Piano - Why Climate Control is Important For Piano Maintenance

The piano is an elegant musical instrument that can convey and evoke a variety of emotions with a range from soft lilting tones to aggressive frenzied pounding. It is an instrument to be appreciated and adored.

But, if you want to keep it in perfect working order so that it can convey all of the emotions at the right time, it has to be well maintained. Part of a piano's upkeep is to keep the climate around the instrument controlled. If you don't, it is important to know how humidity and temperature change can affect this priceless instrument and how to prevent it.

Humidity Control

First of all, your piano is made of wood. Albeit quality wood products, but it is still susceptible to the same constriction and contraction that occurs under temperature changes and these are just the normal everyday kind of changes. Extreme humidity and dryness can lead to the wood splitting and cracking. These are just the visible outside changes. Worse damage is done to the working parts on the interior.

The biggest damage of extreme temperature change happens to the soundboard which is the most important part of the piano. As it swells up with moisture or shrinks from dryness, it places pressure on the strings and effects the overall tuning of the piano. It can become permanently warped so that the instrument will never sound the dame again.

Humidity affects other parts as well. Anything that is metal can rust if condensation collects inside the instrument. The felt and leather components can become saturated or dried out and crack when the humidity level fluctuates. There are steps you can take to minimize the risk of any damaging occurring due to temperature and humidity levels.

The easiest thing to control is the placement of the piano. Never place it by a window. This not only heats the instrument, but the sun can fade the wood. Also, keep the piece out of the direct line of output for heaters and cooling vents or anything that emits hot and cold temperatures. Placing it on an inside wall is better because the insulation is better than an exterior wall.

For the humidity, which is wet, you can place a dehumidifier in the piano room. Conversely, if you live in a very dry environment, like Colorado in the winter, you want to place a humidifier in the room to put back some moisture. Keeping the temperature of the house at a moderate level, say between 68 and 72 degrees, at all times of the year is also good for the instrument.

If you want this beautiful instrument to remain in good working order, you have to do what you can to control its climate. You spent a lot of money on it and you want to be able to pass it down to your kids and their kids. Aside from climate control, don't forget to give your piano regular tune-ups and maintenance from a professional. If you do experience humidity-related issues, always call a professional in to fix the problem.

Piano - Why Climate Control is Important For Piano Maintenance