Regular maintenance is a part of owning a piano. And part of maintaining a well functioning piano is providing the right level of humidity in your home. Nothing keeps your piano healthier than the proper humidity level. This can be achieved in any room in your home by adding a piano humidifier to your instrument.
Ideally, your piano’s humidity level should be at about 50 percent. Pushing it between 50 to 55 percent would be even better. And if a thunderstorm raises it to 65, 70 percent or more, no need to worry. Excess humidity may cause tuning problems, but it won’t damage the structure of your piano. Don’t let humidity fall much below the 50 percent level. Too little humidity is far more harmful than too much. Anything below 40 percent is cause to worry, since extremely dry air could cause the soundboard to crack.
To determine your humidity level, consider purchasing a hygrometer and leave it directly on the piano. This tiny device can be found online or in hardware stores and will tell you the details of the air around you.
In order to have proper humidity for your piano, you have two options: external or internal.
An external solution is the easiest and least expensive. Invest in an ordinary room humidifier, and in most cases will only need to turn it on in the winter when your home dries out with continual use of a heater. It’s important to keep your piano away from the humidifier and from vents that blow out warm air. It should never be directly in line with conditioned air; instead it should be a couple of feet or more from direct streams.
An internal solution includes a dedicated humidifier built directly into your piano. There are companies that manufacture piano humidifiers and can be installed by a piano technician. If a room humidifier hasn’t solved your air issues, this may be the best way to go to further regulate your piano’s condition.
If you haven’t regulated humidity levels before, start simple with a hygrometer and room humidifier and monitor your humidity levels for awhile. In most cases, this will be sufficient for your home. A piano cannot be brought back to life once it’s too far gone. The best way to maintain it is to start the process from the beginning.
Have more questions about your piano?
