The discussion about under-floor heating systems and their effect on
player pianos has been interesting.  When I was growing up, we had an
under-floor heating system in the basement and it worked quite well.

We also had one of our player pianos in the basement.  During the
winter, it never seemed to play  very well and was always dried out.
I always thought it was due to the wood-burning fireplace that my dad
often kept going in the basement.  Now I realize that the under-floor
heating may have been a contributing factor too.  The piano was getting
a double dose of dryness.

The player piano has now been moved upstairs and the under-floor
heating system in the basement was disconnected several years ago.
The reason is because of leakage in the system.  It was an older system
from the early 1960's using metal pipes instead of one of the newer
systems using hoses.  After so many years, the pipes began to rust and
leak which meant digging up the concrete every time to fix the leak.
Thus, the repair is more complicated than fixing a drippy faucet.

Even though the system was disconnected and the water drained, there
is still leakage.  Over time, I noticed several wet spots on the
concrete and assumed that the dog had had an accident.  But a closer
look indicated that the wet spots were more or less in a straight line,
just like a pipe would be.  This brings up the question of long-term
effectiveness of under-floor heating systems.  They are wonderful when
they are new and heat very well, but do they last?  Although metal
pipes are no longer used for these systems, how long will the newer
materials last before they need replacement?  Is it feasible to
continuously make spot repairs or will the entire floor and heating
system need to be replaced eventually?

Joyce Brite