but I think it can be made to work.

Should I worry at all about having the buckets of water and heating rods near the power supply on the back of the piano? I suppose power supplies have to operate under different levels of humidity, so maybe it is not a big deal.

I've always wondered how much power a disklavier system consumes. If you get a chance to look for it, the power consumption has to be stamped on a plate that gives the electrical specs, probably near where the power cord comes into the piano.

Call Charles Rempel at DC and ask him. He's the expert.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

You have the heating rods tuning on and off and you have the power supply tuning on and off creating warmth. You don't have to be worried about the buckets of water and humidity. You need to be concern if the thermostat is located in an area that it can register both sources of heat. I would not even bother.

The humidistat is measuring the humidity at the soundboard (in grands) or the interior of the piano in a vertical. It doesn't care what influences on RH exist -- it simply is issuing commands to the dehumidifier bars and the humidifier evaporator according to what changes need to be made based on actual current humidity as-measured.

I don't understand. A humidistat responds to RH. Temperature effects RH. The DYUS5 has electronics on both sides of the soundboard that produces some amount of warmth. Where the humidistat is located would matter. If he is not careful, he could be creating different microclimates on each side of the soundboard because of the electronics.

I would monitor temp and RH on both sides of the soundboard before and after I installed the system.

Ok, then, I need a recommendation for some small hygrometers that I can use to track the humidity on both sides of the sound board. It would help to have ones that send readings to an app so I do not have to open up the piano in order to see the humidity readings.

Any ideas?

Another option is "simply" to take steps to control the room RH. I know this is easier said than done but it remains an option.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

I don't think this is a realistic solution. I simply do not have the time to monitor and try to maintain the humidity of the house, or of the room where the piano is located, especially with a forced air furnace.

The piano is on an inside wall, is not in direct sun, and I would never light my fireplace, so, I am doing the best I can.

The tech and I shared a good laugh over how Steinway will never endorse Dampp Chaser because Steinway believes that their customers are so smart and sophisticated that they can control the humidity of their homes. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This looks like a good thread
Thanks for this recommendation. I will ask my tech if he has been in touch with Charles Rempel.

This thread is interesting, and mentions Charles:

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/printthread/Board/3/main/188263/type/thread.html

I thought there are portable room humidifiers with humidistat on the market. Seems like the same idea as Dampp Chaser in terms of care and feeding (watering).

I mean, good room humidifiers are pretty much set and forget (and often comes with air purification function as well). Same with dehumidifiers.

I kind of always wondered about Dampp Chasers in a market where room air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers requires less initial investment and effort.
Keeping the piano happy is one thing, but why not just keep everyone in the room comfortable when the cost is similar.

The one I can think of is that a Dampp Chaser likely uses less power to run. I guess it could be quieter but good room humidifiers are pretty close to silent.
The other case I suppose would be if the humidity swings from wet to dry often in the house so you need both a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
I'm not sure if combo units are available for room humidifiers.

My experience with humidifiers was that they were not set and forget. What models are you referring to? I had a Venta humidifier to maintain the humidity in a small bedroom in order to protect my expensive classical guitars and it was always something that I had to keep an eye on and monitor.

I think it is hard to maintain the humidity in a large open space, and that is what I have, basically a space that combines a kitchen, dining room, where the piano is located, and a living room. Somehow, I think it will be easier, and produce better results, to maintain the humidity in the instrument case than in 1000 square feet of living space. A Dampp Chaser system is relatively cheap, coming in at around $300 or so, and should be more of a set and forget system, with the exception of adding water when the lights tell you to.

That's my feeling, at least.

Ah it seems you're right. I thought humidifiers with hygrometers were relatively common but searching around online a bit more, that doesn't seem to be the case. I had purchased my parents one previously but it was for general comfort rather than to for specific RH ranges for piano health. I believe this was the unit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002AQUK9S?

This was years ago and my parents have since moved on to a central humidifier in the house.

Where I currently live, relative humidity stays fairly consistent in the mid 50s so I've really only casually looked at potential dehumidifiers options. An auto shutoff to maintain specific hygrometer reading seems more common there for the more substantial units.