Humidity and Pianos

Climate control for pianos is a vital aspect of piano care that many piano owners often overlook. Humidity and temperature fluctuations can have a significant impact on the performance and longevity of a piano. As a result, investing in a piano climate control system can be a smart decision to protect your valuable instrument.

The industry leader in piano climate systems is Piano Life Saver Systems. They provide a system that is designed to maintain stable humidity levels inside your piano. The system includes a humidifier, dehumidifier, and sensors that monitor the humidity and temperature levels. The sensors will send signals to the humidifier or dehumidifier as needed to maintain a stable environment for your piano.

But what is the purpose of a climate control system for pianos? Pianos are made of wood, metal, and felt, all of which are susceptible to changes in humidity and temperature. When humidity levels change, the wood in a piano can expand or contract, causing the pitch of the piano to go out of tune. Additionally, changes in humidity can cause glue joints to weaken, keys to stick, and hammers to become misshapen. Extreme fluctuations in temperature can also cause damage to the piano.

A piano climate control system can help prevent these issues by maintaining stable humidity and temperature levels inside the piano. The Piano Life Saver System, for example, is designed to maintain a constant relative humidity level of 42%, which is ideal for most pianos. This stable environment helps to prevent the wood from expanding and contracting, which helps to keep the piano in tune longer and reduces the risk of damage.

If you are uncertain if a climate control system is the right choice for your piano, you can collect some data at home to help inform your decision. All that’s required is a hygrometer that has the ability to track high and low peaks in relative humidity. Just place the hygrometer near or on your piano for a couple weeks. Track these highs and lows to see how far the humidity swings around your piano. Ideally, we want the humidity between 40% and 45% RH. While 42% relative humidity is the goldilocks zone for pianos, stability is of equal importance.

For example, if relative humidity near your piano is stable at 46%, that is better than humidity that swings from 37%-44%. I’ve seen humidity swing from 79% down to 45% over the course of a tuning (in less than 2 hours!). This is because the morning air is cold and damp when I start tuning but then drys out as the rising sun warms up the air. This is effect is exaggerated near windows and outside walls.

If you are still uncertain or losing sleep as to whether it is a necessary investment, ask your trusted piano tuner at your next tuning appointment to evaluate the piano and its surrounding climate. Note: A climate system can only help your piano if installed properly. There is no added risk in a properly installed climate system, only added and perhaps redundant protection.