HOW DOES HUMIDITY AFFECT TUNING?

 Pianos are made primarily of wood.  All wood shrinks and swells as humidity changes. The soundboard is the main acoustical piece of wood in your piano, commonly made of  3/8" spruce strips glued together horizontally to produce a large thin board.  When the humidity is high, the soundboard swells and its crowned shape increases the tension on strings causing them to stretch and pitch to raise. When humidity is lower, the soundboard flattens out, lowering the tension on strings and causing pitch to drop. Repeated swelling and shrinking is hard on the wood itself as well as the glue joints, and typically leads to tuning instability and the likelihood of the eventual development of sound board cracks.

  1.  It helps stabilize the tuning of your piano.  A constant humidity level

           (between 41-49%) helps your piano stay in tune longer.

      2.  It decreases the effects of a dry climate or heating systems in winter           

           which cause  soundboards and bridges to crack, and pins to loosen in      

           the pin block.

      3.  It minimizes the problem of sluggish action or sticky keys caused

           by swamp coolers or  monsoonal weather in summer. 

      4.  It protects your investment in your piano and prolongs the life of your
           piano. 

The Piano Life Saver System is made up of three basic components: 

• a humidistat which senses the humidity near the piano's soundboard
  
• one or more dehumidifying bars depending on conditions and piano size
  
• a humidifier tank  and distribution system
  

These parts work together to maintain the humidity levels within your piano
at about 45% regardless of the external conditions.

The Piano Life Saver IS ENDORSED BY BALDWIN, KAWAI, YAMAHA, BECHSTEIN, HAILUN, MASON & HAMLIN, PEARL RIVER, PETROF, STEINGRAEBER, FAZIOLI AND OTHERS.  

Steinway & Sons says, “The installation of a Piano Life-Saver  Humidity Control System can, in our opinion, provide a degree of climate control for the piano which may not be otherwise attainable.”