How Long Should I Wait After Moving?
Topic Series Notes: Piano Environment
A good understanding of how humidity relates to the health of your piano has the potential of adding years of life to your piano. I believe every piano owner would benefit from reading these short articles.
My Opinion
The following article is probably the least important of the “Piano Environment” Series, but it is a question I am asked frequently and while it reflects my opinion about servicing a piano after moving it to a new location, perhaps it can also give insight into how rapidly humidity affects pianos.
General Sentiment ~ Piano Service After A Move
How long should you wait ~ after moving your piano to have it tuned?
After moving your piano into a new home, the general sentiment is to wait before tuning. The logic behind this waiting is to allow the piano time to condition itself to the new environment.
Let us think about this for a moment by asking a question; “How long do you think it would take for a drop of water to soak into a piece of wood?” Answer: Not long ~ minutes, right? This is not a fair comparison because pianos have protective lacquers and sealant, nevertheless I wanted to get you thinking in the correct direction to dispel the many myths about waiting for weeks or even months before tuning your piano after moving ~ which is ridiculous, in my opinion.
Dispelling Myths About Piano Service After Moving
It has been proven that no piano, no matter what size, brand, or model, will stay perfectly tuned ~ exactly where the tuner set the strings ~ for 24 hours unless the piano is in a laboratory with exact climate control. This tells us that shifting humidity within 24 hours affects the the wood within a piano. Pianos serviced in storage, for piano dealers, where doors are opening and closing many times need re-tuning within minutes because of the shifting environment.
Understanding this rapid acceleration of humidity change within the piano makes accepting myths about waiting several weeks before tuning a piano in its new environment difficult to accept.
Another concept of piano settling concerns the level of the floor where the piano is sitting. In other words, the floor might not have the same level, therefore the construction of the piano shifts and needs more time to settle before tuning. But let me ask you a simple question; “Have you ever moved a table across the room and discovered the floor not as level as where you moved it from and now the table is rocking?” ~ of course you have.
So then if a piano being moved to another area needs to settle before tuning, then why is it we tuners, on a regular basis, walk into our customer’s homes and discover the piano has been moved and yet the tuning is no more out of tune than normal? Or when a piano has been moved shortly after a tuning within the same room or home where the humidity has remained fairly consistent the piano is still holding tune?
The fact is this type of settling within the framework of a piano affects tuning so little that even trained piano technicians would have a hard time noticing the difference. When pianos do go out of tune when being moved from one wall to another within the same room, it has been my experience, from checking the hygrometer sitting on top of the piano, the piano has gone through a humidity swing and it is the unstable humidity in the new area that cased the piano to go out of tune, not the floor or the piano settling.
Years ago I talked to a technician at a piano convention and he told an interesting story that relates to this subject about settling. He tuned a nine foot concert Steinway grand piano for a concert before the piano was moved into the concert hall. It was winter and extremely cold outside so the piano movers did everything they could to protect the piano from the extreme cold. They wrapped the piano in several layers of blankets and made sure the moving van was also fairly warm. After wrapping the piano they moved the piano as quickly as possible from the dealers showroom to the van and from the van to the concert hall. When they unwrapped the piano the air under the blankets was still warm and when the piano technician checked the piano it was still in good tune ~ proving once again that it is not the move but the changing of humidity and environment that causes a piano to lose it’s tune.
Another point about settling has to do with new piano strings stretching. New pianos go out of tune quickly because the new strings stretch. To compensate for this stretching, piano manufacturers recommend new pianos be tuned at least three or four times the first year. Yet many piano dealers recommend waiting before having your new piano tuned after moving the piano into your home. Why? No matter how long you wait, until the strings become fully stretched (by having them tuned) a new piano is not going to hold tuning for long anyway ~ the sooner you have your new piano tuned three or four times the sooner you get to enjoy a stable piano.
I would assume most, if not all experienced piano tuners have been called to service a piano 10, 15 or 20 years old and yet has never been tuned. Such a piano after settling for so many years still acts like a new unstable piano because the strings have not been pulled up to pitch the required number of times to remove the stretch ~ for them to become fully stretched. In other words, it is not the length of time the piano settles but the number of tunings required to stabilize a new piano. A new piano, or a piano 10, 15 or 20 years old that has never been serviced needs tuning three or four times before stabilizing. The only exception is when a new piano has been sitting on the showroom floor for many months and has gone through several in-house, or showroom tunings before purchased.
There have been other myths in the piano tuning business that have been disproven such as pianos very low in pitch needing more than one appointment to bring them up to standard. Thirty years ago most tuners would tell you to bring up, a very out of tune piano to standard pitch required two, three or perhaps even four appointments. Today, reputable tuners know that is not true and if the piano is in good shape there is no reason to not bring it up to pitch in one appointment. But this myth about pianos needing to settle for weeks before tuning is still hanging around. You hear it all the time from dealers, teachers and even other piano tuners. It is simply not true.
Don’t be fooled by piano dealers advising you to wait ~ hoping you will forget so they will never have to pay for the free tunings they promised. But I cannot completely blame dealers for keeping this myth alive, after all they are at the mercy of the technicians who advise them and many piano tuners also buy-into this myth about pianos needing to settle after a move.
I believe there is nothing to be gained by waiting more than 72 hours after a piano move to have your piano serviced and certainly waiting a week is plenty of time. When your piano arrives in your home, call your piano tuner immediately. The chances are he will not be able to work you into his schedule for one, two or three weeks anyway, so call him while it is on your mind and schedule an appointment.
How To Measure Piano Humidity Swings
Topic Series Notes: Piano Environment
A good understanding of how humidity relates to the health of your piano has the potential of adding years of life to your piano. I believe every piano owner would benefit from reading these short articles.
Recommended Humidity For Piano Health
Measure Piano Humidity Swings With A Digital Hygrometer
The general consensus is the best humidity for a piano is 42%. When humidity lowers below 35% or rises above 55% you enter a danger zone. However, it is the swinging back and forth that damages pianos.
Consistent ~ Year Around Humidity Levels Are Best For Your Piano
I have read reports about technicians surprised by how well pianos perform in a dry desert climate where the humidity remains low year around. Maintaining a consistent humidity level is the most important factor for piano health and piano tuning. However, I do not live in such a climate and it seems to me a consistently dry climate would dry out the wood and damage a piano. So I recommend you make every effort to maintain humidity as close to 42% as possible. (Click the Hygrometer image to purchase.)
Monitor Your Piano Humidity Swings With A Hygrometer
As a piano tuner, I wish every piano owner and piano customer had a Digital Hygrometer ( Humidity gauge ) sitting on top of their piano. Digital Hygrometers or Digital Hygro Thermometers, like the one pictured above, measure humidity and keep a history of the minimum and maximum temperature and humidity levels reached since the last time that history was reset. Humidity control is very important for the health of your piano and a good place to start before purchasing a piano humidifier or dehumidifier for moisture control is discovering house humidity surrounding your piano.
For my customers who own Digital Hygrometers and have them sitting on their pianos, as a part of my service, I reset the humidity history every time I tune their pianos. That enables me to keep a close eye on humidity swings in their home since my last piano tuning service and assists in making recommendations.
Even if you have humidity control in your home, it is a good idea to have a separate hygrometer to gauge humidity and record the relative humidity surrounding your piano. I purchased the one pictured above from a piano supply company, however the same hygrometer can be found here.
Temperature, Humidity, Control In Your Home
To correct a humidity problem it is best to stabilize the environment in your home. Remember, everything in a piano is either made of wood or depends on wooden parts to function, therefore humidity control in your home not only is beneficial to your piano but helps to prevent potential problems with your entire home.
Piano Life Saver
Whenever discussing humidity and how to correct problems, the question usually arises about whether to install a “Dampp-Chaser Humidity Control System” or as they are now called “A Piano Life Saver System” I have some mixed feelings about them. The humidity sensors on the Piano Life Saver humidistat controls both the piano dehumidifier and humidifying features of the system and are beneficial to piano tuning if they are maintained and serviced correctly. However, anyone purchasing these systems should be aware of a few potential negatives:
Piano Life Saver Systems
Maintaining A Life Saver Humidity System
- Dampp-Chaser systems while beneficial to your piano soundboard and tuning, do NOTHING to protect the most important part of your piano ~ the piano pinblock. I emphasize to customers these systems should be viewed as a patch and not a fix to humidity problems, sometimes they forget this important information and become more lax about the environment in their home ~ subjecting the piano to more humidity swings than if they never installed the “Life Saver Humidity System”.
- For piano humidity control, Dampp-Chaser systems need to be filled and serviced regularly. As a piano technician, I inform customers with these systems the reservoir will hold more than one pitcher of water and when the low-water light begins to flash they still have about half of a tank of water left in the reservoir. While that gives them some comfort if the light has been on for a while without noticing, sometimes they procrastinate filling the tank, knowing they have some water left in the tank, resulting in the system completely drying out. In that case there is a small potential for damage to the piano.
- Another problem concerns partially filling the tank. More than a few customers forget you should add one complete whole pitcher of water when the warning light begins to flash. As a result, they watch the light while filling, fearing an over-flow, and just barely fill the tank enough to shut off the light. In such cases they are filling it every few days and then call me asking what is wrong, when the only problem is they are not adding the complete pitcher of water. (Note: If the pitcher that came with your system is marked “fill to this line”, then filling to the marked line constitutes “one complete whole pitcher of water” as referenced above. )
Dampp-Chaser Humidifier Treatment
- Piano Life Saver Systems are also problematic in collecting mold, especially the hose used for filling. However these mold problems have been partially solved as long as customers remember to add the Humidity Treatment ~ now supplied with new systems. (Click the Humidifier Treatment image to purchase.)
If a customer is aware, and does not forget, these important facts of piano maintenance and maintains them properly, then Dampp-Chaser systems can serve to stabilize tuning and ( while no guarantee ) will help to prevent soundboard cracks.
How Does Humidity Affect My Piano?
Topic Series Notes: Piano Environment
A good understanding of how humidity relates to the health of your piano has the potential of adding years of life to your piano. I believe every piano owner would benefit from reading these short articles.
Humidity Swings And Piano Parts
Everything in a piano is either made of wood or depends on wooden parts to function. Wet humid conditions swell and warps wooden parts and dry parched conditions shrinks and cracks wooden piano parts.
While high humidity badly affects a piano and low humidity badly affects a piano, even worse is swinging back and forth, which is what we have in Kansas City ~ hot humid summers and cold dry winters.
Dryness causes wood to crack, which is the most serious damage, and many times those cracks would never develop, without first going through a period of damp humid conditions.
Soundboard Pressure Ridges
Let’s take the soundboard for example:
The soundboard already has a great deal of pressure exerted on it and wet humid conditions cause it to swell, pushing the wood grain with great force the soundboard sometimes develops a “pressure ridge”. On grand pianos, you can see these pressure ridges if you lower your eye-sight to just above level with the soundboard ~ to the point where the light glares off the soundboard. Once you spot a “pressure ridge” you can run your finger across the ridge and feel it under your finger.
At this point the pressure ridge is not considered a crack and no piano manufacturer will warranty a “pressure ridge”, yet if the piano goes through a period of dryness, this is where the crack will most likely develop. “Pressure ridges” can be seen on many pianos still sitting on the dealer’s showroom floor. This is one more, of the many reasons why you should never, never, never buy a piano without having a professional piano tuner examine the piano before you buy.
Soundboard cracks usually do not cause much of a problem to the tone and overall sound of your piano unless the soundboard ribs loosen and begin to buzz and rattle. Unless there is a rattle or buzz the soundboard will still perform. (For more information on why soundboard cracks do little to harm piano tone – see this Steinway technical.)
Humidity Swings And The Piano Pinblock
Piano Pinblock
A more serious problem that may develop as a result of “humidity swings” is pin-block damage. The pinblock is what holds the tuning pins. The quality and condition of the pinblock determines the tightness of tuning pins and is one of the most important factors in tuning stability. For many manufacturers, including Steinway, the minimum specification allowed for tuning pin tightness, to pass inspection and exit the factory is only 50 inch pounds. While technicians, like myself, would like all new pianos to measure 75 to 85 inch pounds many leaves the factory with much less.
What This Means For The Piano Owner?
A piano is still tunable at 50 to 60 inch pounds, but once the pinblock loosens to the point the tightness of the tuning pins only measures 25 to 30 inch pounds, we generally consider that piano no longer a tunable piano. After a piano has gone through a few seasonal changes, it is not uncommon for the pinblock to loosen five to ten inch pounds in the first five years of service. To avoid getting stuck with one of those 50 inch pound pianos, never, never, never buy a piano without a professional piano tuner appraising the quality of the piano before you buy.
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- Piano Pinblock
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- Dry Piano Pinblock Conditions
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- Moist Piano Pinblock Conditions
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- Rusted Piano Tuning Pins and Piano Strings
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- Piano Pinblock Damage (Tuning Pins Removed)
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- Rusted Piano String Damage
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- Piano Bridge ~ Dry Conditions
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- Piano Bridge ~ Moist Conditions
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- Cracked Piano Soundboard
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- Sluggish Piano Action Resulting From High Humidity
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- Sticking Piano Keys Caused From Too Much Moisture ~ Humidity
Note: About the above “Piano Bridge” pictures ~ The piano soundboard is designed to have a crown. The image for “Dry Conditions” shows a flat soundboard which is not accurate. In dry conditions I am sure the soundboard flattens more than it should but not completely flat. The image that shows “Moist Conditions” is demonstrating too much crown ~ which is what happens in moist conditions.
Where Should I Locate My Piano?
Topic Series Notes: Piano Environment
A good understanding of how humidity relates to the health of your piano has the potential of adding years of life to your piano. I believe every piano owner would benefit from reading these short articles.
Best place to locate your piano
Bay windows, while attractive, are usually one of the worse places to locate your piano
The general rule is to avoid outside walls, fireplaces, doors, windows, direct sunlight or any area where the humidity is unstable.
There are three enemies of pianos:
- Unstable environment
- Lack of service
- Defective or low quality parts
While low humidity badly affects a piano, and high humidity badly affects a piano, even worse is swinging back and forth, which is what we have in Kansas City ( KC MO & KC KS ) – hot humid summers and cold dry winters. This swinging back and forth is a serious problem which makes placing your piano in the most stable environment very important.
Piano placement according to Steinway
As we have said, common sense is an excellent guide in the care of your Steinway piano. This is especially true when you are choosing the proper site for the piano in your home.
About 70% of your piano is wood, which even though it has been carefully selected and dried, is still “alive,” so to speak… Constant fluctuation in… [humidity] …is definitely bad for your piano’s health. And may lead to more frequent servicing. The action regulation, tuning, and voicing will become unstable.
We urge you to adhere to the following recommendations which will help you minimize wear and tear and help you keep your piano in optimum condition.
- Don’t position it in the path of an air conditioning outlet or a heating outlet.
- Don’t put it near an evaporator cooler or a room humidifier.
- Don’t put it close to an uninsulated outside wall.
If you think of yourself rooted to any of these spots and subjected to the changes of temperature and humidity thereabouts, you will be able to imagine what a piano in the same location would have to endure. Pianos placed in such locations cannot be expected to stay in tune and keep their adjustment. More important, the instrument subjected to such environmental insult may be permanently damaged.
When placing your piano within a room it is important to pick a spot where it will not be hit by direct sunlight. The exterior of your piano is made of wood from the same tree, carefully stained and color-matched at the Steinway & Sons factory. Exposure to direct sunlight will bleach the wood and ruin the piano’s carefully prepared finish.
It is a good idea to place a fairly accurate hygrometer near the piano so you can monitor humidity swings. Room dehumidification, humidification or air-conditioning may be needed to maintain a stable environment. The consideration of these items if necessary far outweigh the increased servicing, which may become necessary if these guidelines are not followed.
Deciding on the best piano location
Walk around your home and pick out every area you could possibly tolerate your piano. Then buy an equal number of digital hygrometers (humidity gauge) and place one hygrometer in each area for six months. (Be sure to buy hygrometers that will record the minimum and maximum humidity swings) The best place to locate your piano is where you have the least humidity swings.
How Do I Care For My Piano Finish?
The following is from the Piano Technicians Guild
Caring for your piano finish
Beautiful Steinway finish
The piano is unique among musical instruments because it also serves as fine furniture for the home. In fact, the term “piano finish” has traditionally been used to describe the highest standards in wood finishing. Properly maintaining that fine finish will enhance your home’s decor and preserve the value of your piano.
Basic finish care
Modern Pianos are finished with a variety of materials, from traditional lacquer to modern polyurethanes and polyester resins. Whatever the material, a piano finish is designed to protect the wood from dirt and liquid spills, reduce the damaging effects of humidity changes, and — in the case of clear finishes — enhance the beauty of the wood.
Modern finishes are designed to do their job without the additional aid of polishes or waxes. In most cases, a piano finish is best maintained by simply keeping it clean and avoiding exposure to direct sunlight, extremes of temperature and humidity, and abrasion.
Avoiding finish damage.
Your piano’s cabinet, like all woodwork, is subject to expansion and contraction with humidity changes. Excessive wood movement can eventually cause the finish to develop tiny cracks and even separate from the wood. Moderating the temperature and humidity swings around the piano will help to preserve its finish as well as its overall structure and tuning stability.
Locate the piano in a room with a fairly even temperature, away from drafts, dampness, and heat sources. ALWAYS AVOID DIRECT SUNLIGHT — it will age the finish prematurely and cause color fading.
To prevent scratches, never set objects on your piano without a soft cloth or felt pad. Never place plants or drinks on a piano, because spillage and condensation can cause major damage.
Dusting your piano
Dust is very abrasive, and can scratch the finish if wiped off with a dry cloth. To avoid scratching, dust the piano lightly with a feather duster. Alternatively, wipe lightly with a soft damp cloth to pick up the dust, followed immediately with a dry cloth. The cloths should be soft cotton such as flannel, because coarse or synthetic fabrics can scratch some finishes. Wring out the damp cloth thoroughly so it leaves no visible moisture on the surface.
To avoid creating swirl marks, always wipe with long straight strokes rather than circular motions. Wipe with the grain for natural wood finishes, or in the direction of the existing sheen pattern for solid-color satin finishes.
Because some exposed parts inside your piano are fragile, it’s best to let your technician clean these areas.
Avoid furniture polish
Avoid furniture polish on your piano
Before using polish on your piano, be sure it is actually necessary and beneficial. In general, most manufacturers recommend against using polishes because of the potential for damage to the finish and contamination of other parts of the instrument.
Common household products such as “lemon oil” or inexpensive “furniture polish” should be avoided. Despite the labels’ claims that they “protect” the finish or “feed” the wood, they offer no protection from scratching and can actually soften the finish if over-used. Worse, they often contain silicones and oils that contaminate the wood, complicating future refinishing or repairs. Silicone is especially dangerous because of its tendency to spread within the piano, sometimes causing extensive internal damage. Avoid aerosol products altogether since the over-spray can contaminate piano strings, tuning pins and action parts.
Steinway piano polish
An appropriate polish can help to restore luster to a dulled finish or reduce the tendency of some finishes to show fingerprints. However, it should be applied sparingly and infrequently, and all excess should be wiped clean with a soft dry cloth so no visible film remains. To prevent scratching, always dust before polishing. Specific recommendations follow.
Cleaning Your Keys
Piano keys eventually become soiled with accumulated oil and dirt from fingers. To clean your white keys, use a soft cloth dampened with water and a small amount of mild soap. Avoid solvents. Make sure the cloth is thoroughly wrung out, and wipe the keys back-to-front rather than side-to-side, so excess moisture and dirt will not seep down the sides of the keys. Clean only a few keys at a time drying immediately with a clean cloth.
Ivory keys are porous, and excessive moisture can penetrate and loosen their glue joints. Also, a dirty or brightly colored cleaning cloth can transfer stains into the ivory.
Clean sharps in the same manner, but use a separate cloth for painted wooden sharps to avoid black stains on the white keys.
Finish Care Steps
- Locate your piano to avoid direct sunlight as well as excessive temperature and humidity changes.
- To avoid scratching, always remove dust first with a damp cloth or feather duster before wiping with a dry cloth.
- Never place drinks, plants, etc. on the finish.
- Avoid placing vinyl or rubber in contact with the piano.
- Make sure that piano lamps, etc. have a felt-padded base.
- Avoid touching piano strings with fingers or damp cloths.
- Delicate parts inside your piano should be cleaned only by your technician.
- Use polish sparingly, if at all.
- Avoid aerosol products.
- Read labels carefully, and avoid any product containing silicone.
- Before playing, always wash your hands to prevent staining the sides and tops of the keys.
How often should a piano be tuned?
The following is offered as a piano tuning guide. After all, who would know better, when you should tune your piano than the people who make pianos?
Piano Manufacturers Recommend…
Steinway & Sons
Humidity Affects Piano Tuning
… Unfortunately, no matter how expertly a piano is tuned, atmospheric variations, particularly humidity, and the nature of the piano’s construction constantly conspire to bring it off pitch.
Steinway Recommendations For Piano Tuning
Your Steinway piano has been designed and built so that in normal use and under normal conditions it should need only periodic tuning. We recommend that your tuner be called at least 3 or 4 times a year. You, however, are the final judge and should have the piano tuned as often as you think necessary. To put the matter of tuning into perspective, remember that a concert piano is tuned before every performance and a piano in a professional recording studio, where it is in constant use, is tuned 3 or 4 times each week as a matter of course.
Baldwin
New Pianos Need More Frequent Tuning
In the first year, … have your piano tuned four times. This is a period of environmental adjustment for a new instrument and proper attention is important.
After the first year, the piano should be tuned at least twice each year depending upon the frequency of use and atmospheric conditions. … arrange for a reputable technician to service your piano regularly.
Yamaha Piano
The Importance Of Regular Piano Tuning
Why schedule regular service? … Regular service will keep your piano’s performance (and your enjoyment) at its peak level. It will also correct “progressive” problems early, before they turn into costly repairs. For these reasons Yamaha strongly recommends that you adopt a schedule of regular service for your piano.
Your Piano Tuner Should Be Scheduled At Least Twice A Year
… The strings need to be tuned a minimum of twice a year to restore them to their proper tension.
Boesendorfer Piano
Bosendorder Recommends Calling Your Piano Tuner 2 or 3 Times A Year
Climatic factors such as temperature or humidity changes may cause the precise tuning of your piano to vary. Also naturally over time the tuning will alter due to the tensions the strings are constantly under.
If your piano receives normal use, we advise you to have your instrument tuned 2 or 3 times a year. Instruments which are being used more frequently, such as concert halls and recording studios, are being tuned before each concert or recording session.
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Piano Tuning |
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