Pianos are generally designed to function best in environments with a relative humidity of 40-50%. The Waikato is humid – with an 85% yearly average relative humidity. This is hard on pianos: All of the wooden and woolen parts on the piano absorb this moisture and swell slightly. This causes the strings, which are attached to the wooden soundboard, to be stretched and go out of tune. It causes more friction on the moving parts, which results in sluggishness, “stuck keys”, corrosion on the metal strings and tuning pins … The list goes on.
The best solution for this problem is to keep your piano in a temperature and humidity controlled room. This is a great solution if have such a room for your piano.
For most of us however, and particularly those of us in the Waikato that like fresh air, we need another solution. This is where the Dampp-Chaser system comes in. It is a humidity control system that is installed inside your piano. A humidistat monitors the environment’s humidity and controls a small heating bar, thereby regulating the relative humidity inside the piano. (It has a humidifier option for dry climates, but we do not need or install this part of the mechanism here). It functions best on uprights, which are mostly enclosed, but also works well on grands, especially if combined with a string cover, or if the lid can be kept closed most of the time.
A Dampp-Chaser system, properly installed, will assist tuning stability and prolong the life of your instrument. Ask us about installation prices and options.