Condair Strikes A Chord With Forth Pipe Organs

Forth Pipe Organs, a specialist pipe organ builder, restorer and maintainer, has been incorporating Condair humidifiers into its projects for over 20 years. Serving a range of clients from large-scale performance venues, such as Edinburgh University’s McEwan Hall, to schools and church organs around the country, it helps protect instruments from the dangers of dry air, ensuring they remain mechanically stable and tonally consistent.

David Page, Director at Forth Pipe Organs, comments, “Pipe organs are constantly reacting to the air around them. When humidity drops too low, timber components move, leather parts stiffen and tuning stability suffers. Maintaining relative humidity between 40% and 50% is essential for protecting their long-term integrity and performance.”

David continues, “What’s important for us in choosing a humidifier partner is having confidence that they understand the application and that the solution genuinely fits the environment we’re working in. Condair’s range gives us that flexibility. Whether we’re dealing with a large performance venue or a much smaller, more challenging space, Condair’s humidifiers and application advice always help us find the right humidity solution. This allows us to focus on the organ itself, knowing the environmental conditions are being properly managed.”

Steve Hale, Special Projects Contractor for Condair, comments, “It’s been a great pleasure to work with David and his team at Forth Pipe Organs for so many years. They operate across a wide variety of organs, and each environment presents different challenges. In large venues with central air handling systems, humidification is often integrated into the ventilation system, allowing moisture to be evenly distributed throughout the space. This approach helps stabilise humidity levels around the organ without affecting the visual character of the building, which is particularly important in heritage settings.

“By contrast, many church installations and enclosed organ chambers require more localised humidity control. In these situations, compact steam humidifiers with fan-assisted distribution can be positioned close to, or even inside, the instrument, delivering targeted humidification directly to sensitive components. This provides effective protection even where no central ventilation system exists or where heating is used only intermittently.”

Steve concludes, “When selecting the most appropriate humidification solution for a pipe organ project, it’s important to consider not just the size of the space, but how air moves through it and within the organ itself. Ensuring balanced humidity throughout the internals of the organ, rather than in just one area, is critical.”

Forth Pipe Organs offers a comprehensive range of services, including design, restoration, tuning and ongoing maintenance of pipe organs. Its dedicated staff of skilled personnel has over 200 years’ collective experience.

Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy-efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. The company has production sites in Europe, North America and China, its own sales and service organisations in 23 countries, and representatives in 50 locations worldwide. You can find out more by visiting www.condair.co.uk.