Humidity Control Systems
We love our Paradise weather in the Naples area, but it can wreak havoc on your piano. High humidity is responsible for:
- ‘traveling pitch’ (uneven out-of-tune-ness)
- twangy notes (multiple strings keys where a note is out of tune with itself)
- sticking keys due to the expansion of the wood
- sting and pin corrosion. Prolonged exposure to high humidity causes all wooden parts of the piano to swell, which, after humid/dry fluctuations causes breakage and cracks. That is permanent damage that will require extensive and costly repair.
Soundboard, which is an essential part of the piano’s sound production, needs to be maintained in good condition to ensure the longevity of your instrument.
When corrosion develops on the metal elements of your piano, such as strings and pins, it can bond the two together. In some cases, it might require replacement of the pins and re-stringing of the piano.
Rusted strings due to high humidity
When it comes to the complicated wooden action mechanism, which is attached to every key, high humidity causes the swelling and ungluing of small parts. This leads to keys not bouncing back up after being played, or not going down when being played.
As all 88 keys have their own individual mechanisms, which swell differently at random, humidity causes the piano action to feel uneven and hard to play, as each key requires individual adjustment of the power of fingers by the pianist.
All of that can be avoided and controlled by installing a dehumidifier system that controls the level of humidity within your piano. Current devices are state-of-the-art tech that can sense the humidity/dryness level in the room and adjust accordingly, making sure that the piano is kept in a steady, controlled environment.
Consistent level of humidity is what is necessary for the piano to remain in good shape. And such a system ensures that, if used properly.
There are a number of humidifier/dehumidifiers available on the market, most being stand-alone devices that you can purchase at a home goods store. They are not designed with the piano in mind, and while they perform the necessary functions for the room, it may not be the right amount of de/humidification that your piano requires. Needless to say, over-humidifying the air will cause damage as well as over-dehumidifying it.
When it comes to the native piano system, designed from the ground up to care for the instrument – Piano Life Saver system is second to none.
The system monitors humidity level and oscillates from humidifier to dehumidifier function based on the reading of the room in real-time.
This provides climate consistency for your piano, which is essential to prevent the swelling and shrinking of all wooden elements, which leads to all of the above-mentioned problems.
Piano Life saver system under the grand piano
When you invest in the piano, especially a premium quality instrument – its value over time is determined by maintenance (learn more about piano maintenance we provide). Such a system is a crucial component of the care for your piano, particularly in our Southwest Florida climate.
We highly recommend having this system installed in your instrument. It is also advisable to have a professional piano technician install the system. The placement and calibration of the device is something that we specialize in for years and the correct integration of this system into your piano is a key to its success. You can purchase this system from us and we will install it on your piano and provide you with instructions as to the maintenance. As with all technology, there are ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ and we will guide you through every step to ensure your piano remains well taken care of 24/7.