As a technician, I’m frequently asked what makes a piano go out of tune. There are a number of factors, but the one that contributes the most is changes in humidity. Sure enough, changes in temperature can also impact the tuning, but changing temperature also changes humidity.
In earlier articles, I mention that your piano’s home humidity levels can be controlled by portable humidifiers and dehumidifiers, depending on the season. The Piano Life Saver System takes this approach and focuses in on the critical area where the control needs to happen – inside the piano.
To control those levels you need three basic components – a source of humidity to moisturize the air, a source of heat to dry the air, and a way to measure and control the humidity for it to stay within an appropriate range. The Piano Life Saver System runs constantly to maintain the humidity within your piano at an acceptable level needed for the wood parts. This works to keep your tuning much more stable than it would with the constant changing humidity we find in our homes and schools.
The system plugs into a standard wall plug and requires topping up with water about once every two weeks. A few other small items need replacing every 6 months to keep it running at optimal performance. Tunings stay much more stable between tuning visits, and a properly maintained system will help your piano with maintaining it’s value over many years.
If you would like more detailed information, you can visit the Piano Life Saver website. It’s important to note that all installations MUST be done by a piano technician, and the Piano Life Saver website lists those technicians that have been certified as installers by the Dampp-Chaser company.
If you have any questions regarding the details above, please contact me via lee@masterpianoservices.com