Climate Control Systems for Pianos
Humidity Control for Pianos
Because pianos are made of wood, there is an optimum humidity that is beneficial to pianos, which is between 40-50%.
It is important that the wood and glue joints not get too dry, good humidity is desirable. On the other hand, for the metal parts, more than 50% humidity is not desired as they will tend to make strings and other metal parts oxidize or rust, and action parts will often stick when the moisture in the air rises above a certain level. The worst thing for wood or wire is to have sudden or severe humidity changes; it can cause soundboards to crack or split and condensation to form inside the piano. Humidity changes are often responsible for a host of other undesirables such as white spots on piano finishes, the need for more frequent tunings as strings go out of tune in response to the soundboard swelling and contracting, glue joints will crack and open up and cracks or splits will form in the finish, the soundboard, the pin block as well as lids, legs and/or other structural parts.
Outdoor vs. Indoor climate
Most people worry about moving their piano to a different climate, but it's important to remember there are actually two types of climate to content with, namely outdoor and indoor climates and their changes! The place where people seem to run into the most problems with any kind of piano (whether targeted for a so-called U.S. climate or not), is when people fail to have any concept of extreme or rapidly changing humidity conditions inside their home. There are homes where the humidity is so high you can feel it, felt is damp and muggy and the piano owner wonders why keys and action parts on the piano are sticking and why the strings were covered with rust. On the other hand, in the winter they run the furnace in the to the point where the humidity drops to 10 or 20 %, don't be surprised when you do get cracks in your soundboard, and/or your pin block starts to contract which results in lose tuning pins. No piano will survive conditions like these for long. Depending on how well your home is insulated, the indoor climate may be quite different from that outside. Try not to park your piano close to sources of direct sunlight, radiators, aquariums, bathtubs or showers, heating registers, etc.
How to keep an (electronic) eye on the piano
We encourage piano owners to keep an electronic humidity gage on their instrument. These gages are pocket-sized and cost around 24.99 at Canadian Tire. They are accurate enough to let you know what's happening to your piano. Make sure you purchase the kind of gage that has a built-in memory; it is very convenient as it will remember the highest and lowest humidity. A good humidity compromise, or ideal, is around 42%, according to those who make humidity control devices for pianos.
No matter what is said about climate, we usually are not going to play our pianos outside. Inside the house climates can and should be controlled but we always recommend any purchaser to consider buying a Dampp-Chaser system! We sell and install them for uprights as well as for grand pianos!
How it works
The Dampp Chaser System is made up of basic components which work together to control internal piano humidity levels, maintaining the recommended relative humidity and climate no matter what the external conditions are.
Through a cycling action, the Humidistat is calibrated to create a separate environment within the piano, producing a narrow range of average humidity. When the Humidistat, located less than an inch from the soundboard, senses that the wood is dry, it turns the Humidifier on. Then, when the Humidifier has provided enough moisture to the soundboard, the Humidistat turns off the Humidifier and turns on the Dehumidifier. The Dehumidifier carries away moisture from the soundboard on air currents until the Humidistat senses that the soundboard is dry. The System again switches to the humidifying function. The cycle continues day after day, year after year, protecting your piano from external conditions.