At 09:59 PM 1/11/04, you wrote:
John,  thank you in advance for taking a moment to acknowledge my inquiry.
 
I have a Lakeside upright player piano that our tuner told us was built in 
approximately 1918.  Twelve of the eighty-eight keys draw down as soon as 
we begin to operate the foot bellows.  I enjoy doing many types of repairs 
myself.  I have removed the player from the piano as to be able to work on 
it.  Upon visual inspection, I do not see any difference in the small bellows 
that draw down from those that remain in their positions ready to react when 
they are supposed to.
 
I will appreciate if you could give a brief explanation of what might be 
the cause and how the repair would be done.
 
I live in Aberdeen, South Dakota and will be happy to purchase repair parts 
from you.
 
My email is gaylanlang@netscape.net
 
Thanks again,
Gaylan Lang

=================================================

Hi Gaylan,

(Actually, the notes that are "draw down" are 'reacting' to a signal, or 
coming 'ON'. The reason they are coming 'ON' is because the associated 
Note Valve is being activated by something other than a hole in a music 
roll. Finding and fixing the source of the problem might be difficult.)

In all cases, when notes activate by themselves you can be 
certain there are either air leaks in the system or something 
is shrinking. In your case, the problem is most likely associated 
with 'shrinking', which I will explain more fully in a moment. 
However, before you can truly understand why the notes are 
activating by themselves, you need to learn how they are suppose 
to operate under normal circumstances. To help people learn how the 
valves work in a player piano, please read:

http://www.player-care.com/mybook.html

During the Winter, the pouches in most player pianos shrink a small 
amount. Also, it's not unusual for the wood to shrink a small amount. 

If the pouches shrink enough, they act as though they are being 
triggered by perforations on the music roll in that they push up (or out) 
on their associated note valve/s and cause the note/s to 'play'. (A 
temporary repair for this problem is mentioned near the end.)

If the wood shrinks enough, air will leak into the system somewhere 
between the note tubing and the pouches. If this happens, the pouches 
inflate as though they are being activated by perforations in the 
music roll, and the notes will 'play'. This type of leak can usually be 
detected with a 'listening tube' (a 3 ft piece of rubber or neoprene 
tubing) or a stethoscope (with the normal end removed).

Most commonly, air will leak into the line leading to a pouch 
where there is a gasket. Sometimes, simply tightening the wood 
screws on the stack wherever two pieces of wood come together 
will solve the problem temporarily. However, if the gasket that 
is sandwiched between the two pieces of wood is sufficiently 
dried out, damaged, or deteriorating, the only permanent solution 
is to replace it with a new one. 

Another common type of air leak involves the tubing which leads 
from the trackerbar to the stack. In many player pianos, the 
bulk of the tubing is pure lead. As lead ages, it corrodes, or 
oxidizes from the inside out. For more information about the signs 
of lead deterioration, read: 

http://www.player-care.com/lead_tubing.html#safe

Also, the lead tubing might be coming loose at the point where it 
is cemented into the stack. To test for tightness, simply wiggle 
the tubing slightly very near the seal. If it appears to move at 
all, apply a very thin water-based sealer like Phenoseal or regular 
shellac and let it dry thoroughly before testing again. 

If the player is equipped with a "transposing trackerbar", it's 
very likely that the small 3" pieces of tubing that lead from the 
brass trackerbar to the lead tubing have developed cracks. To see 
if this is the case, simply remove the board that covers the tubing 
and examine it with a strong light while moving the 'bar' left and 
right. (In some units, the tubing can be seen from underneath the 
trackerbar. However, at best you can only see the bottom row of 
tubes.) If any of the pieces of tubing have even the slightest 
crack, replace all of the tubing. Information about retubing a 
transposing-type trackerbar is located at:

http://www.player-care.com/trackbar.html

Lastly, we come to the pouches. In relatively rare cases, the pouches 
in a player piano will shrink sufficiently during the dry Winter 
months that they prevent the valve from closing 100% (or turning 'off'). 
In some instances, this problem can be temporarily solved by using 
a trackerbar pump. Using the trackerbar pump vigorously will 'suck' the 
pouches deeper into the pouch well, allowing the valves to seat 
properly. However, if 'pumping the bar' does solve the problem, I 
would recommend changing the pouches at a later date.

BTW, if by chance you have a double-valve player system, it is possible 
that the problem involves the Primary Valves. In a double-valve system, 
the "Intake Valve Facings" are exposed to the outside air all of the 
time. This causes them to deteriorate much faster than the "Exhaust Valve 
Facings". If the intake facings are sufficiently deteriorated, they will 
allow air to leak into the air passage that leads to the "Secondary Valve 
Pouch". This will cause the note to activate, or stay "ON" all of the time. 
Replacing the intake valve facings on the primary valves is not an easy 
task, and it is best left to a professional. The only "Quick Fix" I know 
of is to 'squirt' Baby Powder at the facings in the hope that it will 
create a seal that is good enough to shut off the secondary valve. However, 
it is an extremely short-lived 'fix' which is normally only used to 
troubleshoot a problem.

In closing, I hope you find this information helpful. It will be 
used in the making of a new web page called "Notes That Won't 'Turn OFF'", 
Or, "Notes That Stay 'ON'".

Musically,

John A. Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, NJ, USA
=============================================================